Wasechun tashunka (talk | contribs) →Modern horses: Corrected mis-cited line. |
Wasechun tashunka (talk | contribs) Expanded characteristics, added Havapai to list. |
||
Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
==Characteristics== |
==Characteristics== |
||
{{See also|Equine anatomy}} |
|||
Although all Spanish Colonial Horse breeds have certain characteristics in common, there is considerable variability among them, in part due to adaptation to large extremes of climate. However, three distinct types have been defined: |
|||
Colonial Spanish Horses are generally small; the usual height is around {{hands|14}}, and most vary from {{hands|13.2|to|14}}. Weight varies with height, but most are around {{convert|700|to|800|lb}}. Their heads vary somewhat between long, finely made to shorter and deeper, generally having straight to concave (rarely slightly convex) foreheads and a nose that is straight or slightly convex. The muzzle is usually very fine, and from the side the upper lip is usually longer than the lower, although the teeth meet evenly. Nostrils are usually small and crescent shaped. They typically have narrow but deep chests, with the front legs leaving the body fairly close together. When viewed from the front, the front legs join the chest in an "A" shape rather than straight across as in most other modern breeds that have wider chests. The withers are usually sharp instead of low and meaty. The croup is sloped, and the tail is characteristically set low on the body. From the rear view they are usually "rafter hipped" meaning the muscling of the hip tapers up so the backbone is the highest point. Hooves are small and upright rather than flat.<ref name=LC-CSH>{{cite web | title=Colonial Spanish Horse | url=http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/colonialspanish |website=The Livestock Conservancy |accessdate=August 16, 2015}}</ref> |
|||
* The lighter, taller, '''Southwestern''' type, of which the Spanish Mustang is a well-known example. |
|||
* A heavier, more stocky, '''Northern''' type, comparable to the [[Jennet]]. |
|||
* An intermediate type, comparable to the [[Andalusian]].<ref name="Lynghaug">{{cite book|last1=Lynghaug|first1=Fran|title=The official horse breeds standards book the complete guide to the standards of all North American equine breed associations|date=2009|publisher=Voyageur Press|location=Minneapolis|isbn=9781616731717|pages=56-69|url=https://books.google.ie/books?id=myQBSVVEhagC&pg=PA65&dq=colonial+spanish+horse&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiPz6ecq47UAhXMKcAKHbziAK0Q6AEIKTAB#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=26 May 2017}}</ref> |
|||
Colonial Spanish Horses are generally small; the usual height is around {{hands|14}}, and most vary from {{hands|13.1|to|15}}. Weight varies with height, but most are around {{convert|700|to|1000|lb}}. There is considerable variation between breeds: the Havapai pony is typically much shorter, while some horses can attain {{hands|16}} and {{convert|1100|lb}}.<ref name=LC-CSH>{{cite web | title=Colonial Spanish Horse | url=http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/colonialspanish |website=The Livestock Conservancy |accessdate=August 16, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Lynghaug" /> |
|||
The profile varies between straight, convex or slightly concave, depending on type. In general, the Northern type has a broader jaw and blunter muzzle, while the Southwestern type tends to have a narrower head with a more triangular cross-section. The muzzle is refined and small, the mouth is shallow, and the lips are tight. The nostril is crescent-shaped and will close tightly. The ears are medium-to-short, and often deeply hooked. The eye is medium-to-large and wide-set, with a prominent arch.<ref name="Lynghaug" /> |
|||
The neck is moderate in length, measuring roughly the same as from the withers to the croup. It is not heavily muscled, and the throatlatch is deep. The Northern type has more crest than the Southwestern, and all types have a proportionally shorter and more powerful neck compared to many other modern breeds. The [[Mane (horse)|mane]] and tail are generally full, although this may not be the case, especially on appaloosa or dun horses. A double mane is common.<ref name="Lynghaug" /> |
|||
