Why are Quarter Horses so popular with owners and stables?
Why are Quarter Horses so popular with owners and stables? … Like, some QHs can be good. But I don't really like them. So why are they so popular? I don't find anything particulary special about them.
I ride Puerto Rican Paso Finos.
http://www.aqha.com/association/who/statistics.html
Registration Statistics for the AQHA
http://www.aqha.com/association/pdf/showstats08.pdf
Show statistics for the AQHA…you'll note fast time events for "lazy horses"…. and stats on AQHA race horses (the lazy things)….
The Quarter Horse didn't become the most popular breed in the nation by being fat, lazy, stupid, mean..or for "spooking easily". It does sound like an in-law however.
Those horses that "bumped" or stepped on you either had little respect for anyone or were poorly treated or both. You'll find this common denominator in rotten behavior amongst horses of all breeds. It's certainly not breed specific for Quarter Horses. Fan that methane somewhere else, whew!!!.
No doubt an equal number of negative comments could be made about the limitations of your "favorite breed" but I shall decline for the sake of brevity.
I would however, love to see that Paso Fino, doin' a little Paso Largo while in hot pursuit of a steer down the fence during a Working Cow Horse class, OR run a quarter mile in under 22 seconds….or log onto an 600 lb steer in a steer roping/stopping contest. Since Pasos average between 13.1 hands and 14.1 hands tall and weigh between 700 to 1100 lbs that steer could prove to be almost more than a lot of them can handle. OR, handle a Western Riding course; can't Paso Largo there, gotta lope, switch leads between precisely set cones and over a log without striking it.
AQHA Racing for 440 yards….crank that little Paso up for the race of its life to equal the Quarter Horse at a blistering 20.886 seconds for the quarter mile in 2006. Can I place some bets on your horse?
http://espn.go.com/horse/aqha/000420AQHASpecial.html
Riding for the "lower levels"…ok…..how about FEI Reining competition?
Must be out of reach for most of us rednecks……..
http://www.fei.org/DISCIPLINES/REINING/Pages/Default.aspx
http://www.fei.org/Media/Photos_Centre/Photo%20Gallery/Forms/slidshow.aspx?ViewStyle=slideshow&RootFolder=/Media/Photos_Centre/Photo%20Gallery/Reining_001&Folder=Reining_001&Footer=%C2%A9%202007%20-%20F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration%20Equestre%20Internationale,%20Lausanne
Every one is entitled to brag on their favorite breed of horse, dog, whatever; ..however, while doing the braggin' on your favorite animal be sure you have your facts in order.
EDIT: A top price paid for a AQHA cutting horse
"Five years ago, the day before the NCHA Futurity Finals, David and Stacie McDavid of Fort Worth purchased leading contender Hes A Peptospoonful for $1.5 million. Last month, the day before the NCHA Futurity Finals, the McDavids purchased The Silver Spoon, from Hes A Peptospoonfuls first crop of performers". "Cutting Horse News"…..
I will totally agree that they have been over-bred, and has put the great ones few and far between but will absolutely disagree that they excel at lower levels of showing..what! I believe most people have not seen excellent quality AQHA's. I also train Top Reiners, NRHA, NRBC and the Futurity, NRHA is open to all breeds but AQHA dominate this sport because other breeds simply cannot compete. You have the Cutting, Working Cow Horse, WP, HUS, HOF, racing, Gymkhana, Dressage and now many disciplines being FEI regulated. The AQHA is the most versatile breed in the world today. The high end, well bred and stunning representatives of their breed sell for a pretty penny and not 1200 BYB pukes, try like 6 figures. Why don't you just get on a plane and head to Ohio next month and hit the Quarter Horse Congress and then come back and tell us how ugly, lazy only good for racing and barrel racing these horses are…..Paso are cool for about 5 minutes and for some are the perfect horse.
Because they're really great horses and can ride any
discipline. They are well natured, and very gentle.
I have NO idea what QH's you've been around, but they must not
have been very well trained.
They excel very well in any type of riding.
Like barrel racing, jumping, racing, etc…
I have a Quarter horse who is 22 years old and
he's great with little kids, and he still runs barrels.
and he jumps 2 ft. He's an awesome horse.
Most Quarter horses are very well tempered,
but some aren't because of poor training.
I love Quarter horses, they're one of my favorite breeds (:
EDIT- Why is everyone who say's Quarter horses are good horses, getting a thumbs down? and everyone who doesn't
get's a thumbs up? lol.
