Square Build of Spanish Horse Conformation

To view more representatives of Spanish Mustangs click Ka-Maw-I's Picture.

To view more representatives of other Spanish breeds click Romoboso's picture.

Ka-Maw-I SMR #115

Romboso - Cartujana Stallion

Head Profiles

The differences between a Spanish convexed profile and draft influence.

Spanish Horse Morphology by, Juan Carlos Altimirano is a must read in regards to what is considered a Spanish profile to accertain the reason behind the popularity of the convexed profile. Futher study of pre 1700's Iberian types concludes that the Iberian horse may have borrowed his covexed profile popular in the Baroque period from horse types being bred as far away as Rome and Austria.

Current Breed Standard

The breed characteristics as it is posted on the Official SMR Website and in SMR publications.

Size: The Spanish Mustang is a medium sized horse ranging from 13 2 to 15 hands with an average size of approximately 14 2 hands with proportional weight.

Body: They are smooth muscled with short backs, rounded rumps and low set tails. Coupling is smooth and the overall appearance is of a well balanced, smoothly built horse. The girth is deep, with well laid back shoulder and fairly pronounced withers. They possess the classic Spanish type head with a straight or concave forehead and a convex nose which is in contrast to the straight forehead and nose of most breeds. Ears are medium to short and usually notched or curved towards each other. Necks are fairly well crested in mares and geldings and heavily crested in mature stallions. Chests are narrow but deep with the front legs joining the chest in an "A" shape rather than straight across.

Feet and Legs: Chestnuts are small or missing altogether, particularly on the rear legs. Ergots are small or absent. Feet are extremely sound with thick walls, many having what is typically known as a "mule foot" which resists bruising due to the concave sole. Canons are short, upper foreleg is long with the canon bone having a larger circumference than other breeds of comparable size and weight.

Gait: Long strided, many are gaited, with a comfortable gait such as the amble, running walk or single foot. Some individuals are laterally gaited and do a very credible "paso" gait though without extreme knee action. They are remarkably hardy animals and tend to be less prone to injury, particularly of the legs and feet, than other breeds.

Color: Colors are extremely varied, the inheritance of the early Spanish horses who came in many colors and patterns, including dun, grulla, buckskin, overo and sabino paints and appaloosa, as well as the more common colors of bay, chestnut, black and white.

Temperament: They have a very different mentality than "domesticated" horses. They are NOT push button horses and will not abide abuse, however they bond well with their owners and once bonded, become very attached to that person. Highly intelligent with an innate sense of self-preservation, they are not prone to put themslves into any situation which may be destructive or dangerous. They retain a great many of the instincts that allowed them to survive in the feral state.

They are thinking horses and have their own opinions of things. The owners that learn to outsmart them do very well with this breed.

Proposed Breed Standard

This is a proposed rewrite of the current SMR breed standard. This proposal came to be to address the need for clarity in our breed standard and to bring the standard closer to the breed founders desire to preserve horses who exemplified Spanish Conquest inheritance. It also is an attempt to promote production of quality horses.

The Spanish Mustang horse is smooth muscled with a short back, rounded rump and low set tail. Coupling is smooth and the overall appearance is of a well-balanced, well built horse. The girth is deep, with laid-back shoulder and fairly pronounced withers. Consistency in type is important and the Spanish Mustang should be immediately discernible upon sight by anyone familiar with the breed. The build of the Spanish Mustang horse ranges from a heavier type to lighter type though none should go to extremes. Heavily defined muscling, is atypical and should be faulted. The Spanish Mustang should give the appearance of natural collection, whether the horse is in hand or under saddle.

Height/Weight: Approximately 13.2 to 15 hands with proportionate weight, usually ranging from 650 lbs. to 1100 lbs. In mature animals.

