The largest registries are found in the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Australia. Germany and Italy have imported large numbers of American Quarter Horses. Countries without a stock horse tradition, such as Japan, Switzerland and Israel, have also begun competing using American Quarter Horses. Once in a while I will read articles in horse magazines where the author is mentioned as having judged American Quarter Horse competitions in Japan.
What makes America's Horse - the American Quarter Horse - so special?
The American Quarter Horse is intelligent, versatile and hard-working. He can do anything asked of him - whether it's working cattle on a ranch, jumping fences in an arena, running barrels or riding on a trail. That's not to say you can saddle up an American Quarter Horse and expect him to do any of those things without first taking the time to train him. Just as you can't expect a child on his or her first day in school to write a doctoral thesis, so you can't expect an American Quarter Horse (or any horse) to perform advanced moves without being sure he's mastered the basics first. Whatever you want to teach him needs to be broken down into small steps. Each step must be mastered before moving on to the next step.
Also, just because American Quarter Horses can do all these events, it doesn't mean every American Quarter Horse will do all these events. It's important for the rider to know what his or her horse likes to do. If the horse hates jumping fences, for example, both horse and rider will be frustrated if jumping fences is the rider's chosen event. Better either to switch events or find a horse that enjoys doing what you enjoy doing.
Western Horseman Books has published eight books in a series called "Legends: Outstanding Quarter Horse Stallions & Mares". The books look at a number of noted American Quarter Horse stallions and mares, listing their own achievements as well as the achievements of their notable offspring. For horses of note that lived before the formation of the AQHA in 1940, there are no official records of their achievements or those of their offspring.
A number of American Quarter Horses have Thoroughbred blood in them. Those horses seem to excel in racing. Once as an April's Fool Day joke, the AQHA posted on their Facebook page that American Quarter Horses had been approved to run in the Kentucky Derby.
Until I attended the Region 3 AQHA Championships for the first time in 2011 (it's held every July at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds), I had thought of the American Quarter Horse as a cowboy's horse. There I saw the horses compete in several non-Western events: Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack, Hunter Over Fences and Driving.The American Quarter Horse is not just for cowboys and cowgirls!
If I'm ever able to own a horse, the American Quarter Horse would be the breed I would most like to own.
The American Quarter Horse is intelligent, versatile and hard-working. He can do anything asked of him - whether it's working cattle on a ranch, jumping fences in an arena, running barrels or riding on a trail. That's not to say you can saddle up an American Quarter Horse and expect him to do any of those things without first taking the time to train him. Just as you can't expect a child on his or her first day in school to write a doctoral thesis, so you can't expect an American Quarter Horse (or any horse) to perform advanced moves without being sure he's mastered the basics first. Whatever you want to teach him needs to be broken down into small steps. Each step must be mastered before moving on to the next step.
Also, just because American Quarter Horses can do all these events, it doesn't mean every American Quarter Horse will do all these events. It's important for the rider to know what his or her horse likes to do. If the horse hates jumping fences, for example, both horse and rider will be frustrated if jumping fences is the rider's chosen event. Better either to switch events or find a horse that enjoys doing what you enjoy doing.
Western Horseman Books has published eight books in a series called "Legends: Outstanding Quarter Horse Stallions & Mares". The books look at a number of noted American Quarter Horse stallions and mares, listing their own achievements as well as the achievements of their notable offspring. For horses of note that lived before the formation of the AQHA in 1940, there are no official records of their achievements or those of their offspring.
A number of American Quarter Horses have Thoroughbred blood in them. Those horses seem to excel in racing. Once as an April's Fool Day joke, the AQHA posted on their Facebook page that American Quarter Horses had been approved to run in the Kentucky Derby.
Until I attended the Region 3 AQHA Championships for the first time in 2011 (it's held every July at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds), I had thought of the American Quarter Horse as a cowboy's horse. There I saw the horses compete in several non-Western events: Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack, Hunter Over Fences and Driving.The American Quarter Horse is not just for cowboys and cowgirls!
If I'm ever able to own a horse, the American Quarter Horse would be the breed I would most like to own.
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