American Quarter Horse Picture

In the American Quarter Horse picture, you’ll see a medium-sized, well muscled horse with a small refined head and strong hindquarters. The forelegs are set wide in a deep chest; the hind legs are muscled both inside and out, which makes them look heavy. The American Quarter Horse has well-defined jaws. The ears of these horses are small; the nostrils are large; the eyes are wide-set. The neck of these horses is full, with a slight crest; the withers are medium high; the shoulders are deep sloping; the barrel is deep, and the ribs are well-sprung. The underline of the American Quarter Horse rises cleanly to the flank.

Almost any coat color is accepted in this breed, as it’s seen in the American Quarter Horse picture. The most common coat colors for the American Quarter Horse are sorrel and chestnut. Other colors that occur in these horses are bay, black, brown, palomino, buckskin, gray, dun, blue and red dun, red, roan, bay and blue roan, and cremello. Nowadays, pinto and spotted patterns are accepted, if the DNA testing verifies the parentage of the horse.

In the American Quarter Horse picture galleries, you’ll see horses with absolutely different appearance, because there are several breed varieties designed for various tasks. There are two main types within the breed: the old-fashioned stock or "bulldog" type (the official name is the Foundation Quarter Horses) and the "racing Quarter" that looks like a Thoroughbred. Several years ago, there has been a trend toward breeding very heavy American Quarter Horses with small head and feet. Nowadays, this trend is no more popular, because excessive muscle is bad for the horse’s health.

The American Quarter Horse is a fully American breed. It originated during the colonial era by crossbreeding Thoroughbred, Morgan, and American Saddlebred horses with the Mustangs of the Arabian origin. The purpose of the new breed was to create a multipurpose strong and light horse. The new breed was suited for farm work and racing over short distances. The breed continues in this role today and is also used for rodeo events, western riding and therapy work. You can see many Quarter Horses in the American Quarter Horse picture galleries.