Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Breed All About It: American Quarter Horse

Partially because horses are a subject I can talk about for days on end and partially because nothing interesting is happening around here lately to provide me with alternate blogfodder, I've decided to do a series of posts about various breeds, their origins, the reason they were developed, the breeding and cross breeding strategies if I know them or can find them, and my own personal opinion of them.

It won't be daily, and it might not even be weekly, but it'll give me a stand by filler so ya'll won't have to wait too long for something to read.

Today, we're starting with my personal all around favorite: the American Quarter Horse.

Today's Quarter Horse is a long trot from it's origins, starting in the days when the US was still a loose collection of colonies. The colonists, after painstakingly shipping Thoroughbreds across the ocean (crossing oceans with horses is an expensive and specialized process today, much less in the days of sailing vessels) bred their steeds to the Native Americans', which were descended from mounts traded for, stolen from, or escaped from Conquistadors. Those Spanish horses had, in turn, bloodlines of Barb, Arabian, and Iberian lines.

Convoluted, no? But much like your average mutt, the wide mix of genes that went into the creation of the Quarter Horse often created an animal superior in health and intelligence to its purebred counterparts. After many, many generations and breeding experiments, today's Quarter Horse has developed some genetic problems of its own, but we'll get to those later.

Originally, the cross was experimental, and practical. Those colonists who were knowledgeable about animal breeding knew that they had to introduce new genes, and they used what they had. They hoped to get a working horse (stout, well muscled Indian Ponies) that could still compete in a race (Thoroughbred.) Racing your horse, or betting on the race, was one of the most common entertainments. The course of the race might be a stretch of the road leading to town, out and back (or perhaps out, around the edge of town, and back into the other side of town,) or if it was a big deal, between two nearby towns. The most common distance was a quarter or half mile, that being a distance that would allow the horses to show their stuff, while still allowing several races to be run in the course of an afternoon.

In those days, the breed was called "The Famous American Quarter Running Horse"- famous for it's speed over the quarter mile, and the almost universal lack of the stamina to maintain that speed over the longer distances.

In the 1800's, as Manifest Destiny swept across the land, so too did the Quarter Horse. Pioneers needed a versatile, hardy horse that was willing to work, and they found it in the unique Quarter Horse breed. As people settled and began raising families, and cattle, the cowboys tending to and moving the herds found another serendipitous trait of the breed- cow sense.

In the wide open spaces of the frontier, new challenges were found in dealing with cattle. The amount of room, lack of fencing, and general differences between tending animals in well-established areas in Europe and working with what you had in the Wild West required new techniques, new abilities, new horses.

As these things were worked out, partially through trial and error, and partially through skills used for generations by Spanish herdsmen it became apparent that the Quarter Horse was uniquely suited to the work. The compact, build allowed for quick movement, the thick muscling allowed the horse to hold their ground when attached to the opposite end of a rope from a large steer or cow.

Their intelligence allowed them to learn the behavior of the cattle, how to handle them. Those who picked this up quickly were bred to others with the same trait, until the behaviors that make for a good cow pony today can be observed in foals, as they begin to stray from their dam's side and play.

Another important point in the development of the American Quarter Horse is the breeding for personality- the cowboys needed a very specific kind of horse out there on the open range. They needed a steady horse that wouldn't spook at every shadow, but didn't lose all it's initiative. They needed a horse that liked people. If a cowboy had to get off his horse to do something, he wanted to know that his horse wouldn't take the opportunity to high-tail it back to the barn as soon as his back was turned. This created a breed well known for its good nature.

There are two kinds of American Quarter Horses, Foundation, and Appendix.

Foundation Quarter Horses hearken back to the breed's origins. They're stocky, with thick muscling. The heads are more blocky, less "pretty." I like to think of a Foundation Quarter Horse as "built like a tank."

The American Quarter Horse Association requires that the offspring of a registered Quarter horse and a Thoroughbred (with the Thoroughbred being required to meet a certain performance standard) be registered as an Appendix Quarter Horse.

The offspring of a registered Quarter Horse and an Appendix may be registered normally, thus changing the look of many bloodlines into something more delicate and refined. Thoroughbred blood introduces longer legs, less bulk, and a more delicate head.

Personally, I see the appeal of both the Foundation and the more refined looks, but my focus is more on the horse's personality and abilities.

Some of the downsides of the American Quarter Horse include genetic diseases. With today's technology, they can identify the diseases, and trace them back through bloodlines.

