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Story: Horses

Quarter horse

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Quarter horse

The Quarter horse is an American breed. It was selectively bred for rapid manoeuvrability, enough strength to hold a steer, rapid acceleration, and speed over a relatively short distance. It is also small enough for a working rancher to mount and dismount easily. Their average height is 1.4–1.5 metres and they weigh 500–600 kilograms. Here, Fleur Falconer of Taupō is grooming a Quarter horse, Rosina Tivio, before the Quarter Horse Youth World Cup in Australia, in 1992.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Dominion Post Collection (PA-Group-00685)

Reference: EP/1992/2032/8

by John Nicholson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Emma Meyer, Horses – Types, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/19266/quarter-horse (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Emma Meyer, published 1 March 2009.