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Traveler (horse)
Encyclopedia
Mystery surrounds Traveler (died 1912), as his breeding is completely unknown. He appeared in Texas
in the mid-1880s and eventually ended up as a match
racehorse and stallion
. Some stories have him part of a contractor's work string doing grading work on a railroad being constructed in Eastland County, Texas
. Whether or not this story is true, the first recorded owner of Traveler was a man named Brown Seay.
He was a light sorrel
horse, with light amounts of roaning
on his flanks. Markings were a snip, and a streak on the face. Standing around 15 hands
high, he was leggy but well muscled, although George Clegg said the horse was the shortest backed horse he'd ever seen. He was also owned by the Shely brothers, who bred most of his most famous offspring. While owned by Seay, Traveler was match raced extensively in Texas.
He died in 1912. He sired such influential Quarter Horses as Little Joe, King (later named Possum), Jim Ned, Judge Thomas, Texas Chief, and Captain Joe. Other descendants included Joe Reed II
, Hard Twist, Silver King, Tonto Bars Hank, and Tonto Bars Gill.
He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Association
's (or AQHA) AQHA Hall of Fame
.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the mid-1880s and eventually ended up as a match
Match race
A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head.The term may be best known as a race between two sailing boats racing around a course...
racehorse and stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
. Some stories have him part of a contractor's work string doing grading work on a railroad being constructed in Eastland County, Texas
Eastland County, Texas
*Carbon*Cisco*Desdemona, a ghost town*Eastland*Gorman*Mangum*Olden*Ranger*Rising Star*Romney-See also:*National Register of Historic Places listings in Eastland County, Texas*Santa Claus Bank Robbery-External links:** at the University of Texas*...
. Whether or not this story is true, the first recorded owner of Traveler was a man named Brown Seay.
He was a light sorrel
Sorrel (horse)
Sorrel is an alternative word for one of the most common equine coat colors in horses. While the term is usually used to refer to a copper-red shade of chestnut, in some places it is used generically in place of "chestnut" to refer to any reddish horse with a same-color or lighter mane and tail,...
horse, with light amounts of roaning
Roan (horse)
Roan is a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and "points"—lower legs, mane and tail—are more solid-colored. The roan pattern is dominantly-inherited, and is found in many horse breeds...
on his flanks. Markings were a snip, and a streak on the face. Standing around 15 hands
Hand (unit)
The hand is a non-SI unit of measurement of length, now used only for the measurement of the height of horses in some English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA. With origins in ancient Egypt, it was originally based on the breadth of a human hand...
high, he was leggy but well muscled, although George Clegg said the horse was the shortest backed horse he'd ever seen. He was also owned by the Shely brothers, who bred most of his most famous offspring. While owned by Seay, Traveler was match raced extensively in Texas.
He died in 1912. He sired such influential Quarter Horses as Little Joe, King (later named Possum), Jim Ned, Judge Thomas, Texas Chief, and Captain Joe. Other descendants included Joe Reed II
Joe Reed II
Joe Reed II was a Quarter Horse racehorse from the early days of the American Quarter Horse Association that became an influential sire with the breed.-Life:...
, Hard Twist, Silver King, Tonto Bars Hank, and Tonto Bars Gill.
He was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Association
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
's (or AQHA) AQHA Hall of Fame
American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
The American Quarter Horse Association has created a Hall of Fame in Amarillo, Texas to honor both people and horses who contributed to the growth of the American Quarter Horse. Any one may nominate either people or horses to be considered. Nominations from the membership are due by October 1. They...
.
Further reading
- Reynolds, Franklin "They Called Him Traveler" Quarter Horse Journal May 1957 p. 7–9, 22–23, 34–36, 54–65
- Rockingham, Montague "Traveler: Greatest Sire Since Sir Archy" The Western Horseman January 1949 p. 10–11, 33