Horse Breeds: Appendix Quarter Horse

If you're looking for a breed that blends the best qualities of the American Quarter Horse with the Thoroughbred, the Appendix Quarter Horse just might be the horse for you. This breed has its origins in the 1940s when the American Quarter Horse Association was formed. During this time, there was much confusion and debate over what, exactly, a Quarter Horse was and how they should be standardized.

One of the many proposed solutions was to grade each horse, labeling them as A, B, C, or D. This never actually happened, but the American Appendix Quarter Horse Association was born from this idea. The horse that would have been a "C" became the Appendix Quarter Horse. Essentially, this is a horse with one Quarter Horse parent and one Thoroughbred parent.

The addition of Thoroughbred blood into Quarter Horse lines enhanced the refinement of the Quarter Horse, giving it the look it has today. But many Quarter Horse enthuasists maintain that Thoroughbred blood is still required to maintain the beauty and elegance of the Quarter Horse. This is where the Appendix Quarter Horse comes in.

Today, you will find the Appendix Quarter Horse in racing as well as in a variety of English and western disciplines. This horse comes in a variety of colors (sorrel, bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, dun, red dun, gray, grullo, palomino, red roan, blue roan, bay roan, perlino and cremello) and stands from 15 to 17 hands high.