Also, all the paso's I'VE been around, were very hot headed and were so hard to handle…they are more hard to train because when my dad was a trainer, he had a lot of problems with the paso's…
There's ups and downs to any breed of horse. I think if you've had bad experience with one then you won't like them as much. For example my old stables, I rode mostly rode QH's but my trainer had me ride gaited horses. I hated it, I think those horses gave me a bad experience so I'm not fond of gaited horses just because of those bad experiences.
With any breed you have your excellent horses and the horses who need serious schooling and manners.
Personally I think Quarter Horses are a neat breed. They're not always stockly, now days the breed has but sub divided, you have horses specially breed for reining, cutting, pleasure, english, halter, and etc. If I say quarter horse what comes to mind? Like you said something thats stocky. Personally I like the pleasure bred horses. I like doing western pleasure.
Now with the different types of Quarter Horses I think that appeals to more people. I think Quarter Horses are a all a round horse, they can do pretty much everything except for doing a gait lol.
Quater horses are so versatile. They can do pretty much anything, from dressage and show jumping, to barrels, and reining. They are great for people who wish to do multiple disciplines. They are very very versatile.
They also have great temperaments. They are sweet, loving, caring, friendly, calm, and they live to please. They will do whatever you ask without hesitating. They love to make you happy! They are extremely docile.
One of my friends has a quarter horse, and he is the best horse. She can stand him in the isle right next to the hay cart, without crossties and he will stand there, and not move a muscle, not even glance at the hay. He is such a good boy. I've never seen that horse throw a buck, or rear. He's done exactly everything that has been asked of him, and he does them well. Most quarter horses I know are like this. They are great horses overall.
Personally, I prefer thoroughbreds, and warmbloods. But quarter horses are great for a lot of people.
Hope I helped! Best of luck!
~Hannah
Quarter horses are a very unique breed. They're probably one of the most calm and popular horses around. B/c of this, many people who are just gettinng into horses get a qh and some decide they want to start breeding horses so they breed qh and more are made. people love them because they're calm and versitile (sp?!?!)
people use them for driving, racing, western (pleasure and showing), english (jumping and HUS), eventing, dressage, and in rodeos.
so many people have them and most of them are calm so word gets around they're great horses and everyone wants to buy one. then everyone decides they like that breed and don't get any other kind and more word gets around about how great they are. it's a never ending cycle.
in my opinion, qh are great starter and exceling level horses and i love mine.
im not going to argue over which one is better. all you have to do is put the two in a ring and look at the results. no doubt your breed of horse will be at the bottom of the list.
Quarter horses are good all around horses
they're decent jumpers dressage horses and western pleasure horses. They generally have a good build and a sweet temperament
I usually don't care for Quarter horses either but right now i'm working with a quarter horse who was abused and I adore him
he has a nice gait (tho i'm sure paso finos, being gaited horses, have smoother gaits) and he's learning well and quickly.
They are reliable, smart, and level headed. They won't just randomly start running or being stupid like other breeds do, but it depends on the horse.
They can do just about anything you want them to.
But basically, they are popular because they are fast. They are the fastest horses in the world for a quarter mile. And because they are usually shorter, they are better than other horses with cutting, barrel racing, reining, and other things that big horses have a hard time with.
i am not sure why people compare breed against breed.Quarter horses are the preferred breed of horses for stock handling in the united states because of their calm demeanor,they are also used in rodeo and 95 percent of the horses used by pickup men are Q/H.barrel racing,horse racing,dressage,and many other disciplines use Q/H.if i am out chasing spooky cattle out from scrub oak or out of draws there is no other horse i would mount that can do the job better than a Q/H,if i need to rope a 1800 pound bull i WILL be mounted on a Q/H,no other horse.if i am out checking fence and i need to dismount to pull a wire i can drop the reins,walk a quarter mile and turn around and my horse will still be standing right where i left him and he wont move till i tell him to,i have jumped a five foot fence on mine(with a heavy western saddle and a pelham bit)i have gone down hills on one that you cant stand on by yourself,i have seen mine stomp rattlesnakes in the pasture without getting bit.so if there is the perfect horse in the world that suits my needs it is an AMERICAN Quarter Horse.
Because they are well-rounded horses with nice dispositions and can be ridden by anyone. They're literally the "perfect" horse. Not to mention they come in different builds, heights, and colors. There's a Quarter Horse for everyone!
Personally I don't really enjoy them either. I'm into Thoroughbreds and Arabians because I like riding "hot" horses and enjoy their gaits. But I do still love them and respect them as a breed, and I'm sure there's a QH out there for me.
Basically though, it's just because the Quarter Horse can be used for anything and can come in many different appearances.
Disclaimer – The Views Expressed In This Article Are Provided By A 3rd Party And May Not Match Those Of Our Website