Randal Belflower, age 11, of Pamplico, South Carolina, for his question:

What exactly is a quarter horse?

From his name, you might imagine the origin of this animal to be one quarter horse and three quarters perhaps mule or something else. Or, the strange name might lead you to imagine a never never type animal with horsy hindquarters or forequarters plus an assortment of parts assembled from unrelated members of the animal kingdom. Neither of these flights of fancy, naturally, are related to the real quarter horse.

This sturdy character is a special breed that was developed by cattle ranchers of our Western plains. The quarter horse is a native American breed famous around the world for his sterling endurance as a saddle horse on the range. He was named for his surprising talent as a short distance sprinter. In a quarter mile race, the quarter horse often shows his heels to a fast race horse bred for longer distances. He is very often the quarter mile champ.