Arizona Quarter Horses

The quarter horse that little package of dynamiteis winning the hearts of more horsemen every day in Arizona and the cowmen have always found him suited to their needs. It is the cattlemen of the state who are producing the quarter horse to use on their ranches and he is coming through with flying colors. Deep heated arguments have taken place among our horsemen about what this little horse can and cannot do on the cattle range and race track, the same as there were arguments back in the earliest colonial days about how fast he could run the quarter mile.

The history of this little dynamo of horse flesh dates back to colonial days when a very serviceable horse was developed from the English and Dutch horses brought over by the early settlers. This horse weighed from 1000 to 1200 pounds, was closely built with short back, powerful muscles in the shoulders and quarters, good heads and fine dispositions. They were referred to in the early days as Virginia horses and as colonization spread westward these quarter horses found their way into Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. The racing of this powerful little horse was a real sport in the early days. They were matched and raced for 100 yards or more, seldom over a quarter of a mile, hence the name quarter horse. This racing as a sport reached its peak about 1745 in the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland. About this time a great number of thoroughbreds were being imported into this country. They were crossed on the "short" horses of the colonist and this gave them more height, weight and endurance. Early in the 19th century the thoroughbred was becoming very popular and racing was being developed over long distances. The "short" horse was all but forgotten during this time but about the turn of the century it was picked up again by breeders in the Southwest and reproduced in all its purity. There are many families of quarter horses-few regularly registered.

The quarter horse is a great example of the survival of the fittest in our animal kingdom. He has come down through history representing the type of horse that was best suited to do the work required of him. The two oldest and most discussed families are the Steel Dust and Peter McCue families and these two carry the most influence on the quarter horse development. The Steel Dust family is one of the oldest and many breeders refer to it as the foundation of quarter horses and are proud to have this name in the pedigree of horses they own. Steel Dust was owned in Illinois, was sired by Harry Bluff, by Imported Short Whip. Special homage must be paid however to Peter McCue. It is claimed he sired more good quarter horses than any other stallion and they were outstanding working horses and many were outstanding short racers. Peter McCue was sired by Dan Tucker, another family builder. The Copper Bottom family was very popular in Texas and were known to be fine cutting horses. The Yellow Wolf family followed and came from the descendants of old Joe Baily by Peter McCue. Other families included the Travelers, Kentucky Whips, Cold Decks, and the Shilos.

The quarter horse is found every where in the west from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast. They are seen in every color including the Palomino. Chestnuts Probably rank first in color preference but it seems to make little difference if the breeding and conformation is evident. It is a favorite color among breeders of Arizona mainly because it does not fade in the extreme heat of this country during the summer months.

The modern quarter horse is still the fastest in the world for short distances and is raced at short distances wherever horsemen gather, the same as they were in the early days. Fundamentally, however, the quarter horse was developed for the cow man. He could not have survived through the years if he had been developed only for racing and entertainment of his owners. Arizona cattlemen are accepting him; they like his compact, blocky body; he is an exceptionally fine cutting and working horse, is handy and quick on his feet with a big burst of early speed. This is a huge advantage in working cattle. The quarter horse does not need to be pampered and can take it to the satisfaction of Arizona cattlemen. He is found on ranches in the rough mountain country as well as those on the open flat country and does equally well on one as the other. Disposition is highly regarded by horsemen and the quarter horse meets this requirement too. He is intelligent, responds to training easily and adapts himself to varied conditions.

Arizona cow horses, as they are called unless they are registered quarter horses, rank among the best in the West in blood lines and conformation. Breeders are found in all parts of the state but are congregated, in the southern part. Great impetus is given to the breeding and development of all qualities of the Arizona quarter horse by the Southern Arizona Horse Breeders Association at Tucson, Arizona. This association has conducted quarter horse racing meets in Tucson the past three years, and has done a great deal to show the correlation of speed and conformation or type. This racing is a good proving ground for breeding stock and they have learned a great deal about their horses as a result of these meets. A good many of the horses raced in these meets have been judged for conformation at the Tucson Livestock Show and have won ribbons in competition with top quarter horses of the nation. A very interesting booklet on racing quarter horses has been prepared by Meville Haskell, association secretary and it is full of facts, figures and photographs on quarter horse racing at Tucson.

