Please start this series of posts with blog #616
There are many different breeds of horses and nature designed them according to their intended use.
Their individual conformation is the method of evaluating a specific breed's proportion, shape, bone structure,
and musculature with "form follows function" used as the guiding criteria.
Generally, a breed is a man-made creation, the product of centuries of selective breeding.
Generally, a breed is a man-made creation, the product of centuries of selective breeding.
This blog highlights the proportion and shape of a very popular breed, well known in this country:
The American Quarter Horse . . . strictly an American breed, the foundation sire of the modern
Quarter Horse was a Thoroughbred named Janus who was brought to this country from England in 1756.
The early mixture with Spanish mares produced a compact and heavily muscled animal.
The early mixture with Spanish mares produced a compact and heavily muscled animal.
My Dad raised and bred Quarter Horses in Northeastern Oklahoma and my roots go back to the 1950s
when I was a kid growing up with knowledge of the revered names of Quarter Horse stallions such as Leo,
Joe Hancock, stud horses from the Waggoner Ranch in Texas, and Tulsa's own: Bert.
This was the golden age of the Quarter Horse and the American Quarter Horse Association {AQHA}. . .
when I was a kid growing up with knowledge of the revered names of Quarter Horse stallions such as Leo,
Joe Hancock, stud horses from the Waggoner Ranch in Texas, and Tulsa's own: Bert.
This was the golden age of the Quarter Horse and the American Quarter Horse Association {AQHA}. . .
the popularity of the breed continues to dramatically increase since those early days.
Below, is an original etching of a Quarter Horse entitled, "Yucca", my Father's all-time favorite etching.
The Quarter Horse was originally bred for fast starts and 1/4 mile straightaway racing. . . thus, the name.
The legendary "cow sense" of the Quarter Horse makes the breed the rugged and durable horse of the West.
In the early years, the stocky horse originally averaged 14.2 to 15.2 hands and had a low center of gravity which
enabled great "turn on a dime" maneuverability. More recently, Thoroughbred crosses have refined the animal.
Below is an original etching entitled, "Headin' a Quitter".
Below is an original etching entitled, "Headin' a Quitter".
The breed has powerful hindquarters, low withers,
deep chest, very short cannons, wide-set forearms,
close-coupled back, a thick neck, and a short,
broad head with little fox ears and a short muzzle
. . . the ideal ranch horse.
At right, is a silhouette of the American Quarter Horse
Below, is a sculpture of a mare and foal entitled, "Southern Comfort".
11"H 16"W 6"D
Go to the BLOG INDEX and Reference Page for more information. See posts #616 and #655
Blog, text, photos, drawings, and sculpture . . . © Sandy Scott and Trish
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