HYPP (Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis) is a disease that causes severe muscle twitching, and paralysis, for short or extended periods of time. This disease has been traced back to the stallion Impressive, and is believed to be the result of a natural mutation. The gene is dominant, so only one parent has to have the gene for the disease to manifest. Currently, horses that are homozygous for the gene are barred from registry in the AQHA, but horses that are heterozygous are allowed. There is discussion on whether to bar horses that have the gene at all from the registry, thus cutting the disease off from future generations of registered Quarter Horses.

HERDA (Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia) is the result of a recessive gene, and causes a defect in the collagen that results in the layers of skin being only loosely bonded together. So loosely that, in severe cases, a simple pat can peel the layers of hide down to muscle, leaving an open wound. Horses with this disease cannot be ridden, because the weight and friction of the saddle causes tears in the skin, as will bumps and bruises. This disease is commonly believed to have originated with the Poco Bueno bloodline, perhaps before that famous stallion himself. Most horses with this disease are euthanized, both due to the fact that they're not suitable for riding and that they are care intensive, since the slightest bump can result in a painful and difficult to care for open wound, or a situation in which the skin doesn't tear but does come loose from the muscle, creating the possibility for abscesses.

Other genetic diseases present in Quarter Horses include GBED and EPSM, both diseases that effect the muscles. GBED is universally fatal in short order, the foal being unable to process glycogen and the muscles, including the heart and lungs, seizing up and failing to function. EPSM, while similar to GBED and HYPP in that the muscles seize up and fail to function, is not usually fatal, more commonly effecting the muscles of the legs and neck, preventing the horse from being able to move. EPSM attacks (commonly called "tying up") are caused by the body being unable to process and store polysaccharides, rather than glycogen. Tying up is also known in draft horses, and in the days of the true working horse was known as "Monday Morning Disease".. The horses would do heavy work all week, with a grain ration to match, and then would get a rest over the weekend. The grain ration wasn't always cut to match the lower exertion, though, and the excess of polysaccharides would cause the horse's muscles to lock up once they were asked to work. Instances of tying up are still linked to exercise and diet today.

Along with these there is some evidence that the Lethal White gene is present in Quarter Horses. This gene is related to the gene causing white coat, and is, as the name suggests, universally lethal. Lethal White foals are stillborn or die in utero to be re-absorbed.

The American Quarter Horse started out as a dual purpose breed and developed into the definition of the American West.

Not bad for what proper Englishmen considered a muttley breed, huh?

12 comments:

mustanger said...

Farmgirl, You just told some things I wasn't previously aware of about diseases, but I'll be sure to watch for those.

HYPP... the thing about barring horses with the gene from being registered. Yeah, that'll help shut it out of future AQHA horses, but it won't eliminate it from grade horses that get bred by folks who don't know enough about what they're doing. You do a certain amount of breeding by the papers, although moreso- as you said- according to what's needed from the horse, but you don't ride papers. I've owned Quarter Horses with and without papers, as well as a mustang, and they were all good horses. I'm not cussin' the breed registries or anything. It's just I feel we need to be breeding all kinds of horses to be without these genetic problems and that's gonna be hard to sell and harder to do.

This is just me remembering stuff I read as a teenager... Time Life Books' Old West series credited Capt. Richard King with crossing Thoroughbreds with mustangs at the King Ranch (Brownsville, TX) and creating the "western quarter horse". Before I read that, I didn't think to differentiate between Eastern and Western QH's. I don't know too much about King Ranch's breeding program back then though to know how much Time Life's researchers actually found.

FarmGirl said...

Mustanger- King Ranch and other ranches like it had a lot to do with the development of today's Quarter Horses. Their breeding programs introduced or reinforced a lot of the traits that we know so well today, including cow sense.

When it comes down to it the breed started out as a necessary cross to prevent bad inbreeding in a limited gene pool, with a hope of getting something good out of it. They did, but today's quarter horse was really born not in the colonies but in the west, on the ranches.

Crucis said...

When I was growing up on the farm, we had a few horses---mainly for the purpose of converting hay/grain to manure. Anyway a lot of that produce ended up on our gardens.

I never knew what kind they were. One was a gelded paint named Tarry because whenever he was ridden, he had never got out of first gear. Another was a dappled gray mare we called Mary Sue. She was the friendliest of the three but death on cats, dogs, skunks or any other varmit that invaded her barn and stall. The last was a chestnut mare. I can't remember her name at the moment. They spent their summers in a five acre pasture and apple orchard. Dad sold them when the mines closed and he couldn't afford to keep them. The hogs brought in money, the horses didn't.