Head: The preferred head will have a flat or convex profile. Some Spanish Mustang horses may have a Barb type facial profile with a slight dip just below the eyes, creating an S shape, but should not show a dished face. A dished profile should be considered a severe fault. Viewed from the front, the head will give the impression of an inverted triangle with a broad forehead. A diamond shaped head, with excessive narrowing above the eyes is not typical and should be faulted. The head should show intelligence and nobility. The throatlatch is well defined and has plenty or room for air passageways. The heavier built horse can have a less defined throatlatch than the lighter built animal, but in all cases it should be deep with the hollow on the underside of the jaws quite distinct. The forehead tapers down to a fairly fine muzzle. Muzzles may vary somewhat in size, but in no case should the muzzle be large or coarse. The mouth is shallow and there should be no sign of a parrot mouth or under bite. Lips should be fine. Floppy or thick, coarse lips should be faulted. The nostrils are set low on the nose. Nostrils are fine, crescent shaped and closed when at rest but capable of great expansion when alert or excited. Eyes are fairly wide set and set somewhat high on the face. Small pig eyes are to be faulted as well as overly large eyes. Somewhat slanted eyes or almond shaped eyes are normal. Eyes may be of any color (dark, gray, blue, green, or amber). White rim (sclera) is acceptable in all colors. The eyes should be very alert with the horse showing interest in the activity about it.

Ears: The ears are short to medium length and nicely set upon the head, neither set too close or too far apart. Long narrow or floppy ears are not typical and should be faulted. The preferred ears are wider at the base and notched or curved inward at the tips. The wooly hair inside the ear is often of a lighter color than the base coat and is normal for this breed. In most horses the ears are tipped and rimmed with a darker color than the base coat. The most desirable ears are those that are alert with good mobility.

Neck: The neck is well defined, fitting into the shoulder smoothly. Mature stallions should have a well crested neck with a smooth arched appearance from the back of the ears to the withers. A stallion should show the definite appearance of masculinity. Mares and geldings will have some crest to the neck, particularly in well-fleshed animals, but the mare should show feminine qualities in this area. The neck length should be approximately the same as the distance from withers to coupling, giving a balanced appearance. An ewe neck (with any dip between the poll and the withers) is to be faulted. An overly heavy neck crest that tips to one side should be faulted. Mane and forelock should be worn at the full and natural length and weight and may be very long and full in most individuals, though some horse may show a shorter and thinner mane/forelock, particularly in the appaloosa colors. A double mane that falls on both sides of the neck should not be faulted. Only if necessary for a given competition or exhibition is the natural state of the mane and tail altered, though when showing animals with heavy manes, a small, neat bridle path may be clipped. If braiding is required for showing, it will be a running or French braid or lattice braided.

Shoulder: The shoulder should be well laid back, smoothly fitting into the withers with a 40 to 55 degree angle preferred. The forward point of the shoulder should show prominence. Overly upright shoulders are to be faulted.

Chest: The chest is moderately narrow with good definition down the center. The chest should have a well-defined inverted V between the forelegs. From the frontal view the barrel should be plainly visible on both side of the horse and the points of the shoulder should be defined from the frontal view as well as from the side. From the side view the chest will neither appear flat or excessively pigeon-chested. Chests can vary with the heavier built animal having a wider chest. In no case should the chest of the Spanish Mustang resemble that of the broad, stock type horse.

Back and Midsection: Well-defined withers blend smoothly into the back. The back is short, strong and well proportioned. Males can have shorter backs than females. The Spanish Mustang is an uphill horse. He is square and his feet are up under the body. The loin is short, strong and smoothly coupled. The desired length of the back is equal to the distance from the poll to the withers and the withers to the tail. The heart girth is deep with well sprung ribs allowing plenty of heart and lung space. The flank space behind the ribs is short yet give balance to the middle of the horse. Long bodied or wasp-waisted horses are to be be faulted.

Hindquarters: From the side position the hindquarters appear smooth, show strength and roundness, without excessive muscle definition. A line from the point of the hip to the point of the ischium will show significant slope, setting the hind legs under the horse. Level hips are to be faulted. The point of the croup should not protrude upwards in a hunters bump. Gaskins are deep with a sloping, rounded croup. The hip joint is well set in and low. From the rear, the hipbones should be smoothly integrated into the hindquarters with no appearance of raggedness, nor excessive protrusion, giving an overall appearance of smoothness. Hips should not be excessively wide nor appear narrow or weedy.

