History of the Breed
In the 1500s the Spanish posessed possibly the finest horses in the World.
It was during that time in history, when Columbus discovered America. After his initial voyage, ships began to set sail for America carrying livestock.
In amongst sheep, cattle and donkeys, were some of the finest horses of Spain.
The Spanish set up breeding facilities for these horses on the Caribbean islands, from where they would eventually take the voyage to the American continent.
First Mexico, then California,- eventually Spanish horses populated the whole of the South West. Indians were gifted them, stole and traded them. Many got loose and formed herds in the wilderness.
Eventually, in the 1800s, long after the Spanish had gone, the Spanish Mustangs roamed the prairies, mountains and plains in their 100s of 1000s.
When the European Settlers started to arrive in the late 1800s they brought with them domestic stock, including horses. They were to become the beginning of the end for the pure Spanish Mustang.
By 1957, when the SMR (Spanish Mustang Registry Inc.) was founded, only small herds of typical Spanish type Mustangs remained scattered throughout the West and in the breeding programs of some Native American tribes.
The founder Bob Brislawn, along with his friend Gilbert Jones and other supporters of the cause began rounding up breeding stock of typical Spanish type, and started the foundation herds of the Registry.
Gilbert Jones later split from the SMR, and founded the SSMA (Southwestern Spanish Mustang Association). It is said the split occurred because the SMR would not recognize the Tobiano pattern as being Spanish. Nowadays we know that not to be true.
The ESMS recognizes the same breed characteristics in horses from both registries and maintain that they are indeed the same breed.
Spanish Mustangs began their return to Europe in the 21st century where they are now enlightening the lives of a few lucky owners and breeders.