quarter horse

American

noun

one of a breed of strong horses developed in the U.S. for short-distance races, usually a quarter of a mile.
a horse of this breed used in herding livestock.

quarter horse British

noun

a small powerful breed of horse, originally bred for sprinting in quarter-mile races in Virginia in the late 18th century

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quarter horse

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

quarter horse

Los Alamitos runs a year-round quarter horse and thoroughbred meeting that is partly made up of lower level thoroughbred horses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024

Williams said the new proposal was put together by racetrack veterinarians before being reviewed by officials in thoroughbred, standardbred and quarter horse racing.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2023

The track will host the All American Futurity - the richest quarter horse race - over the Labor Day weekend.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 25, 2023

Nature This new episode documents the history of American horse breeds, including Appaloosa, Morgan, mustang and quarter horse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2022

He was riding Little Warrior, a small but sturdy buckskin quarter horse.

From "In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse" by Joseph Marshall III

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023