So what are Colonial Spanish Horses? There are dozens of types and strains, and dozens of websites with conflicting or confusing information. Here is a handy summary, using on this article by Dr. Phil Sponenberg as a starting point for my own additional research.
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, with which Dr. Sponenberg is involved, and which is an important organization in rare breed conservation points out:
The North American Spanish horse population includes many distinct strains, and these could be considered either parts of a larger, single breed, or several smaller, closely related breeds. Given the overall consistency of this population and the fact that many individual horses are registered in more than one of the registries, the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has chosen to consider them as one breed. The exception is the Florida Cracker horse, which is considered a separate breed because of its geographic isolation and the fact that few if any horses are double registered with the other groups. The Colonial Spanish horse goes by a number of names including Spanish Mustang, Spanish Barb, or their strain name. (link)
Here is a list of useful links for the various types of Colonial Spanish Horse:
Spanish Mustangs:
Brislawn Horses:
Spanish Mustang Registry
Apache Trail Ranch
Many Ponies Ranch
Grey Thunder Ranch
Horsehead Ranch
Let 'Em Run Foundation
Blackfeet Buffalo Horse Coalition
Bookcliff Horses:
American Sulphur Horse Association
Sulphur Springs Horse Registry
Sulphur Horse Registry
Cerbat Horses:
Apache Trail Ranch
BLM
Kiger Horses:
Steens Kiger Ranch
Steens Kiger Registry
Canadian Kiger Mustang Registry
Kiger Horse Association
Double L Kiger Ranch
Kiger Mesteno Association
Pryor Mountain Horses:
Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center
Pryor Mountain Mustang Breeders Association & Registry
Mount Taylor Horses:
Mount Taylor Mustangs
Multi-strain Spanish Barb/Mustang Resources:
Southwest Spanish Mustang Association
BLM
Quien Sabe Ranch
In the Night Farm
Native American Horses:
Choctaw Horses:
Red Road Farm
Pelt Farm
Cherokee Horses:
no links at this time
Nokota Horses:
The Nokota Horse Conservancy
Rockin Bar H Nokota Horses
Crazy Horse Farm
Multi-strain Native American Horse Resources:
Southwest Spanish Mustang Association
American Indian Horse Registry
Horse of the Americas
Foothills Indian Horse Club
Ranch Strains:
Wilbur-Cruce Horses:
Heritage Breeds Southwest
Return to Freedom
Belsky strain:
Karma Farms
Romero strain:
no links at this time
Jones strain:
Karma Farms
Baca Chica strain:
Caballos de Colores
Southeastern Horses:
Florida Cracker:
Florida Cracker Horse Association
Florida Department of Agriculture
Florida Cracker Trail Association
Banker Horse:
Corolla Wild Horse Fund
Wild Horses of Shackleford Bank
Marsh Tacky:
Carolina Marsh Tacky Outfitters
Carolina Marsh Tacky Association
Multi-breed/type Resources for Colonial Spanish Horses:
Horse of the Americas
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
Equus Survival Trust
Conquistador Magazine
Comments