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Quarter Horse seems like a strange name for an animal, but only until you understand that Quarter horses are able to run a quarter mile faster than any other horse can run the same distance (in some situations, a Quarter Horse has been recorded at over 50 miles per hour while running at full speed), then its given name makes good sense. In part, that is a testament to the horse's athletic ability, along with its strong, well-muscled hind legs.

Combine versatility and an even temper with those characteristics (athleticism and muscle structure) and you can see why Quarter Horses are some of the most popular choices among those who are buying from a list of horses for sale. Not only is the American Quarter Horse common with a lot of general buyers, but the breed is popular overall; the majority of horses registered worldwide are registered with the American Quarter Horse Association.

Of the registered Quarter Horses, many run races thanks to their speed. Many others are participants in horse shows. Others work on ranches around the world. Still others - thanks to the Quarter Horse's compact body - are used in working with cows, calf roping, barrel racing, reining, cutting as well as other riding events. But don't think of the Quarter Horse as merely a workhorse: the Quarter Horse is equally at home in other equestrian events.

Sport and speed both create environments in which the American Quarter Horse feels at home. With Thoroughbred, Arabian and Morgan bloodlines all contributing to the genetic pool of the American Quarter Horse, it's not difficult to see why the Quarter Horse excels in most situations.

Because of this, the American Quarter Horse is often seen in show environments, in racing events, in rodeos as well as on the ranch, and even in stables that are home to horses that are owned by individuals and families, who just want a horse that they can take out for enjoyable rides on trails. It's important to note, however that just because Quarter Horses are used for ranch working purposes as well as for trail riding doesn't mean that they don't serve other purposes as well; for example, many quarter horses have been used for dressage and for jumping competitions.

As with anything else in life, not all Quarter Horses are created equal. Most grow to between 14 and 16 hands high with some growing to 17 hands. Stock Quarter Horses are agile and muscled, however they appear to be compact and a bit stocky. Halter Quarter Horses, on the other hand tend to be taller and have similar smooth muscling to the Thoroughbred.

Regardless of whether or not the horses are of the stock or halter variety, you're likely to discover that Quarter Horses are available in a wide variety of colors. Most commonly, you'll find them listed as sorrel - a brownish-red, chestnut brown shade. That, however, doesn't mean that you won't find Quarter Horses listed that are described as black, bay, gray, dun, palomino, red roan or a number of other shades. All of these colors - along with spotted or pinto colors - are found to be acceptable when it comes time to register a horse with the American Quarter Horse Association, provided the horse's parents were registered as well.

If you are looking for a family horse, lineage and registration with the American Quarter Horse Association may not be among your top priorities when you're looking through listings of horses for sale. Instead, you may be focused on a child's request for "a brown one," or on finding a Quarter Horse that is closer to 14 hands rather than 16 or 17, which will make it easier for even the youngest members of your family to ride.

On the other hand, if you are looking for an American Quarter Horse because you are looking for the right animal to help you around the ranch, when it comes to reigning in cattle, you may actually want to know whether or not the Quarter Horse is from a working line.

In other words, when you're making an effort to research Quarter Horses for any purpose, focus on your needs first and foremost. You will be more likely to find a Quarter Horse that will meet your expectations if you know what your expectations really are. This way you are sure to find exactly the Quarter Horse you need and want.

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It is natural to believe that wild horses have "always" roamed America's Western States, but that simply is not the case. Horses were native to North America until the end of the last ice age, 10-12,000 years ago, and then they died out.

It took the joint actions of Christopher Columbus and Hernando Cortez, to bring horses back to North America. In 1493, Christopher Columbus brought horses from Spain to the West Indies, during his second voyage to the Americas. In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Cortez brought horses to the mainland, as the captain of the third Spanish expedition.

Horses arrived in North America, by way of Mexico and Florida, as a tool of the Spanish conquistadors and were used to great effect by Cortez in the defeat of the Aztec empire.

Many horses went wild after their riders were killed. Other horses escaped from their corrals, and many more horses were integrated into Native American societies. Within just a few decades, horses had migrated from Mexico and Florida and entered into the North American interior.

The History of American Horse Breeds

Nearly all of the horses currently running wild in the ranges of the Western United States hailed from the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, in a region defined by modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations suggests that there are 17 individual horse breeds that can be defined as "Iberian horses". Three of the breeds hail from Portugal and the remaining 14 originated in Spain. Most of the Iberian horse breeds are considered to be Baroque horses, comprised mostly of horses of Andalusian, Arabian and Barb ancestry.

Many of the Native American tribes became master horse breeders, most importantly, the Comanche, the Shoshoni, and the Nez Perce nations. Through selective breeding by the Native American tribes, the first truly American horse breed was the Appaloosa.

The wild horses of the Western United States are actually more accurately referred to as horses that have gone "feral", or horses that were once domesticated and now are wild. Just as there is a huge population of feral dogs near the big cities of America, most notably near Miami, Florida, there is also a substantial population of feral horses in America.

Free-Roaming Horses Eventually Required Protection From Congress

In 1900, it was estimated that there were as many as two million free-roaming horses in the United States. During the early years of the twentieth century, the free-roaming horse population was severely diminished through a combination of factors including the capture of horses for use in the military, and more revoltingly, by companies who killed the horses to make dog food.

By the 1970's, the plight of wild horses in the United States had attracted the attention of the U.S. Federal Government. This newly focused attention eventually led to the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.

In recent years, it has been estimated by the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management that there are as many as 29,000 feral horses and burros on BLM-managed lands in ten western states. The ten Western U.S. states that have feral horses running wild includes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.

It is estimated that more than half of the wild horse population resides in Nevada, and Montana and Oregon are the other states with significant wild horse population numbers. There is another few hundred head of wild horses free-roaming in Alberta and British Columbia, in Canada.

Through the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, the Bureau of Land Management has the responsibility of managing the numbers of wild horses and burros, to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands. Within the mandate of the BLM, they are responsible to manage the herd numbers of wild horses and burros that roam the American West.

The BLM Wild Horse and Burro Adoption and Sale Program

Wild horses left to their own wits can literally double their population within four short years, provided that drought and wildfires do not diminish their numbers naturally. Horses do not have natural predators within the rangelands of North America, so their numbers will generally run unchecked without BLM intervention.

The beauty of the 1971 law is that as the BLM culls horses and burros from the wild population, those horses and burros will become available for adoption and sale through the BLM program to individuals and groups willing and able to provide humane, long-term care to these beautiful animals.

To learn more about the adoption of purchase of horses or burros, you can visit the Bureau of Land Management website at: http://www.blm.gov or give them a call at: (866) 4MUSTANGS. You can actually adopt and purchase feral horses through the BLM program in states on both sides of the Mississippi River. Sales are held yearly throughout the South, the West and even in Illinois.

Source: http://www.horseclicks.com/