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The King Ranch Quarter Horses: And Something of the Ranch and the Men That Bred Them
The fabled King Ranch of South Texas was renowned for its breed of horses, the King Ranch Quarter Horses. Here is the complete story of the ranch and its horses, how they were bred, and what they have achieved. We meet the Old Sorrel, the horse without a name who became the foundation stallion of the ranch Quarter Horses. The King Ranch produced winning show horses (Hired Hand, Anita Chica, Peppy) and race horses (Miss Princess, Nobody's Friend) and, above all, top-quality cow horses famed for their levelheadedness and ability to work in close partnership with their riders. Today they and their descendants are working cattle and winning competitions worldwide. For those who love Quarter Horses, and especially for those who own a Quarter Horse descended from the King Ranch and wish to know its history, this book will be a treasured volume.
312 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1967
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July 31, 2025
The Quarter Horse has been the most popular purebred horse breed in the world since the 1990s. This book was published in 1970, when the Quarter Horse wasn't even the most popular purebred in America. It focuses on the horses used in the Quarter Horse breeding program at the King Ranch in Texas. The King Ranch Quarter Horses would become famous in several countries, particularly Australia, for their versatility and cow sense.
So, it comes as absolutely no surprise, that the most prominent foundation sires and mares ...
... were Thoroughbreds. The next most common was "unknown."
There were incredibly sloppy or no records kept for the vast majority of these horses -- even after the formation of the American Quarter Horse Association in 1940. Stallions were turned out with a herd of mares -- but no one actually witnessed the breedings. This was the King Ranch, which had at least 20 stallions at any given time, so multiple herds. These breeding herds were always kept outside to save money. There was NO WAY they could be sure what stud sired what foal.
You'd be amazed what stallions will do if they scent a mare in heat. I once rode at a riding stable where a Belgian stallion went through a glass wall of the indoor arena to get at a mare. She was being ridden at the time, so the rider saw Moose charging her Lady, kicked her into a gallop and stayed away until Moose was caught.
A few measly pasture fences or even a hundred acres won't stop a stud on the make.
Even the scanty records showed that in the case a stallion was injured or died during the breeding season, another stallion or even a two-year-old colt would be placed with the mares to ensure a certain size foal crop.
Unless there was a major typo here, Naughty Boy III sired Naughty Boy I (not to be confused with Naughty Boy.) There's a good reason why the word "cowboy" is being used in pop culture more and more as an insult.
Some of the scanty records also indicate a disturbing amount of inbreeding or line breeding (which is just another name for inbreeding.) At the time this was published, every horse on the King Ranch was thought to trace back to one stallion on both the sire and dam lines -- The Old Sorrel.
Oh, yeah -- they didn't even bother to name many of the horses, especially if they were female. The Old Sorrel was the horse's nickname ... when he got old. Apparently, he was just called "the George Clegg colt" beforehand, because his breeder was George Clegg, then "El Alazan" (Spanish for "the Sorrel red") given by the Mexican ranch hands. The Old Sorrel's dam was a Thoroughbred. His sire was said to be Hickory Bill.
The King Ranch's breeding program presented here was a shit show. How Assault, a Thoroughbred Triple Crown winner, ever was foaled on the Ranch had to be by accident. I've got a feeling the King Ranch got their reputation as premier Quarter Horse breeders simply because of the extreme power that the King Ranch had.
In 1970, the King Ranch in Texas was larger than many countries, as well as owning smaller ranches in several states. They also slashed and burned hundreds of thousands of South American rainforest acres to grow beef that no one can now afford to eat. They were stretching out into Australia and Morocco. They had enough employees to start their own army -- if they were so inclined.
Yeah -- good luck getting on their bad side.
I'm glad to see that the King Ranch no longer owns a cattle ranch in Pennsylvania. It was turned into a nature preserve. They also got out of Kentucky.
There was way too much about the people and history of the King Ranch and not enough about the horses in this book. This is a hagiography of the Klebergs -- the family that has owned the Ranch since Captain King died. Although there is one little bit of rebellion here -- a stallion named Mr. Kleberg is described as having poor semen quality. I'm sure that caused a few sniggers behind the boss' back when this was published.
This book basically chronicles the King Ranch legend, some ramblings from white old men, and not much that could be proved as to what horses went into the making of the Quarter Horse. It does explain why Quarter Horses today need so much infusion of Thoroughbred blood -- and why both breeds are so prone to health problems ... due to inbreeding, poor record keeping, and prejudice against any sort of variation that naturally comes about.
