Colonial Spanish
Horses are of great historic importance, and are one of only a
very few genetically unique horse breeds worldwide. They have both
local and global importance for genetic conservation. They are
sensible, capable mounts that have for too long been relegated a
very peripheral role in North American horse breeding and horse
using. The combination of great beauty, athletic ability, and
historic importance makes this breed a very significant part of
our heritage.
The important part
of the background of the Colonial Spanish Horses
 s that they are
indeed Spanish. These are descendants of the horses that were
brought to the
New World by the Conquistadors, and include some feral, some
rancher, some mission, and some native American strains. Colonial
Spanish type is very rare among modern feral mustangs, and the
modern Bureau of Land Management (BLM) mustangs should not be
confused with Colonial Spanish horses, as the two are very
distinct with only a few exceptions to this rule.
The
Colonial Spanish horse descend from horses introduced from
southern Spain, and possibly North Africa, during the period of
the conquest of the New World.
Thanks
to the patience and horse savvy of the Spanish, a horse was
chosen that was small enough to bring across the Atlantic in a
sailboat, yet powerful enough to endure the rigors and
hardships of working in an unknown world.
The Colonial Spanish Horse is able to survive the harshest
of weather and endure the most sustained work, as work horses,
stock horses, travel horses, or war horses…and the list goes
on.
According
to the US Remount service Journal of 1936 Frank Hopkins
competed in and won over 400 long distance races, including a
legendary 3,000-mile endurance ride across the Arabian Desert
in 1890 on his Spanish Horse “Hidalgo”.
In
the past 50 to 60 years there have been many dedicated people
doing their part to preserve these horses with as pure blood as
when the conquistadors brought them over. There are few
left with this pure blood, and the preservation efforts are
critical.
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News
from Our Ranch!
We are very proud of Stephanie and Morado
for winning 1st Place and Highest total
Points in Dressage.
Stephanie has really helped us promote
the Baca line. She works for
 John Fusco who
was the screenwriter for the movie,
"Hidalgo". Some of our Baca horses have a
home in Vermont with her. They live there
right beside "Oscar", one of the horses that
played "Hidalgo" in
the movie.
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| In
the words of: D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD, Director of
Student Affairs Professor, Pathology and Genetics, Virginia
Tech College of Veterinary Medicine. |
| “Colonial
Spanish Horses are of great historic importance in the New
World. They are a direct remnant of the horses of the Golden Age
of Spain and that type is mostly or wholly extinct now in Spain.
Our Colonial Spanish horses are therefore a treasure chest of
genetic wealth from a time long gone”.
“New
Mexico has proven to be an interesting repository of several
interesting strains. This in part reflects the importance of New
Mexico in the early days of the introduction of horses into
North America”.
“The
family of Doroteo (Joty) and Virginia Baca have been
instrumental in saving a unique strain of horses. Joty remembers
these horses from his youth, and was able to assemble a personal
herd in the 1950s”.
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| For
centuries these Colonial Spanish horses were the only horses in the Americas. They were
and continue to be the foundation stock of most breeds. |
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NORTH
AMERICAN COLONIAL SPANISH HORSE UPDATE, December, 2002
-D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD
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