17/06/10 11:45
This is a question that I am asked all the time. I also am never sure that I explain it well enough before peoples eyes glaze over and lose interest. Seriously though the major difference stem from time and history.
The Spanish Mustang breed is a breed of horse that holds it roots in Spanish conquest of the new world as does many different horse breeds. The Spanish Mustang horse began it’s journey into breed preservation over 75 years ago and it continues today. The BLM horse that is roaming public lands today are in many cases descendant from the Spanish Mustang but have had there genetics diluted my the influence of modern horse breeds that were introduced either through immigrant trains or simply being turned loose.
Simply put the Spanish Mustang horse in an old world horse preserved in a modern time, essentially a historical horse breed, whereas the BLM is feral horse of modern horse breed descent.
17/06/10 11:44
You can’t ADOPT a Spanish Mustang. There are not Spanish Mustangs in the wild today. There are no straight Spanish Mustangs with neck tatoos and BLM brands . If such an animal is offered to you, question where the horse came from and then ask a reputable breeder or contact Windcross for further information.
21/02/10 09:42
Today there is a great deal of interest in genetic studies and in truth Windcross is participating in a number of them. The reality is until genetic studies are more profound, in many cases they suggest more of what we don’t know.
mtDNA studies are often used to “prove” Spanish descent. The reality what is does show that in the matrilineal line there has been a Sorraia, Andalusian, Lusitano, Barb etc. It does give a place to start. The next step is seeing in which cluster the horse is in and that along is enough to make the novice reader’s head reel in confusion.
There is no conclusive test to my knowledge that tell with 100% certainty the a horse is Spanish. That is why the phenotype of a horse is also so important.
Laughingly put if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck it’s probably a duck.
If the horse looks Spanish, moves Spanish and had the genetics odds are it’s Spanish.
17/02/10 11:41
The stated mission of Windcross Conservancy is to preserve, promote and protect the endangered Spanish Mustang Horse. We further this effort by educational out-reach events, public events and informational seminars at preservation facility in Buffalo Gap, South Dakota.
The core preservation herd is housed at the new ranch facility. 2010 will see many changes for Windross, including but not limited to internship programs, horsemanship weeks, university research participation and ongoing efforts to find and preserve the best examples of Spanish breed type within these vanishing horses.