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30 FEBRUARY 21, 2013 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCERNEWSHORSES | QUARTER HORSEBook traceshistory ofQuarterhorseQuarter horse associationfinds information indecades-old Stud BookBY BARB GLENLETHBRIDGE BUREAUThe Canadian Quarter Horse Associationis trying to reconstruct itshistory.That task became slightly easierFeb. 7 when it reacquired a copy ofthe 1965 CQHA Stud Book, the firstone published by the organization.“We didn’t have access to this informationprior to the book coming intoour possession, so that was reallyhelpful to us,” said Marnie Somers,the association’s chair of membershipand communications.“Someone approached one of ourdirectors and said they had this bookfor sale and asked if we were interestedbefore they put it on eBay. It’sthe only one that we know of, so wejumped on it.”The association met the seller’sprice and is now hoping people willcome forward with stud books fromother years so it can compile a morecomplete history.The association was formed in 1957and put out its first stud book in 1965.It was a record of breeding horses,association directors, members andother information.Somers said efforts to create anofficial Canadian registry for Quarterhorses floundered in 1988 when thebreed was refused true breed statusunder Canadian livestock regulationsbecause Quarter horses haveThoroughbred bloodlines.“Then people lost interest in tryingto go that route,” said Somers.Instead, horse owners and breedersregistered their animals withthe American Quarter Horse Association,which was established in1940. It is the largest official breedregistry in the world with five millionanimals.Canadians continue to use thatregistry and the AQHA stud books,as do other countries. Somers saidthere are 240,000 Quarter horses inCanada.The CQHA was resurrected in 2000,but records from its earlier incarnationwere lost with the passage oftime.“We just moved forward from there.We’ve tried to contact some of thepioneers, but no one seems to havevery much information,” she said.The value of the 1965 CQHA studbook is mostly historical. The horseslisted in it are long gone, but some oftheir bloodlines likely live on.“There will be some there that wecan trace that we were never able totrace before,” Somers said.“We do get inquiries from membersthat want to find out about thehistory of the horse they own now.At least now that we have the studbook available, we can direct themto there.”The book has been digitized andcan be found on the association’swebsite at www.cqha.ca.Quarter horses were denied true breed status under Canadian livestock rules 25 years ago and historical information and records were lost. | FILE PHOTOSomers said the association executiveisn’t sure how many stud bookswere published in earlier years, but ithopes more will reappear.CQHA president Haidee Landryplans to make history compilation apet project this year, said Somers.Landry was unavailable for commentat press time.The 1965 stud book constitutes agood start to the process, she added.“We’ve got the first piece of theBayerCropScience.ca/Varro or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative.Always read and follow label directions. Varro is a trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.puzzle. We were quite pleased to getour hands on the book and we’rehoping … people will step forwardwith additional years worth of them.”Freedom from wild oats.