Results of this racing seems to prove that the best horse for quarter mile racing is the cross of one-half quarter horse and one-half thoroughbred of quarter horse type. The pure quarter horses do better in races of 300 yards or less.

Arizona breeders don't all subscribe to the theory that racing quarters is the way to prove their worth, but they do agree this speedy little horse is fast taking the place of the old Spanish type horse that so ably served the cattlemen of the Southwest so many years. The big majority of the ranchers in the southern part of the state use them. The cattlemen are breeding some of the finest in the country as well as some of the finest Hereford cattle in the nation. W. D. Wear, Willcox rancher, owns Tony, a fine quarter horse with outstanding qualities of conformation; J. E. Browning, another Willcox rancher, owns Billy Byrne; Kenneth Gunter, Benson, owns Redman, a roan quarter horse carrying the blood of Peter McCue and a horse that has a fine record on the race track. He is an excellent roping horse and is used by several Arizona performers in the leading rodeos of the country; Melville Haskell, Rincon Stock Farm, Tucson, owns Pay Dirt, a quarter horse with excellent type and conformation; Bert H. Wood, Tucson, has Joe Reed II, a horse of excellent conformation, winning first place for cow horse stallions at the 1943 Tucson Horse Show and was champion racing quarter horse stallion in 1943 at the Moltaqua Track in Tucson. Mrs. W. S. Fulton, Dragoon, owns Ben Hur II that ranks high in conformation and raced well with very little training. These stallions were also used in the stud and are siring outstanding colts.

The upper picture depicts a typical coming two year old colt of the quarter horse of the bulldog type, showing the heavy jaw, short back, heavy muscles especially of the quarters and arms and the heavy flat bone. The lower picture is of a three year old, half thoroughbred-half quarter horse which shows by comparison, the difference in conformation with the full quarter horse, a trifle more height and length, better developed withers and a more stoping shoulder and usually less muscling than the straight quarter horse. This cross makes a very useful working cow horse, and in racing the quarter horse usually excels up to three hundred yards whereas the half bred will excel at the full quarter mile distance. The difference in body structure is the controlling factor in this difference in ability to start quickly. This may be likened to the difference in gear ratio on a bicycle, the lower geared machine starting much more quickly, and is overtaken by the high geared machine if the distance is long enough.

Wherever quarter horse enthusiasts gather they are sure to talk about the registered quarter horse Clabber, owned by A. A. Nickols, Gilbert. Clabber is a powerful horse, is used as a working horse and roping horse during the week and then raced on week ends. He has an outstanding record being the World's Champion Racing Quarter Horse in 1941 and has raced well since that time. He also has been used heavily in the stud during his racing and working years.

Glenn Chipperfield, Phoenix, has bought Chicaro Bill, one of the speediest and strongest quarter horses in the country. He is a proven sire of speed and is really outstanding in quarter horse conformation. The Diamond 2 Ranch at Kirkland, recently purchased Little Joe, Jr., a quarter horse that has won more blue ribbons for conformation than any other horse in the country. He also rates high as a racer, giving all he has for a quarter of a mile. He was sired by Joe Bailey.

The Greene Cattle Company, Patagonia, rank among the top breeders of quarter horses and animals of their breeding are to be found in many parts of the state. The 3 Links Cattle Company, Willcox; Clemans Cattle Company, Florence, Arrowhead Ranch, Dos Cabezos; Goodyear Farms, Litchfield Park, are other breeders and users of quarter horses. Listed in quarter horse circles also should be Fred Darnell, Apache; J. R. Gardner, Patagonia; Joe Fleger, Winkleman; Dick Parker, Tucson; Nathaniel Holmes, Congress, and Western Farm Management Company, Phoenix.

