Page 1006 - Adams and Stashak's Lameness in Horses, 7th Edition

972 Chapter 9

THE RACING QUARTER HORSE

VetBooks.ir nanCy l. Goodman and laRRy R. oveRly

INTRODUCTION high dollar purses, with the Los Alamitos $2‐million‐
dollar futurity being the richest. The Champion of
Racing Quarter horses are the sprinters of the racing Champions, which is held at the end of the racing sea­
world. They are capable of attaining speeds in excess of son, is the most prestigious race for older horses. It rep­
50 mph in less than 21 seconds at a distance of one‐ resents winners of the top races nationwide throughout
quarter mile. The breed originated in colonial Virginia in the year.
the 1600s when imported English Thoroughbreds were Yearling sale prices are driven by precocious, nicely
crossed with native breeds of Spanish descent producing conformed, and well‐bred individuals with the potential
a compact, heavily muscled horse designed for sprinting. to compete in these lucrative futurities and derbies
They were referred to as Quarter Pathers or Quarter (Figure 9.22).
Milers, named after their decided quarter mile racing The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA)
distance. studbook has remained open to breeding with
The first race records are from 1674 in Enrico County, Thoroughbreds since the breed was formally estab­
Virginia, where match races were run down village lished. This outcross has been beneficial in expanding an
streets and in small, level fields. The contemporary ver­ otherwise small gene pool. It also maintains the classic
sion of the sport emphasizes 2‐year‐olds racing in futuri­ quarter mile distance of 440 yards, although some
ties, which run in qualifying heats where horses with the Quarter horses run their best at even shorter distances
10 fastest times compete in a final 2 weeks later. Horses of 300–350 yards.
must be nominated to futurities, and periodic payments
are made in order to maintain eligibility. The same
applies to derbies held for 3‐year‐olds, though the purse CONFORMATION RELATING TO LAMENESS
money is less than futurities. A very prominent Quarter
horse race is the All American Futurity held annually on Conformational factors that have been associated
Labor Day weekend at Ruidoso Downs, Ruidoso, New with lameness in the forelimb are relatively large body
Mexico, and features a 2‐million‐dollar purse, with $1 mass, poor carpal conformation (back at the knee and
million going to the winner. Los Alamitos racetrack in bench‐kneed), short upright pasterns, and poor hoof
Southern California, the only predominantly Quarter conformation (Figure 9.23). In a scientific study, the
horse track, offers at least five races during the year with most significant finding was that for every inch increase

Figure 9.22. Precocious individuals
with popular bloodlines are sought after at
yearling sales. This horse (pictured as a
sale yearling) won the All American
Futurity the following year. Source:
Courtesy of The American Quarter Horse
Racing journal.