History of the Spanish Mustang
The true Spanish Mustang is a direct descendant of the horses brought to the New World by the early Spaniards. Confused by many with the feral horses currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), there is a vast difference in both appearance and ancestry between the Spanish Mustang and the BLM Mustang.
The evolution of the modern horse
It is generally accepted that the modern horse evolved in North America and then crossed the Bering Sea land bridge into Siberia during the last ice age before spreading into the steppes and plains of Eurasia.
The horse then became extinct in the Americas approximately 10,000 years ago, for reasons that are not fully understood.
It is thought that the modern horse was initially domesticated around 6000 years ago probably in Kazakhstan and/or southern Ukraine and has since evolved into the breeds we know today.
The return of the horse to the Americas
When Columbus first landed there were no horses in the New World.
Following the order of the Spanish throne, he commenced bringing the first Spanish horses to the New World on his second voyage, thus bringing the horse home to where it originated.
Each subsequent Spanish ship bound for the New World carried breeding animals of choice Spanish stock, cattle, sheep, horses, etc. Only the strongest animals survived the voyage from the Old to the New World.
Breeding farms were initially set up in the Caribbean, on the islands such as Hispaniola and Cuba and then on the American mainland in what is now Mexico. Once the breeding herds were sufficiently established it was no longer necessary to transport livestock from the Old World.
The horses were instrumental in the Spanish conquest of Central and South America and the Spaniard Gonsalo Jimenez de Quesada said, in 1543, "For, after God we owe victory to the horses". They were also an essential part of the Spanish colonisation of North America.
Padre Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit priest, known as the Padre on horseback, operated a breeding farm at Sonora, Mexico which produced stock, including horses. He placed stock with each group of Christianized Indians at mission churches or "visitas" as he expanded his efforts further and further north.
The Apaches ravaged and pillaged these little visitas, and other settlements, taking stock. They also plundered deep into Mexico - allegedly as far south as Mexico City. Their goal was the well bred and trained Spanish horses from the Mexican estancias. They traded these valuable horses northward to other tribes and became one of the primary methods of spreading the Spanish horses over the American West.
Over the years horses escaped, were lost or stolen and many became feral, roaming all over the West. Once loose, they managed not only to survive but to thrive, which attests to the versatility and strength of the breed. By around 1750 the horse had reached all the way into what is now Canada. Early explorers of the North West, such as Lewis and Clarke and those from the Hudson's Bay Company were able to trade goods for horses from the tribes in North Western plains and mountain foothills.
The feral Spanish Mustangs developed according to their environment. Genetic imperfections and any other shortcomings were culled by the most critical judge of all – Mother Nature. In the harsh environment of the mountains and high plains they had to work out their own destiny to survive or be destroyed. Those that survived were animals of superior intelligence, toughness and stamina. These were certainly the best of the best. These feral Spanish horses eventually numbered in the hundreds of thousands and were closely related to the horses maintained by some of the Indian tribes. In fact, they were basically the same horses.
As the range was fenced and domesticated cattle were moved in, the Spanish Mustang almost became extinct, due to deliberate culling, by the cavalry in order to deprive the Indians of their mobility and also by ranchers who did not want the horses competing with the cattle for grazing.
Saving the Spanish Mustang
The Spanish Mustang was still valued by those who knew them and valued
their abilities and in the 1920's Robert and Ferdinand Brislawn started
gathering remnants from wild herds and horses from the Cheyenne, Crow,
Shoshone and Ute Indian herds as well as from Old Mexico in order to
preserve the few remaining pure Spanish Mustangs.
A Registry was formed in 1957 to preserve the breed, initially only 17 horses were registered. The number of registered horses has now grown to around 4000, and there are now thought to be nearly 3000 pure bred Registered Spanish Mustangs still alive today. Whilst the breed has saved from extinction and its future now seems secure it is still classified as a rare breed.
This then is the true Spanish Mustang, a direct descendant of those horses that were brought to the New World by the Spaniards; an extremely hardy and sturdy horse, exhibiting the aptitude to perform in almost any equine field and to perform well. The staying power, intelligence and endurance of these descendants of the original Spanish horses has become legendary.
Whilst the great majority of today's Spanish Mustangs are in the USA and Canada, the wheel has almost turned full circle and there are now registered Spanish Mustangs in the UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Eire and Australia.