Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds at Remington Park!

Now that our 2013 Quarter Horse meet has come to a close and we look ahead at the start of the Thoroughbred season at Remington Park, the striking differences between the two breeds that fill up our barns become accentuated.  

So we thought we’d explore some of the basic differences between American Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds - and learn a little bit of their rich history of both that brought us to where we are today. 

Quarter Horses have a strong presence in Oklahoma and Texas, and are integral to the Remington Park racing calendar. This is primarily due to their historic use on farms and ranches, where they were bred to round up cattle and perform various ranch tasks.

Whereas Thoroughbred horses are tall, temperamental, and lean, Quarter horses are stout, muscular, and calm. Having been bred for ranch work, and developed in rodeos and horse shows, quarter horses excel at sprinting. The name itself is a reference to its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less, with some having been clocked at speeds of up to 55 mph!

It could be argued that Quarter Horses themselves personify the history of the West, having been designed and bred to accommodate the needs of the time and lifestyle.

Remington Park is extremely proud of this Western tradition, and works to keep it alive every year with our Quarter Horse season – with our Quarter Horse program being often acknowledged as the best in the world.

So on behalf of Remington Park, cheers to another great Quarter Horse season! We’d like to thank all the horse owners, trainers, jockeys, and handlers that keep the great American Quarter Horse tradition alive and running!

Fun Fact: ALL thoroughbred horses in their world can have their lineage traced back to just three original “foundation” horses from 17^th century Great Britain: the Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin Arabian.