List_of_U.S._state_horses

List of U.S. state horses

List of U.S. state horses

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Twelve U.S. states have designated a horse breed as the official "state horse", two have a horse breed as their "state animal", one has an official "state pony", and one has a "honorary state equine". The first state horse was designated in Vermont in 1961. The most recent state horse designations occurred in 2023 when Virginia designated the Chincoteague Pony as its state pony and in 2022 when Oklahoma declared the American Quarter Horse as its state horse. There have been proposals to designate a state horse in Oregon as well as in Arizona (where an ongoing campaign sought to designate the Colonial Spanish Horse as the state horse prior to the state centennial in 2012), but neither proposal is yet successful.[1] In one state, North Dakota, the state horse is officially designated the "honorary state equine".[2] Two additional states have not designated a specific state horse, but have designed a horse or horse breed as its official state animals: the horse in New Jersey and the Morgan horse breed in Vermont.

A map showing the states with official state horses marked in red and those with proposed designations marked in yellow

Some breeds, such as the American Quarter Horse in Texas and the Morgan horse in Vermont and Massachusetts, were named as the state horse because of the close connection between the history of the breed and the state. Others, including the Tennessee Walking Horse and the Missouri Fox Trotter, include the state in the official breed name. School children have lobbied for the cause of some state horses, such as the Colonial Spanish Horse being named the state horse of North Carolina due to the presence of the Spanish-descended Banker horses in the Outer Banks,[3] while others have been brought to official status through the lobbying efforts of their breed registries.

Official state horses are one of many state symbols officially designated by states. Each state has its own flag and state seal, and many states also designate other symbols, including animals, plants, and foods. Such items usually are designated because of their ties to the culture or history of that particular state. In addition to being state symbols in their own right, horses have also appeared in state symbols; for example, a horse's head appears on the seal of New Jersey.

State horses

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Proposed breeds

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State symbols

Horses, both official state horses and not, are present in the emblems of several states.

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References

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    "About Us". Arizona Colonial Spanish Horse Project. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
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    "North Dakota State Equine Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine ," State of North Dakota.
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    "History". Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
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    "CS/CS/HB 131 – State Symbols". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
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    "History of the Cracker Horse". Florida Cracker Horse Association. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
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    "Appaloosa History". Appaloosa Horse Club. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
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    "State Symbols". Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
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    "State Horse". Commonwealth of Kentucky. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
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    "Breeders Association". Maryland Horse Breeders Association. Archived from the original on April 20, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
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    "Part One: Concise Facts". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
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    "State Heritage Horse". Carolina Marsh Tacky Association. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
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    "History and Description". Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
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    "Quarter Horse Named Official State Horse of Texas". The Horse. August 19, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
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  23. [23]
    "History". American Morgan Horse Association. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
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    "Chincoteague Pony becomes official state pony of Virginia". WAVY.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
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    "Chincoteague Ponies now Official State Pony". ShoreDailyNews.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
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    "History of the Horses". Arizona's Colonial Spanish Horse Project. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
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    "Controversial bill making wild mustang Nevada's state horse faces Friday deadline". News 4 & Fox 11. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
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    Steves, David (January 23, 2001). "Senator trots out horse nominee". The Register-Guard. Eugene, Oregon. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
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    "Delaware State Quarter – 1999". United States Mint. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
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    "Title 49: Motor Vehicles, Chapter 4: Motor Vehicle Registration, 49-420D: Appaloosa License Plates". Idaho Legislature. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
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    "State Seal". State of Maryland. Retrieved April 12, 2014.
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    "Minnesota Statutes - 1.135 STATE SEAL". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. 1987. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
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    Aldrich, Sean (February 2006). "Wild at Heart: Mustangs outran other candidates for the Nevada quarter". Numismatist: 40. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  34. [34]
    Zatz, Arline (2004). Horsing Around in New Jersey: The Horse Lover's Guide to Everything Equine. Rutgers University Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-8135-3334-1.
  35. [35]
    "The Great Seal of the State of New Jersey". State of New Jersey. Archived from the original on May 3, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  36. [36]
    "Pennsylvania: Past and Present – Symbols". Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
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