Featured Article (November 2001)

Spirit of America

Virginia Quarter Horses Past and Present

Shaped by the events of time, the Quarter Horse is the quintessential American. As the only native breed, the modern Quarter Horse of today is the product of the same melting pot of cultures that has made our country great.

Like many breeds, the early stages in the development of the Quarter Horse remain a bit of a mystery. However, Virginia lays claim to being the official birthplace. The fastest horse over a quarter mile, the term Quarter Horse dates back to Colonial times. After many years of playing a prominent role in American history and folklore, today the breed is one of the most popular, both as a pleasure and working horse.

Recent statistics from the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) show that although enormously fashionable west of the Mississippi River, an estimated 23,000 registered Quarter Horses reside here in Virginia and participate in nearly every equestrian discipline. “Quarter Horse people tend to be very friendly and supportive of each other. If you need information, the Virginia Quarter Horse Association (VQHA) will provide it,” said Region 1 Board Member, former Youth Advisor, horse show mother and volunteer publicist Trish Mandes of Fairfax Station.

The Quarter Horse’s talent and versatility accounts for its tremendous popularity. This breed excels at many disciplines and has a workman-like manner that makes the Quarter Horse a delight to ride and train.

Reining

The National Reining Association is open to all breeds, however, Quarter Horses are predominate. “Reining is an exciting action-packed sport that really challenges the horse and rider’s ability to work cattle. The popular sliding stop, flying lead changes and a spin or succession of several turn-on-the-haunches make working the patterns for points sort of like cowboy style dressage,” said Mike Jennings, a director of both the VQHA and AQHA. From a Quarter Horse family, he runs Professional Auction Services of Leesburg, the primary Quarter Horse auction business on the East Coast.

After winning High Point Reining Horse their first time out, Jennings is looking forward to competing his young Quarter Horse Freckles Gift. Trained as a cutting horse, this four-year-old can work cattle and show in reining classes. “Now approved by the USET and FEI, reining will be included in the 2002 World Championships in Spain. With worldwide recognition, we are on track to be a new Olympic sport,” he added.

Team Roping

Fareed Miran credits Mike Jennings for giving him his start in team roping. Now one of the top team ropers in Virginia, Aldie-based Miran not only competes, but teaches others how to ride and rope. “At Miran Farm we primarily use Quarter Horses because Thoroughbreds can’t take too much of the stopping and spinning that team roping requires. Quarter Horses are the fastest on the quick start getting out of the box. Our students range from age six to 61, guys and gals,” said Miran. Beginners learn to handle the rope on the ground first before getting on the horse and working with the cattle.

In team roping there are both headers and heelers, dealing with either the front or back end of the cow. Miran travels around the country competing as a heeler, which is the more difficult division. A winner of top awards from the Mid-Eastern Team Roping Association, the Virginia Cowboy Association and the U.S. Team Roping Association, Miran hopes to go to Oklahoma for the national finals.

Team Penning

To meet the challenges required for Team Penning, Quarter Horses are the superior breed. It’s an intense sport requiring athleticism and a good mind,” stated Dave Byers, a full-time cattle farm manager from Dyke. Byers has several Quarter Horses but his favorite one for team penning is Indigo Bluerose, a purebred 12-year-old. Known for his fast stop, fast turn and great cow sense, the gray gelding competes with the best of the best with Byers and also packs around novice competitors.

As Vice President of the Blue Ridge Team Penning Association, Byers is quick to promote the point pennings held at Tom Seay’s Farm in Culpeper every first and third Sunday of the month from April until October. “Based on a record turnout at this year’s events, we anticipate even more teams per class next season,” he added.

Cutting

Tracy Barton of TTB Cutting Horses in Union Hall is a professional trainer and showman who deals exclusively with Quarter Horses. Love A Little Devil is just one of the 22 horses Barton took to the Quarter Horse Congress this year. The four-year-old chestnut stallion called “Devil” belongs to Donna and Jim O’Neil of Orlean, owners of thirty Quarter Horses.

The National Cutting Horse Association gave away more than 17 million dollars in prize money last year which is the fourth biggest sport behind tennis, golf and NASCAR.

In terms of the future of the sport Barton said, “The National Cutting Horse Association gave away more than 17 million dollars in prize money last year which is the fourth biggest sport behind tennis, golf and NASCAR. We don’t get the television coverage like the others do and as a result, there is definitely a need to increase the visibility of horse sports in broadcast and print.”

