The American Quarter Horse shall be designated 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 ( ¼ ) 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 American Quarter Horse Association has held its world championship show in Oklahoma City. The Colonial Spanish 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 and 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 numbers. For the reasons listed above, the American Quarter Horse deserves to be designated as the state horse of Oklahoma.

The American Quarter Horse is hereby designated and adopted as the state horse of Oklahoma.