Quarter Horse (AQHA)

By: Alex VandenElzen

History • The most popular horse breed in the world, the Quarter Horse is above

all an equine known for its versatility. The Quarter Horse’s skills can be found in every riding discipline and nearly every equestrian endeavor. Whether it is using its ground-eating stride on the racetrack, trekking through rocky outcroppings to help a rancher search for stray cattle, snaking through a pole bending pattern or performing canter pirouettes in an upper level dressage test, the Quarter Horse excels in just about everything it tries. The Quarter Horse, indeed, is a perfect partner for whatever its rider wishes.

Cost • It all depends on what you want to do with your Quarter horse if you

just want to do small events or trailing with your horse then they would range about $1,000 - $4,000. If you want to AQHA World or AQHA Congress then they would range to $8,000 - $80,000.

• Hoof Care $50.00 to $200.00 if needs shoes • Vet Care – Shots $30.00 $50.00

– Keep a saving of $2000.00 or more for any emergency

Feeding• Each horse is an individual and has different needs. Two major factors for deciding how

much your horse needs to eat are his/her size and the amount of work he/she does.• Consider the amount of hay or pasture your horse gets: Horses who are grazing on

good pasture the majority of the day don’t need much hay, if any. Horses who don’t get much turnout or aren't on good pasture will need more hay, whether they are inside or out.

• During winter or drought, supplement pasture grazing with hay. When the grass is thick and lush, you can cut back or eliminate hay rations completely, depending on how much pasture is available.

• With grain, less is always more, so start with the minimum and adjust it upward if necessary. With a little bit of tweaking, you’ll find the right balance of pasture, hay, and grain for your particular horse’s needs.

• If the amount of work your horse is doing changes, be sure to adjust her food ration.

Housing

• If you’re planning to get a horse, one of the most important decisions you will make is where your horse will live. For most prospective horse owners, the choices are to keep the horse at home, or board the horse at a commercial facility or private property.

Handling • Approaching

• Speak before walking behind horse, walk around out of kicking range when possible. • Always approach from angle, not from directly behind. • Pet horse on shoulder and neck, not on nose.

• Handling

• Know your horse's habits and peculiarities. • Be calm, confident, and quit around a horse. Control your temper, be firm but fair and

do not tease him. • Always let your horse know what you intend to do and do not work with his tail from a

position directly behind him: when possible work from a position nears the shoulder or otherwise close to him.

• Learn simple means of restraint. • Tie horses with 2 or 3 feet of rope, do not stake them out. • Do not punish your horse except at the instance of disobedience.

Sources

• http://www.aqha.com/ • http://aqhalegends.com/ • http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/q

uarter/

• http://www.equi.net/horses/horsecare/stabling/housing.htm