The shoulder is long and sloping, with the forward point being prominent. The Spanish Colonial Horse is commonly heavier in the forequarters than the hindquarters. The chest is medium-to-narrow but well-muscled, with the Southwestern type narrower. There is a well-defined "inverted V" or "A" shape between the front legs.<ref name=LC-CSH /><ref name="Lynghaug" /> The barrel is slightly tapered, and the ribs well-sprung, with plenty of heart and lung room. The underline is longer than the topline, and the Northern and intermediate types have a fuller underline. The flank is short. The back is short, strong and well-defined, and the withers are not too pronounced. The back often has one less lumbar vertebra, in which case one pair of ribs may also be missing.<ref name="Lynghaug" /> The croup is sloping, and the tail is low-set.<ref name=LC-CSH /> |
|||
The legs are strong and of medium bone. The joints are large, and the cannon bone is short-to-medium and round. Paddling is not uncommon. The hind legs should be strong, with hocks well-defined. The pasterns are of medium length and sloping under a strong fetlock, with the hind pasterns sometimes shorter than the front. The hoof is small, hard and dense, and more "egg-shaped" than round, with a distinct point at the toe.<ref name="Lynghaug" /> |
|||
Almost all colors are present in the Spanish Colonial Horse, including broken, dilute and spotted colors.<ref name=LC-CSH /> |
|||
==History in the Americas== |
==History in the Americas== |
||
Line 42: | Line 58: | ||
*[[Carolina Marsh Tacky]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /><ref name=Conant/> |
*[[Carolina Marsh Tacky]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /><ref name=Conant/> |
||
*[[Chickasaw horse]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /> |
*[[Chickasaw horse]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /> |
||
⚫ | |||
*[[Chincoteague pony]] (Assateague horse) - dubious, but widely asserted |
*[[Chincoteague pony]] (Assateague horse) - dubious, but widely asserted |
||
⚫ | |||
*[[Florida Cracker Horse]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /><ref name=Conant/> |
*[[Florida Cracker Horse]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /><ref name=Conant/> |
||
*[[Gila Bend Mustang]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Gila Herd | url=http://www.ispmb.org/GilaHerd.html | website=International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros | accessdate=August 16, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Stillman281">{{cite book|last1=Stillman|first1=Deanne|title=Mustang the saga of the wild horse in the American West|date=2009|publisher=Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|location=Boston|isbn=9780547526133|pages=281|edition=1st Mariner Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ngl7kIbYNNUC&pg=PA281}}</ref>{{dubious|date=August 2015}}<!--irrelevant if captured or not, but moving out of Mustang section for now and adding appropriate tag--> |
*[[Gila Bend Mustang]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Gila Herd | url=http://www.ispmb.org/GilaHerd.html | website=International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros | accessdate=August 16, 2015}}</ref><ref name="Stillman281">{{cite book|last1=Stillman|first1=Deanne|title=Mustang the saga of the wild horse in the American West|date=2009|publisher=Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|location=Boston|isbn=9780547526133|pages=281|edition=1st Mariner Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ngl7kIbYNNUC&pg=PA281}}</ref>{{dubious|date=August 2015}}<!--irrelevant if captured or not, but moving out of Mustang section for now and adding appropriate tag--> |
||
*[[Havapai]]<ref name="Lynghaug" /> |
|||
⚫ | |||
*[[Wilbur-Cruce Mission horse]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /><ref name=LC-Priority /> |
*[[Wilbur-Cruce Mission horse]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /><ref name=LC-Priority /> |
||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
**[[Kiger Mustang]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /> |
**[[Kiger Mustang]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /> |
||
**[[Pryor Mountain Mustang]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /> |
**[[Pryor Mountain Mustang]]<ref name=Sponenberg2011 /> |
Revision as of 21:16, 26 May 2017
Traits | |
---|---|
Distinguishing features | Small size, Spanish type, DNA markers indicating origins in the Iberian Peninsula |
The Colonial Spanish horse is the term, popularized by Dr. D. Philip Sponenberg, for a group of horse breeds descended from the original Iberian horse stock brought from Spain to the Americas.[1] The ancestral type from which these horses descend was a product of the horse populations that blended between the Iberian horse and the North African Barb.[2] The term encompasses many strains or breeds now found primarily in North America. The status of the Colonial Spanish Horse is considered threatened overall and six strains are listed as critical. The horses are registered by several entities.