Barrel Racing

According to Diane Roper of Powhatan, “Barrel Racing experienced a growth spurt lately because of increased prize money and additional divisions providing riders of all levels a chance to win. Of the more than 700 horses that competed this year at the national finals, 90% of them were Quarter Horses.”

A trainer and competitor, Roper’s 19-year-old son Adam of Appomattox was the National One-D Colonial Region Champion at the National Barrel Horse Association Finals in 2000. His four-year-old futurity colt named TA Express had the fastest time at the event held at Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. Because speed is key, Roper has found some of the best young barrel racing prospects at Quarter Horse racing tracks in the Midwest.

Pleasure Driving

The pleasure driving class is judged on the horse’s movement at the walk, park gate and road gate as well as the way they carry and present themselves. The more formal attire sported by the riders adds to the overall look. At-Large Director of the VQHA Connie Christopher said, “The hunter-type Quarter Horses typically used for pleasure driving are elegant and pretty. My homebred Just Dare to Dream is a very energetic and forward five-year-old. The registered Quarter Horse’s extended fast trot is so beautiful it looks like his feet don’t even touch the ground.”

At the 2001 Congress, Christopher of Criswood Farm in Manassas and her versatile Quarter Horse known as “Miles” competed and won medals in almost every one of their eight different events. In addition to her successes at this year’s Congress, Christopher coached six students in various classes.

Trail Riding

The horses at Mountaintop Ranch in Elkton are examples of the versatility of this wonderful breed. The ranch offers trail rides for the public and runs a Quarter Horse training and breeding operation. Mountaintop stands three stallions that account for Championships in reining, halter, and performance events. Megas Black Gold has stood Grand Champion at halter, has a Register of Merit in six different performance events and has earned show points in nine events. The American Paint Horse Association has recognized this stallion’s achievements with Register of Merits in Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack, Trail, Western Riding, Pole Bending, and Clover Leaf Barrels as well as show points in Open Jumping, Western Pleasure and Reining. “You couldn’t find a better calmer-minded breed than the Quarter Horse. I love to ride them because the bloodlines we breed are known to be very mature and emotionally stable at a young age,” stated Lydia Cunningham, a partner at Mountaintop Ranch.

Adults and children interested in experiencing the joys of riding a Quarter Horse can do so by appointment. Mountaintop offers one hour to daylong western trail rides through the scenic Shenandoah National Park area. In addition, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts can earn their Horse Lovers badge.

Endurance

Quarter Horses are somewhat handicapped for endurance because of their bulky muscle fiber. They’re built to run short and fast, but with proper conditioning and care they can do well in endurance,” said Susan Brehm of Dominion Saddlery in Chantilly.

Annandale-based Brehm and her registered Quarter Horse mare Bright Moon Bug finished the 50-mile endurance ride at Elk Valley, Pennsylvania in July of 2000 and completed 41 of the 50 miles at the Biltmore Fall Fling in Asheville, North Carolina later that year. Tragically, “Cricket” as she was known, was fatally injured in a paddock accident recently. Brehm confided, “My Quarter Horse mare was successful at endurance, not because she won a lot of competitions, but because she was an absolute joy to ride and made the trail a glorious experience.”

Dressage

Kristen Pagelsen of Middleburg and Oh Henry had a big year as they qualified for both the BLM Finals at the Virginia Horse Center and the American Bankers Insurance Company U.S. Dressage Federation Regional Finals. “Hank, a full Quarter Horse finished seventh out of 25 horses at ABIC/USDF and was the only non-Warmblood in the ribbons at Training Level,” she said.

Virginia bred and registered as Hanks Specktacular, he is by Skeeters Hank, the Quarter Horse stallion owned by Skeeter Hembry of Warrenton. According to Pagelsen, “Hank doesn’t care about the footing or the weather when he is showing. He has a really good work ethic and never says no.” The seven-year-old chestnut gelding is leased from owner Laureen Megan of Lovettesville. Pagelsen, Director of Public Relations for the American Horse Protection Association based in Washington, D.C. hopes to move up to Second Level with this talented Quarter Horse.