The infusion of thoroughbred blood in quarter horse breeding is recommended by some breeders and not accepted by others. The quarter horse pleases the cow man because he starts in a flash, is speedy over short distances.

distances, is hardy and very maneuverable. When thoroughbred blood is injected into the picture it adds range, a little more height and more heart. It can't be carried too far or many of the fine qualities of the quarter horse will be lost. There is being some fine work done however by breeders using thoroughbred blood and at the same time maintaining good quarter horse type. A fine example of this is the fifteen years of breeding work done at Goodyear Farms, Litchfield Park, under the supervision of Kenneth McMicken, ranch manager. McMicken, to use his own terms, likes, "a chestnut, close-coupled horse, not too tall and with a pleasing head. In conformation, a horse with a thoroughbred front and a quarter horse rear end."

Goodyear Farms has as fine a string of quarter horse type mares as there is in the West. They are using Galus, a chestnut Thoroughbred stallion owned by the United States Army and at the ranch on loan from the Army's remount branch. Sire of Galus was Stimulus, one of the greatest thoroughbred sires whose get are noted for their tremendous early speed.

Many top rodeo performers of the country live in Arizona and record breaking performances of these "champions" are synonymous with quarter horses. Calf roping and bulldogging have given the quarter horse a real opportunity to prove his quick burst of speed and stopping ability. In these thrill packed events all eyes are on the performer but it is the quarter horse that gets him there for a record performance and top money. The powerful quarters, strong back, perfect balance, low center of gravity and even disposition make him an excellent roping and bulldogging horse. Many of the top rodeo performers pay from $500 for yearlings to These pictures depict two different types of thoroughbred stallions. The upper picture shows the chestnut horse "Alcalade" as a three year old. This horse has the conformation and action of the typical quarter horse. The lower picture is the four year old brown stallion "Rotator" and is typical of the type of conformation that is used in races of a mile or over, usually a mile and a quarter. The same comparison exists as has been pointed out on the preceding page. There is a still more pronounced type of thoroughbred race horse. Rotator stands 15 hands 21/½ inches, and is well muscled; many stand 611½ hands and more and are much more leggy and are longer in back and body. In breeding theory, the less violent the cross, the more uniform the progeny, so it naturally follows that in raising cow horses, the blockier type thoroughbred sires are more desirable.

From $1000 to $2000 for mature well trained horses. The quarter horse is definitely the horse with a future. It is a horse with a definite job to do that of working cattle. The draft breeds have given away to mechanization and are not needed except on very small farms, hence their numbers have decreased tremendously the last few years. The coach horse and other such types have gone out of existence as far as usefulness is concerned. They have been replaced by mechanical means of transportation. It is only in the field of sport and entertainment where we find the horse serving mankind. It is not so with the quarter horse. He still plays an important part in helping the ranchers of the state operate their outfits and because of this important job he has to do, is here to stay.

Brood mares and foals grazing on a lush pasture at the Litchfield Ranch of Goodyear Farms, west of Phoenix, Arizona.

The blaze face chestnut brood mare "Masquerade" a typical quarter mare whose pedigree goes back through "Blue Eyes", "Possum" and "Traveler" to "Steel Dust". Her colt by "Galus", a thoroughbred stallion, is also shown. (left).

"Tony", owned by W. D. Wear, Willcox, represents excellent type in quarter horses with the heavy muscled rear end the short body and exceptionally well muscled rear end the short body and exceptionally well muscled front end. His head truly represents what we mean when we say intelligence and disposition. (Lower left).

"Billy Byrne" is another fine example of quarter horse type. He is always near the top of any class when judged for conformation and quarter horse type. He has sired some excellent quarter horses and must be ranked among the top horse of the state. (Lower right).