Possibly the best appreciation, as well as the best preservation (next to wild isolation), of the Spanish Mustang qualities was by the Indians of all parts of North America.
These Indian Nations came into possession of horses by stealing them from the Spanish, by being given them by the Spanish, and by catching horses from the wild herds.
By the 1800's millions of wild Spanish Mustangs were roaming the West. Wild horses, though, in those first early times, were neither terrifying nor terrified by human beings. In fact they were quite charming to be around, as is related by so many of the westward emigrant wagon train diaries, even to the point of these wild Spanish Mustangs caring for lost children on the prairie until found by their parents.
Although wild horses were often captured by Indians by roping or trapping, many of the Indians in the American West learned to gather wild horses in the same manner as had the inhabitants of Ireland, Iberia, Morocco, and Mongolia centuries before. A quiet, peaceful natured person could go out among the wild horses without frightening them. Very soon one of the wild horses would let themselves be touched. Before long, horse and human were such friends that the horse would come home with the person without coaxing. A few days later they would be riding happily together, friends for their lifetime.
The Indian Ponies, with their qualities of agility, endurance, intelligence,
dependability,
willingness to face danger, and their faithfulness, needed no training in
hunting buffalo, or in tribal
warfare, and were often ridden without rein and without saddle of any kind.
Needing no guidance from
their rider in many instances, and being able to analyze and respond to the
changing situation faster
than the rider, they supplied the tactical maneuvers and navigation. In that
way the mind and both
hands of the rider could focus on throwing the lance or shooting the arrow.
As with everyone the world over, horses were also valued for their beauty, their gracefulness in traveling, and as pleasant playmates and companions.
In the war of defense against the White invaders, the Indian Ponies could so utterly out travel the Cavalry horses that it became necessary for the United States Government to attempt to destroy the Indian's horses in order to subdue these free peoples. [The United States Cavalry was probably the only Cavalry in the whole wide world that wanted fancy horses rather than good horses. Even the Confederate States (Stuart) with their (Spanish) Southern Ponies rode circles around the Northern mounted forces.]
For this reason many of the Indian Nations were exceedingly careful in
keeping their horses
pure and unmixed by outside blood, often hiding them from the Government in
remote or secluded
areas.
Time Segment One -
Ancient Emergence
Time Segment Two - Iberia up through the Moorish Invasion
Time Segment Three - During the Middle Ages
Time Segment Four - Coming to the New World
Time Segment Five - Indian Ponies
Time Segment Six - Anglo Settlement and Westward Expansion
Spanish Mustang Research Facility - Welcome