Sidesaddle

Lieutenant Commander Susan Ellis of Manakin-Sabot hasn’t had much time lately to show her Quarter Horse Taris Bali Bob. Now on active duty for the Naval Reserve, she has postponed her competition plans for the time being. However, earlier this year she and “Bob” marched sidesaddle in the Presidential Inaugural Parade. A Texas-bred gelding from world class reining origins, he won an AQHA Best of Americas Horse Award for 1998 and 2000 in addition to numerous honors from both the World Sidesaddle Federation and the International Side Saddle Organization.

A big believer in cross training, Ellis previously owned another famous Quarter Horse. “Purchased in 1992, Sonnys Speedy Count was a Superior Western Pleasure Horse. After showing at the Congress, he went on to compete in the AHSA hunter divisions under a new name Wrapped in Red,” she said. Mary Lisa Nicholson Leffler and Rolling Acres Farm in Maryland subsequently purchased the strawberry roan gelding and the rest is history.

Hunters

Wrapped in Red was a prime example of a full-blooded Quarter Horse that excelled in the rated hunter divisions. With owner Vicki Lowell, the pair won several national titles including 1996 AHSA Second Year Green Hunter Championship and 1997 $15,000 Millers Hunter Classic at the Quarter Horse Congress. In addition, the gelding garnered four AQHA Best of America’s Horse Awards (1996 Second Year Green and Children’s Hunter, 1998 Adult Hunter, and 1999 Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35).

Speedy had many jobs and did them all well – from his early career as a western pleasure horse to the top of the green hunter ranks and in later years to lead-line mount and part-time foxhunter,” said Lowell of Chevy Chase, Maryland. Unfortunately this exceptionally versatile horse died in July at age 16 following major colic surgery.

Combined Training

Prior to representing the U. S. at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the Burghley CCI**** in 1997, international Event Rider Phyllis Dawson of Windchase in Purcellville evented a Quarter Horse. Indiana, a registered appendix Quarter Horse competed at both the intermediate and advanced levels at events including Essex, Radnor and Fairhill back in the early 90s. Dawson also rode her Quarter Horse in training sessions with the U.S. Equestrian Team. “Indiana was fairly opinionated and wanted to do things his way. He was very bold cross-country and also a beautiful mover,” Dawson recalled.

Former U.S. Olympic team competitor Stephen Bradley of Southern Edition Farm in Leesburg advanced to the upper levels of combined training in that late 80s and early 90s aboard High Flying Brent, an appendix Quarter Horse. A veteran of several three-star CCI’s, the gelding was short-listed multiple times to go to Europe to represent the U.S. “Brent’s strongest phase was cross-country and he also did very well in dressage. However, in show jumping he had a tendency to have a few rails down which I attributed to my nerves when first competing at the upper levels,” said Bradley who went on to have an accomplished career in eventing.

Foxhunting

For some sixty years, Joan Batterton has been an impressive presence in the hunt field. The Berryville resident recalled competing in one of the very first Foxhunter Championships of America, a very prestigious and popular competition. She said, “Years ago when I was Field Master of the Blue Ridge Hunt, I won the top award with my Quarter Horse Candyman.

When I first got the gelding he took to hunting like a duck to water. He led the field or went behind equally well. This Quarter Horse was just about the best foxhunter I ever had. The only thing he didn’t like was cattle,” Batterton added. Now retired from foxhunting, Candyman still enjoys an occasional trail ride.

Racing

Keeping the tradition alive, defense industry consultant and racing enthusiast James Ketchum is the proud owner of several fast Quarter Horses including McCalls Flashy Dash who finished in the money in all of his 38 races. At age 11, the 16.2 hh sorrel Quarter Horse is enjoying retirement at Ketchum’s barn in Stafford. Currently in training in Mississippi is five-year-old palomino Quarter Horse Carolina Golden Jet. With a successful race earlier this year at Delta Downs in Louisiana, the mare is scheduled to run next in Texas. Also entered in three upcoming futurities is Cash On A Jet, a yearling colt with proven Quarter Horse racing blood.

Ketchum said, “Quarter Horse racing is big money. With a purse of two and a half million, the annual All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico is the richest Quarter Horse race in the world.” If Ketchum gets his wish, Quarter Horse racing will return to Virginia.

Lisa Friel is a freelance writer and photographer based in Alexandria, Virginia.