Tail: The tail is set medium low to low and set well into the rump. The tail is usually carried in a natural and relaxed manner, never elevated over the back. Tails will vary in length and thickness. Scanty tails as in appaloosa colors should not be faulted.

Legs: The forelegs should be straight with a large broad knee and the middle line of the foreleg going straight down the middle line of the hoof. Horses with calf knees or that are over at the knee are to be faulted. The cannon bone is short and round with well-defined tendons. The upper foreleg will be considerably longer than the cannon with adequate muscling. The heavier type Spanish Mustang may have heavier upper arm muscling than the lighter type, but not bulging or bunchy. Horses that are base narrow should be faulted. Paddling or winging out are natural to some Spanish Mustangs and will not be faulted unless it causes interference in the stride or is caused by a lack of straightness in the leg. The rear legs may be set somewhat under the body. An imaginary line projected up along the back of the hind cannon should meet the rear point of the Ischium. The hind legs when viewed from the rear should be straight and strong in appearance. Base narrow or wide horses should be faulted. There should be adequate muscling on the inner sides of the rear legs to avoid the appearance of weakness. The gaskin should have adequate muscling, that ties well and smoothly into the rump. The hocks should be clean and lead to medium, short and straight cannons with well-defined tendons and suspensory ligaments. Sickle hocks should be faulted as well as a horse that camps out. Faults in the rear legs, which cause interference or undue stress on the hind legs, should be penalized. The pasterns are of moderate length and slope. The angle of the pastern should match that of the shoulder. The rear pasterns may be straighter than the front, but should have length and angle to give maneuverability. Fetlocks should give the appearance of strength and elasticity. Fetlock hair may vary somewhat, but should never appear drafty. A sparse comb of hair on the back of the legs is typical in some horses and may be evident only in the winter and should not give the appearance of feather. Chestnuts, if present, should be small and teardrop shaped on the forelegs and should never appear ragged or coarse. Protruding chestnuts are atypical. Ergots should be small or nonexistent on both front and back fetlocks. Large protruding ergots should be faulted. Chestnuts on the rear legs should be teardrop shaped, small and smooth. Some horses will have extremely small or non-existent chestnuts. Small or non-existent chestnuts are desirable.

Hooves: Hoof are round and of a hard dense texture with thick walls, without noticeable cracks or blemishes. A shelly, excessively flat or flared foot should be faulted The circumference will be smaller at the coronet band than the ground surface creating a functional, conical shape with a concave sole, prominent frog and full heels. The size of the foot should relate to the size of the horse. Excessively large or small feet are to be faulted. The feet can be black, white, amber or striped.

Gaits: Walk  An even 4-beat gait, quiet, calm, yet alert.  This gait must be ground covering. Two Beat Gaits  Trot - An even 2-beat diagonal gait to be presented in a quiet ground-covering manner.  Pace - An even 2-beat lateral gait performed in a smooth rhythmic manner to be presented in a quiet ground-covering manner. Quality of the individual pace performed by each horse and its overall presentation should be one of pleasing cadence symmetry, roundness, smooth and a joy to ride. 4 Beat Gaits (Lateral or Diagonal)  Any broken gait is acceptable, when performed in a smooth, rhythmic manner. However, quality of the individual gait performed by each horse and its overall presentation should be one of pleasing cadence, symmetry, roundness, smoothness and a joy to ride. Every gaited Spanish Mustang is an individual and its gait will be unique to that individual. Some gaited Spanish Mustangs may have a slow gait, as well as a fast gait, that may have different footfalls sequence. Canter/Lope  A round smooth 3 beat cadence on a loose rein with natural headset and natural collection. Should appear relaxed and effortless. Gallop  Should be ground covering but not labored or hurried, with a natural headset.