Too bad. Mary Sue was my favorite.

Ian said...

You remind me -- fondly -- of my own Star Joker (better known simply as Joker, for obvious reasons) -- a cross between a Foundation QH stallion and a Chincoteage pony mare. Not that big, but built like a tank and up for anything going (he didn't really like climbing stairs, but would) and very very intelligent. I had many good years with him!

Carrie said...

Great idea for a series. I love reading about horse breeds. I hope you keep doing these!

Dave (aka Buckskins Rule) said...

My gelding is an Appendix. There is nothing delicate about his large noggin. Based on his personality, I think he is more TB than QH. I will never give him up, but when it is time for him to retire, I will go with a Foundation QH (or perhaps a paint). The TB quirks can be a bit tiring at times.

One of our gelding Paints has Impressive bloodlines. We haven't had him tested, but he's as normal as any punk gelding can be. Last time I checked, APHA has not made the decision to follow AQHA's lead on not allowing HYPP positive horses to be registered, which is unfortunate.

FarmGirl said...

Buckskins Rule- When speaking of the different types, I was of course speaking in generalities. In general, it's the TB blood that refines the head and gives a QH that "pretty" look, although generations of crosses have given the more Foundation built horses more delicate faces than they had before.

As for TBs- I agree. While there are exceptions to every rule, most TBs I've met have not fallen on the "hey working together can be fun" side of the equine personality curve.

If you're looking for good solid QH bloodlines, I personally recommend King, Leo, and Three Bars lines. Considering how far back those horses fall, you'll have to do some research if you're buying registered, but IMO nine times out of ten a horse with those bloodlines (that doesn't have a recent infusion of more flighty blood) will be solid. All three together are best.

They'll have personality, and a sense of humor, but that's what makes horses fun, no?

FarmGirl said...

Also-

While I hate the idea of cutting off bloodlines as... well, impressive... as Impressive's, I do understand the reasoning.

I would, however, like to see a good test for the HERDA gene developed, or become better known and more widespread if it's available.

Since HYPP is already tested for and horses who are homozygous are barred from the registry, there is still a chance to weed the disease from the gene pool, without losing the entirety of some excellent bloodlines.

HERDA is more difficult to pinpoint, and eliminate. Since it is a recessive gene, a horse could carry the gene and pass it to offspring without suffering from the disease itself. Breeders are keeping better track of the history of the disease in bloodlines and attempting, blindly, not to create too many horses with the disease. A reliable test would make it far simpler to slowly eliminate the disease without closing off too many genetic paths.

Pawpaw said...

I don't give a tinker's damn what a proper Englishman thinks.

My Quarter Horse, with a long proper registry name, we called him Fred around the barn. He was a good horse. Built like a tank and steady as a rock. You could put him down on a cow and he wouldn't let up until the cow was controlled.

Fred was good with kids, too. Gentle disposition, although if an adult climbed aboard and didn't know his business, Fred would take him for a ride. I didn't mind that so much, because he never "rodeo'd" with students, just the know-it-alls you get sometimes.

I miss that horse.

FarmGirl said...

PawPaw- The gelding I learned to ride on was much the same way. Would hurt himself to stay under a kid or keep on a cow with a rider that knew their business, but had the worst ornery streak when it came to people he didn't like.

Dave (aka Buckskins Rule) said...

I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were wrong about Appendix QH's. It was just a comment that my boy was perhaps an exception to the rule.

We have a mare that has Poco Bueno in her bloodlines. She is the spitting image of him in build. It's almost eerie. And, boy, is she cowy.

BUFF_dragon said...

My wife and I deal with TB's and Spotted Saddle Horses, my riding horse is a TN Walker/Belgian (blue roan and white). I can say without ANY DOUBT that TB's are much harder to work with than any other horses I've been around.
However, TB's can be easier to catch in the field, from my experience the spotteds and walkers dont care AS much about a bucket of feed.... the TBs get really happy when they hear a bucket with grain....
Also, the saddle horses have a much better attitude about new things being introduced, I have had to halter-break 2 year old TB's and Saddles, TB's are so flighty that its almost impossible to get a halter on their head... saddles just stand there and wonder what the hell you're doin

my goodness I love my spotted horses