The Colonial Spanish Horse

Most people have probably heard of Frank T. Hopkins and his famous horse Hidalgo. Frank became the first proponent of mustang preservation and promotion at a critical time. Today we’re facing new crisis. For another class I've been investigating the historical and genetic research on the breed that Hopkins called “the most significant animal on the North American continent”. I would like to help bring to the public conscience the current crisis facing this breed of horses. BLM, the Bureau of Land Management, manages approximately 29,000 wild horses and donkeys across ten western states. Most of these wild mustangs are of mixed breeding and are not the group at risk. A few herds in remote and geographically isolated areas have been discovered to have a unique phenotype and genotype that descend from types and breeds now rare or extinct, mainly the Colonial Spanish type. The North American Colonial Spanish breed type is rare globally, and only a small reservoir exists in domestication. The few qualifying feral herds are therefore an important component of equine biodiversity. The four small herds under BLM management are the Pryor Mountain Herd in south-central Montana, the Kiger Herd in south-eastern Oregon, the Sulfur Herd in south-western Utah and the Cerbat Herd of north-western Arizona. While four existing herds may sound adequate, they are all at risk because their herd sizes are small and managing wild horses at low population levels leaves them vulnerable to a loss of genetic diversity. This is the same sort of problem which plagues endangered species around the world. Scientists are working with BLM as well as individuals to keep these herds viable. Change starts with one individual who has the desire to make a difference. Frank T. Hopkins spent his life preserving and promoting a breed he believed in, the mustang. Now it is my turn to help keep the rare genetic resource, the Colonial Spanish horse from disappearing. Following are two web sites and both have information about these rare wild horses that can be used in the classroom. The Pryor Horses and The Cerbat Horses. Not only am I inspired to use these two web sites in my classroom, but to also design my own curriculum so students can learn about all four herds and the importance of conservation through a study of the American mustang. We can’t bring back Hidalgo’s lineage, but we can be a voice in protecting others of his breed, a rare type of mustang, genetically known as the Colonial Spanish horse.