Breed history
The Quarter Horse results from various crosses that began in the early 1600s. At that time, the settlers were looking for swift horses capable of winning the races they organized. The descendants of Spanish horses brought to the territory by the explorers were then crossed with horses of English origin, producing a horse called the “Celebrated American Quarter Running Horse.”
From the 18th century, horse racing over longer distances became very popular in Europe. A Virginia breeder then decided to cross one of his mares with the grandson of one of the founding stallions of the English Thoroughbred breed. The cross is made both for its robustness and speed and is used to conquer the American West. The Quarter Horse as we know it today was born from the last cross with the Mustangs of Mississippi.
