ROMANTIC HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE PART 2

At the same time Janus blood was developing quarter mile horses, a group of Colonial horsemen were developing the American Thoroughbred by means of British Thoroughbred imports, such as Fearnought.

After the American Revolution the opulent new generation of American  gentlemen in the East were more attracted to the fine, sleek long distance horses, and long-distance racetracks and manicured breeding farms were being developed.

However, the pioneers who craved frontier life and moved West, needed a sturdy horse which could work all week and still race on the weekend. The Quarter Horse thereby found its way to Texas, the Midwest and the Great Plains.

Sir Archy, a son of the imported stallion Diomed, foaled in 1805, had a strong influence on the early Quarter Horse. The progeny of Sir Archy  had a strong influence on the development of the Quarter Horse over the next century. One of his sons, the great Copper Bottom, was brought to Texas by General Sam Houston. Both Steel Dust and Shiloh, the foundation sires of the modern Quarter Horse, are descendents of Sir Archy. Printer and Tiger were two other stallions which made a remarkable contribution to the modern Quarter Horse.

The final ingredient which resulted in the American Quarter Horse was descendents of the Barbs which the Spanish settlers, missionaries and explorers brought with them. These horses roamed freely on the area West of the Mississippi River. They became known as the Mustangs. They enabled the Indians of the Plains to become the toughest mounted warriors in history.

When these Mustangs were mated with the descendents of Janus, Sir Archy, Printer and Tiger, they added the hybrid vigor to produce the unique American Quarter Horse. The Mustang added the final ingredient of stamina.

These horses had the physical strength, stamina, speed and disposition required by the early Buffalo hunters and cattle ranchers from the Rio Grande up to Alberta.

Part 3 follows.

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