There is no mention here of Appendix Quarter Horses.
The best horse I ever rode was a half Thoroughbred, half Quarter Horse named Indy. He was the horse of my dreams. He was chestnut with a diamond. He could jump. His gaits were smooth as silk. I was going to buy him, certainly, and live out a happy life.
In a few months, his ankles were so bad that he was sold for slaughter. I found out after finding a new horse in his stall, and asked a groom where Indy was. I wish I'd died right before finding out.
So, it comes as absolutely no surprise, that the most prominent foundation sires and mares ...
... were Thoroughbreds. The next most common was "unknown."
There were incredibly sloppy or no records kept for the vast majority of these horses -- even after the formation of the American Quarter Horse Association in 1940. Stallions were turned out with a herd of mares -- but no one actually witnessed the breedings. This was the King Ranch, which had at least 20 stallions at any given time, so multiple herds. These breeding herds were always kept outside to save money. There was NO WAY they could be sure what stud sired what foal.
You'd be amazed what stallions will do if they scent a mare in heat. I once rode at a riding stable where a Belgian stallion went through a glass wall of the indoor arena to get at a mare. She was being ridden at the time, so the rider saw Moose charging her Lady, kicked her into a gallop and stayed away until Moose was caught.
A few measly pasture fences or even a hundred acres won't stop a stud on the make.
Even the scanty records showed that in the case a stallion was injured or died during the breeding season, another stallion or even a two-year-old colt would be placed with the mares to ensure a certain size foal crop.
Unless there was a major typo here, Naughty Boy III sired Naughty Boy I (not to be confused with Naughty Boy.) There's a good reason why the word "cowboy" is being used in pop culture more and more as an insult.
Some of the scanty records also indicate a disturbing amount of inbreeding or line breeding (which is just another name for inbreeding.) At the time this was published, every horse on the King Ranch was thought to trace back to one stallion on both the sire and dam lines -- The Old Sorrel.
Oh, yeah -- they didn't even bother to name many of the horses, especially if they were female. The Old Sorrel was the horse's nickname ... when he got old. Apparently, he was just called "the George Clegg colt" beforehand, because his breeder was George Clegg, then "El Alazan" (Spanish for "the Sorrel red") given by the Mexican ranch hands. The Old Sorrel's dam was a Thoroughbred. His sire was said to be Hickory Bill.
The King Ranch's breeding program presented here was a shit show. How Assault, a Thoroughbred Triple Crown winner, ever was foaled on the Ranch had to be by accident. I've got a feeling the King Ranch got their reputation as premier Quarter Horse breeders simply because of the extreme power that the King Ranch had.
In 1970, the King Ranch in Texas was larger than many countries, as well as owning smaller ranches in several states. They also slashed and burned hundreds of thousands of South American rainforest acres to grow beef that no one can now afford to eat. They were stretching out into Australia and Morocco. They had enough employees to start their own army -- if they were so inclined.
Yeah -- good luck getting on their bad side.
I'm glad to see that the King Ranch no longer owns a cattle ranch in Pennsylvania. It was turned into a nature preserve. They also got out of Kentucky.
There was way too much about the people and history of the King Ranch and not enough about the horses in this book. This is a hagiography of the Klebergs -- the family that has owned the Ranch since Captain King died. Although there is one little bit of rebellion here -- a stallion named Mr. Kleberg is described as having poor semen quality. I'm sure that caused a few sniggers behind the boss' back when this was published.
This book basically chronicles the King Ranch legend, some ramblings from white old men, and not much that could be proved as to what horses went into the making of the Quarter Horse. It does explain why Quarter Horses today need so much infusion of Thoroughbred blood -- and why both breeds are so prone to health problems ... due to inbreeding, poor record keeping, and prejudice against any sort of variation that naturally comes about.
There is no mention here of Appendix Quarter Horses.
The best horse I ever rode was a half Thoroughbred, half Quarter Horse named Indy. He was the horse of my dreams. He was chestnut with a diamond. He could jump. His gaits were smooth as silk. I was going to buy him, certainly, and live out a happy life.
In a few months, his ankles were so bad that he was sold for slaughter. I found out after finding a new horse in his stall, and asked a groom where Indy was. I wish I'd died right before finding out.
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