The very mention of Horse the sincere and sturdy companion of the Kings and Warriors of the bye gone era takes us back to the medieval days and brings nostalgic memories. This animal, majestic and faithful, the civilized men always cherished to possess comes in different breeds and origin. In spite of the advancement of the technology and automobile revolution that the world has been witnessing during the last five decades, the interest and the enthusiasm of the human race in this quadruped has not yet diminished a bit.

This faithful and favorite animal that was a silent witness for many a rise and fall of kingdom and also instrumental in the making or losing of many a million dollar in a variety of hot races still continues to lure and puzzle the animal lovers of the world over. The country can boast of this magnificent animal that enjoys the rare credit being the first native breed of the United States of America.

The American Quarter Horse was originally bred to race the quarter mile. The famous breed is said to have clocked a speed of 55 miles per hour at the finish line in ,many racing events. They are the most popular breed in the USA and are also considered as the largest breed with more than 4 million registered horses the world over.
This unique breed has its origin from the famous breeds of Arab, Turkish and Barb. The origin of the quarter horse of America dates back to the colonial rule of England when the stallions and mares of the above breeds were crossed with the horses brought from the England thus giving birth to the new breed of heavily muscled and compact variety that suited to the short distances racing need s of the early colonial rulers. The period of origin of the Quarter horses dates back to the 1600s.
Known by various names in the early years this bred was formally named as the quarter horse once the registry to preserve the breed was formed in 1940.The Enrico County Virginia witnessed the first race of the Quarter horse in 1674. There were also the practices in the country side to conduct local one on one race those days. The late sixteen hundreds were the scenes of large betting fights and all the commotions that were even ended in rivalries and loss of large estates and properties on racing. Such was the popularity of the quarter horses then. During the 1800s the quarter horses were utilized by the settlers of the west who owned large herds of cattle.
As time elapsed this rare and sturdy breed become the favorite of many a horse lovers and today there is no limit for the option of races for which this animal is used though recreation riding is the pet past time of the owners of this breed , native to America. Today the heritage centre and museum and American QUARTER HORSE HALL OF FAME preserves and exhibits the colorful history of quarter horse and the people behind the development and nurturing of this unique breed .