Discipline Racing Dam unknown Foaled about 1880 Died 1912 Sex Stallion | Grandsire unknown Maternal grandsire unknown Country United States Species Equus caballus | |
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Breed Unknown, but a foundation sire for the Quarter Horse | ||
Traveler (died 1912), was a foundation sire of the American Quarter Horse breed, but mystery surrounds him 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 (60 inches; 152 cm), he was leggy but well muscled, although George Clegg said the horse was the shortest backed horse he had 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.