The Colonial Spanish Horse is not synonymous with the Spanish Mustang, the name given to a breed derived from the first concerted effort of conservationists in the United States to preserve horses of Colonial Spanish Type.[1] Colonial Spanish Horse type and DNA exist in some mustangs, but there has been considerable crossbreeding in many of the feral horse herds. For that reason, the true Spanish type is rare in feral herds. But where such animals have been found, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other agencies attempt to blood-type and preserve them.[1]
Small groups of horses of Colonial Spanish Horse type have been located in various groups of ranch-bred, mission, and Native American horses, mostly among those in private ownership.[1]
Characteristics
Although all Spanish Colonial Horse breeds have certain characteristics in common, there is considerable variability among them, in part due to adaptation to large extremes of climate. However, three distinct types have been defined:
- The lighter, taller, Southwestern type, of which the Spanish Mustang is a well-known example.
- A heavier, more stocky, Northern type, comparable to the Jennet.
- An intermediate type, comparable to the Andalusian.[3]
Colonial Spanish Horses are generally small; the usual height is around 14 hands (56 inches, 142 cm), and most vary from 13.1 to 15 hands (53 to 60 inches, 135 to 152 cm). Weight varies with height, but most are around 700 to 1,000 pounds (320 to 450 kg). There is considerable variation between breeds: the Havapai pony is typically much shorter, while some horses can attain 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) and 1,100 pounds (500 kg).[4][3]
The profile varies between straight, convex or slightly concave, depending on type. In general, the Northern type has a broader jaw and blunter muzzle, while the Southwestern type tends to have a narrower head with a more triangular cross-section. The muzzle is refined and small, the mouth is shallow, and the lips are tight. The nostril is crescent-shaped and will close tightly. The ears are medium-to-short, and often deeply hooked. The eye is medium-to-large and wide-set, with a prominent arch.[3]
The neck is moderate in length, measuring roughly the same as from the withers to the croup. It is not heavily muscled, and the throatlatch is deep. The Northern type has more crest than the Southwestern, and all types have a proportionally shorter and more powerful neck compared to many other modern breeds. The mane and tail are generally full, although this may not be the case, especially on appaloosa or dun horses. A double mane is common.[3]
The shoulder is long and sloping, with the forward point being prominent. The Spanish Colonial Horse is commonly heavier in the forequarters than the hindquarters. The chest is medium-to-narrow but well-muscled, with the Southwestern type narrower. There is a well-defined "inverted V" or "A" shape between the front legs.[4][3] The barrel is slightly tapered, and the ribs well-sprung, with plenty of heart and lung room. The underline is longer than the topline, and the Northern and intermediate types have a fuller underline. The flank is short. The back is short, strong and well-defined, and the withers are not too pronounced. The back often has one less lumbar vertebra, in which case one pair of ribs may also be missing.[3] The croup is sloping, and the tail is low-set.[4]
The legs are strong and of medium bone. The joints are large, and the cannon bone is short-to-medium and round. Paddling is not uncommon. The hind legs should be strong, with hocks well-defined. The pasterns are of medium length and sloping under a strong fetlock, with the hind pasterns sometimes shorter than the front. The hoof is small, hard and dense, and more "egg-shaped" than round, with a distinct point at the toe.[3]
Almost all colors are present in the Spanish Colonial Horse, including broken, dilute and spotted colors.[4]
History in the Americas
Horses first returned to the Americas with the conquistadors, beginning with Columbus, who imported horses from Spain to the West Indies on his second voyage in 1493.[5] Domesticated horses came to the mainland with the arrival of Cortés in 1519.[6] By 1525, Cortés had imported enough horses to create a nucleus of horse-breeding in Mexico.[7] Horses arrived in South America beginning in 1531, and, by 1538, Florida, and scattered throughout the Americas. By one estimate there were at least 10,000 free-roaming horses in Mexico by 1553.[2]
Modern horses
