America's First Horse Hidalgo and the Spanish Mustang скачать в хорошем качестве

America's First Horse Hidalgo and the Spanish Mustang

America's First Horse - Hidalgo and the Spanish Mustang The Spanish Mustang is a horse breed descended from horses introduced from Spain during the early conquest of the Americas. They are a type that today is extremely rare in Spain.[1] They are classified within the larger grouping of the Colonial Spanish horse. Spanish Mustangs today are primarily domesticated horses but are sometimes confused with the feral American Mustang. The latter animals are descended from both Spanish horses and other feral horses escaped from various sources; they run wild in protected Herd Management Areas (HMAs) of the western United States, currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and to a lesser degree, in Canada. DNA studies indicate that Spanish breeding and type does still exist in some feral Mustang herds, including those on the Cerbat HMA (near Kingman, Arizona), Pryor Mountain HMA (Montana), Sulphur HMA (Utah), Kiger HMA and the Riddle Mountain HMA (Oregon). The true Spanish Mustang as a modern breed differs from the "wild" American Mustang in appearance and ancestry. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many ranchers introduced Thoroughbreds, draft horses, Arabians, Morgans and other breeds into most feral herds, seeking to improve the type. However, the breed was saved from extinction by the efforts of preservation breeders and the creation of a registry to protect and preserve the original type. "The Spanish Mustang is a medium sized horse ranging from 13.1 to 15 hands (53 to 60 inches, 135 to 152 cm) with an average size of approximately 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) with proportional weight. 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 average 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. 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. Cannons are short, upper foreleg is long with the canon bone having a larger circumference than other breeds of comparable size and weight. 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. These magnificent horses were brought to America on Columbus's second voyage to the new world. ref: Sponenberg, D. Phillip "Spanish Mustangs and Barbs" Conquistador Magazine [1] Accessed June 5, 2006 http://www.frontiernet.net/~RanchoTam... Breed Characteristics, Spanish Mustang Registry, retrieved February 9, 2011 Spanish Mustang, International Museum of the Horse, retrieved February 9, 2011 History of the Spanish Mustang, Spanish Mustang Registry, retrieved February 9, 2011 http://www.frontiernet.net/~RanchoTam... http://www.spanishmustang.org/page/ch... http://imh.org/horse-breeds-of-the-wo... http://www.spanishmustang.org/page/hi...