Appendix Quarter Horses are the first generation cross
between a registered Thoroughbred and an American Quarter Horse. They are
registered as appendix but not initially eligible for a full AQHA registration.
The cross began in Texas and quickly took hold when the
horse racing industry brought Thoroughbred bloodlines into the Quarter Horse
Association. Initially they were met with resistance by board members, but they
relented to the cross with Thoroughbreds that held Quarter Horse type
characteristics.
Through
the years and selective breeding the resulting cross is a larger animal (15 –
17 hands), with more refined features. They are found in black, chestnut, grey,
bay, dun, roan, palomino, and buckskin.