The Florida Cracker Horse is also known as the Chickasaw Pony, Seminole Pony, Prairie Pony, Florida Horse, Florida Cow Pony and Grass Gut. The modern breed retains the size of its Spanish ancestors, standing 13.2 to 15 hands (54 to 60 inches, 137 to 152 cm) high and weighing 750 to 1,000 pounds (340 to 450 kg). They are found mainly in bay, black and gray, although grullo, dun and chestnut are also seen. Roan and pinto colors are occasionally found. They have straight or slightly concave profiles, strong backs and sloping croups. They are still known for their speed and agility and excel at trail and endurance riding, and are also used extensively as stock horses and are also seen in Western riding sports such as working cow horse, team roping and team penning. The Florida Cracker is a gaited horse, with the breed association recognizing two gaits, the running walk and amble, in addition to the regular walk, trot, canter and gallop. The single-footed ambling gait is known as the "coon rack" by some breed enthusiasts. The foundation genetics of the breed are the same as many others developed from Spanish stock in North and South America, including the Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso and Criollo. The Cracker horse is very similar in type and genetics to the Carolina Marsh Tacky and the Banker horse, both Spanish-style breeds from the eastern United States, but DNA testing has proven that these are separate breeds.
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Horses first arrived on the southeast North American mainland in 1521, during Ponce de Leon's second trip to the region, where they were used by officers, scouts and livestock herders. More horses and cattle were brought to Spanish Florida by later expeditions. By the late 16th century, horses were used extensively in the local cattle business and by the late 17th century the industry was flourishing, especially in what is now northern Florida and southern Georgia. The horses brought to North America by the Spanish and subsequently bred there included Barbs, Garranos, Spanish Jennets, Sorraias, Andalusians and other Iberian breeds. Overall, they were relatively small and had physical traits distinctive of Spanish breeds, including short backs, sloping shoulders, low set tails and wide foreheads.
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The early cattle drivers, nicknamed Florida crackers and Georgia crackers, used these Spanish horses to drive cattle (eventually known as Florida Cracker cattle). The cowboys received their nickname from the distinctive cracking of their whips, and the name was transferred to both the horses they rode and the cattle they herded. Through their primary use as stock horses, the type developed into the Florida Cracker horse, known for its speed, endurance and agility. From the mid-16th century to the 1930s, this type was the predominant horse in the southeastern United States. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), both belligerents purchased large amounts of beef from Florida, and the Spanish horses bred there were highly desired as riding horses. During this time, there was also a continual introduction of new Spanish blood from Cuba, as horses were traded between the two areas. However, during the Dust Bowl (1930–1940), large western cattle were moved into Florida, bringing with them the parasitic screwworm. Cattle with this parasite needed to be treated frequently, and Florida Cracker horses, bred for working smaller cattle, were not able to hold the cattle and so were soon replaced by American Quarter Horses. This resulted in the breed almost becoming extinct.
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Florida Horses For Sale in
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Florida Horses For Sale in
Horses first arrived on the southeast North American mainland in 1521, during Ponce de Leon's second trip to the region, where they were used by officers, scouts and livestock herders. More horses and cattle were brought to Spanish Florida by later expeditions. By the late 16th century, horses were used extensively in the local cattle business and by the late 17th century the industry was flourishing, especially in what is now northern Florida and southern Georgia. The horses brought to North America by the Spanish and subsequently bred there included Barbs, Garranos, Spanish Jennets, Sorraias, Andalusians and other Iberian breeds. Overall, they were relatively small and had physical traits distinctive of Spanish breeds, including short backs, sloping shoulders, low set tails and wide foreheads.
Appaloosa Horses in Florida
The early cattle drivers, nicknamed Florida crackers and Georgia crackers, used these Spanish horses to drive cattle (eventually known as Florida Cracker cattle). The cowboys received their nickname from the distinctive cracking of their whips, and the name was transferred to both the horses they rode and the cattle they herded. Through their primary use as stock horses, the type developed into the Florida Cracker horse, known for its speed, endurance and agility. From the mid-16th century to the 1930s, this type was the predominant horse in the southeastern United States. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), both belligerents purchased large amounts of beef from Florida, and the Spanish horses bred there were highly desired as riding horses. During this time, there was also a continual introduction of new Spanish blood from Cuba, as horses were traded between the two areas. However, during the Dust Bowl (1930–1940), large western cattle were moved into Florida, bringing with them the parasitic screwworm. Cattle with this parasite needed to be treated frequently, and Florida Cracker horses, bred for working smaller cattle, were not able to hold the cattle and so were soon replaced by American Quarter Horses. This resulted in the breed almost becoming extinct.
Horses for sale in Lakeland,
Lazy B Quarter Horses
Florida Horses For Sale in
Appaloosa Horses in Florida
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