Blood typing and, more recently DNA analysis, have been used to confirm Spanish ancestry of both feral and domesticated groups of horses. One of the lead researchers in this area has been Dr. Gus Cothran of Texas A&M University.[1] Some breeders and horse associations have used blood typing results to prove or disprove horses are of Spanish ancestry, but Sponenberg urges caution, noting that some horses of Spanish type may not carry the expected Iberian blood types. Conversely, some horses that lack Spanish type, such as certain strains of the American Quarter Horse, may have blood markers but not the proper phenotype.[1] For that reason, blood typing and DNA analysis is used in conjunction with an analysis of Spanish phenotype and history to classify horses as being of Colonial Spanish type.[8] Spanish horse ancestry is also found in many gaited horse and stock horse breeds in the United States.[4]
The wide array of horses considered to be near-pure descendants of original Spanish stock carry a variety of names. Though many are described as horse breeds, it can be debated they are separate breeds or multiple strains of a single large breed. DNA analysis shows that Spanish horses had multiple origins prior to their arrival in America and came from a variety of different breeds found in the Iberian peninsula.[2] Various bloodlines or groups of Colonial Spanish Horses are registered a number of different Associations.[1] The conservation status of the strains is threatened overall and six individual strains are listed as critical.[9][a]
Horses listed as of Colonial Spanish Horses or considered of Spanish type include the following:
- The Spanish Mustang.[1]
- Banker horse (eastern USA, Corolla and Shackleford Islands)[1][10]
- Carolina Marsh Tacky[1][10]
- Chickasaw horse[1]
- Chincoteague pony (Assateague horse) - dubious, but widely asserted
- Choctaw horse[1][9]
- Florida Cracker Horse[1][10]
- Gila Bend Mustang[11][12][dubious ]
- Havapai[3]
- Santa-Cruz Island Horses[1][9]
- Wilbur-Cruce Mission horse[1][9]
- Mustangs considered to be Colonial Spanish strains:
- Abaco Barb[1]
A number of breeds in Latin America with Iberian DNA markers are of Spanish type and origin.[2][b] Many of these breeds come from different foundation bloodstock from horses in North America,[1] and some have haplotypes not found in North America.[2]
Notes
- ^ Those listed as critical are the Galiceno, Banker Horse, Choctaw, Florida Cracker, Marsh Tacky,Santa Cruz, and Wilbur-Cruce.[9]
- ^ This include the Argentine Criollo, Brazilian Criollo, Campolina, Chilean Criollo, Chilote, Mangalarga, Mangalarga Marchador, Pantaneiro, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, and Venezuelan Spanish.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Sponenberg, D. Philip. "North American Colonial Spanish Horse Update July 2011". Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Luis, Cristina; Bastos-Silveira, Cristiane; Cothran, E. Gus; Oom, Maria do Mar (17 February 2006). "Iberian Origins of New World Horse Breeds". Journal of Heredity. 97 (2): 107–113. doi:10.1093/jhered/esj020. PMID 16489143. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Lynghaug, Fran (2009). The official horse breeds standards book the complete guide to the standards of all North American equine breed associations. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press. pp. 56–69. ISBN 9781616731717. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Colonial Spanish Horse". The Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ Bennett, p. 14
- ^ Bennett, p. 193
- ^ Bennett, p. 205
- ^ Sponenberg, D. Philip. History, Blood Typing and "Just Looking": Evaluating Spanish Horses (Report).
- ^ a b c d e "Conservation Priority". The Livestock Conservancy. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ a b c Conant, E.K.; Juras, Rytis; Cothran, E.G. (February 2012). "A microsatellite analysis of five Colonial Spanish horse populations of the southeastern United States". Animal Genetics. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2011.02210.x.
- ^ "Gila Herd". International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
- ^ Stillman, Deanne (2009). Mustang the saga of the wild horse in the American West (1st Mariner Books ed.). Boston: Mariner Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 281. ISBN 9780547526133.
Sources
- Bennett, Deb (1998). Conquerors : the roots of New World horsemanship (1st ed.). Solvang, Calif.: Amigo Publications. ISBN 0-9658533-0-6.
- Budiansky, Stephen (1997). The nature of horses : exploring equine evolution, intelligence, and behavior. New York: Free Press. ISBN 9780684827681.