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SENATE FLOOR VERSION
April 4, 2022
ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 3261 By: Randleman of the House
and
Stephens of the Senate
An Act relating to definitions and general
provisions; providing history of the American Quarter
Horse; designating the American Quarter Horse as the
state horse of Oklahoma; providing for
noncodification; providing for codification; and
providing an effective date .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
The American Quarter Horse shall be desi gnated as the state
horse of Oklahoma. The American Quarter Horse's name is derived
from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of one-
quarter (1/4) mile or less; some have been clocked at speeds of up
to fifty-five (55) miles per hour. In addition, the American
Quarter Horse is known as a quick and smart cow horse and is the
most popular breed of horse in the United States today. For nearly
fifty (50) years, the Amer ican Quarter Horse A ssociation has held
its world championship show in Oklahoma City. The Colonial Spanish
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Horse of Oklahoma has deeply rich ties to the American Quarter
Horse. The Colonial Spanish Horse was brought to America in the
1500s by the Spanish conquistadors. These were pure Spanish
Mustangs, a relatively small but tough breed of horse. After the
introduction of these horses to Native American tribes, the horses
became essential to the tribes, who began to rely heavily on them
for their travels during times of war an d hardship, as well as for
hunting. In addition, the Native American tribes utilized the
Colonial Spanish Horse to traverse the Trail of Tears. The Colonial
Spanish Horse of Oklahoma is the only native horse in the state and
has the purest bloodline. There is evidence that the Spanish
Mustangs obtained from the Native American tribes were crossed with
the English colonists' stock as early as the year 1611. The product
of this breeding would come to be known as the American Quarter
Horse. Currently, Oklahoma is fifth in the nation in total horse
numbers, behind only Texas, California, Florida , and Ohio. Horses
in Oklahoma are used for diverse purposes with forty-four percent
(44%) being privately owned, seventeen percent (17%) used for
showing, and seventeen percent (17%) for racing. The predominant
horse breed in Oklahoma is the American Quarter Horse. The American
Horse Council estimates about one hundred four thousand (104,000)
American Quarter Horses were in Oklahoma in 2017. Oklahoma was
listed second in the United States in total American Quarter Horse
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numbers. For the reasons listed above, the American Quarter Hors e
deserves to be designated as the state horse of Oklahoma.
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 9 4.17 of Title 25, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
The American Quarter Horse is hereby designated and adopted as
the state horse of Oklahoma.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND WILDLIFE
April 4, 2022 - DO PASS