NEWS:
April 11, 2013,
Amerind Foundation
presents the Colonial Spanish Horse.
November 17,
Buenos Aires
Wildlife Park's Grasslands Festival
will feature two Colonial Spanish Horses.
October 25 2012,
Tohono Chul Park in Tucson, AZ
will feature an
exhibit on the "Horses of the Southwest." Leo and Rickie
both Colonial Spanish horses will make appearances at Tohono Chul
Park on October 25 and 27
September 15, 2012,
the Spanish Barb Horse Association will present the Colonial
Spanish Horse at the 4th Annual Southern Arizona Horse Expo in
Oracle, AZ. Come and see the horses!
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Welcome, to the website for the State
of Arizona's Heritage Horse. On March
3, 2011, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
designating the Colonial Spanish Horse as Arizona's State
Heritage Horse. This declaration acknowledged the
Colonial Spanish Horse's place in the history of Arizona.
The Colonial Spanish Horse has been a part of the history of
Arizona since 1540 when Francisco Coronado crossed Ari zona on these wonderful horses from Spain.
From 1687 to 1704 Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, ”The Padre on
Horseback”, built 22 missions from Northern Mexico to
Arizona. Father Kino credited much of his success to the
stamina of the Colonial Spanish Horse.
The Spanish Colonial Horse was the common
mount for the Native American and as such was targeted in
the late 1800s during the Anglo expansion in North America.
The practice of shooting the stallions, replacing them with
‘blooded’ or ‘draft’ stallions in an attempt to ‘improve’ the
feral herds caused its near extinction. Their salvation is
largely due to the efforts of the The Spanish Barb Horse
Association, Spanish Mustang Registry, the
Bureau of Land Management, and other concerned individuals.
Please refer to “North American Colonial Spanish Horse Update”
by Dr. D. Phillip Sponenberg for details.
Called The World's Noblest Horse, the Colonial Spanish Horse is
an extraordinary breed, with North African Berber origins. This
agile desert breed was crossed with the Iberian horses of
Spain and Spanish Jennet horses, resulting in a regal yet versatile
breed. Famous by the Middle Ages and much sought after by the
Royal Stud farms of Europe, a Royal Edict charged the Spanish
Conquistadores with introducing the Colonial Spanish Horse to
the New World through the Caribbean. The Colonial Spanish Barb
became the horse of choice among early Spanish
settlers, later the Mexican vaqueros and ultimately the cowboy.
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