Thereafter, each ship headed for the New World, by order of the Crown, carried breeding animals of choice Spanish stock, cattle, sheep, horses, etc. Breeding farms were set up in the Caribbean and subsequently in Mexico. Breeding farms such as the one operated in Sonora, Mexico by Padre Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit priest, produced stock, including horses, which were placed with each group of Christianized Indians as Kino expanded his efforts further and further north. The Apaches, never falling under the spell of the Church, ravaged and pillaged these little "visitas", taking stock at will. They also plundered deep into Mexico - allegedly as far south as Mexico City. Their goal - well bred and trained Spanish horses from the Mexican estancias. Through trade of these valuable horses northward to other tribes the Apaches became one of the primary methods of spreading the Spanish horses over the west. Over the years horses escaped, were lost or stolen and many became feral, roaming all over the west. Eventually they numbered in the hundreds of thousands, closely related to the horses maintained by some of the Indian tribes, indeed, they were basically the same horses.

Considered the finest horses in the known world at the time of the conquest of the New World, the Spanish horse left a legacy in its tough, beautiful, hardy descendants that endures to this day. On the brink of extinction in the early part of the last century, their salvation can be attributed primarily to Robert E. Brislawn of Oshoto, Wyoming, who founded the Spanish Mustang Registry, Inc. in 1957.

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. 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. 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. Long strided, many are gaited, with a cmfortable 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. 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. 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.

Environmental conditions must certainly have played a role in the development of these horses over the many generations in a feral state. The feral spanish Mustangs developed according to their environment with Nature culling out those less suited to the locale. Though the Spanish Horse was not a feral animal when it arrived on our soil, once turned loose it managed not only to survive but to thrive in the New World, which attests to the versatility and strength of the breed. Genetic imperfections, if any, were culled by the most critical judge of all - Nature. The end result is an extremely hardy and sturdy horse exhibiting the aptitude to perform in almost any equine field and perform well. The staying power and endurance of these Spanish descendants is legendary. Frank Hopkins, the renowned endurance rider in the latter part of the 1800's, a rider of Spanish Mustangs, is quoted as saying "You can't beat mustang intelligence in the entire equine race. These animals have had to shift for themselves for generations. They had to work out their own destiny or be destroyed. Those that survived were animals of superior intelligence."

Thousands of Spanish Mustangs were used as cow horses and hundreds as U.A. Army cavalry mounts. When fighting Indians, who were riding Spanish Mustangs themselves, the option to "fight fire with fire" was brilliant, as the American bred horses of the cavalry were no match for these Spanish descended war ponies in the inhospitable and barren mountains and plains of the West.

The modern Spanish Mustang has lost none of the traits found in those horses of yesteryear. Today's Spanish Mustangs retain their stamina and ability to travel long distances without undue stress. Emmett Brislawn, son of the founder of the Spanish Mustang Registry, entered his 16 year old stallion, Yellow Fox (SMR 3) in the Bitterroot Ride in 1966. Coming out of retirement where he had spent the past years on the Cayuse Ranch with his herd of mares, this Cheyenne bred buckskin stallion won championships for Heavyweight, All Around Horse and Best Out of State Horse, carrying over 200 pounds. Unusual? Not really, when one considers he had been used in his younger days to run down wild horses. They say that when Yellow Fox ran for the finish line, the old horse threw up his head, still looking for the wild horses!

In 1989 Kim Kingsley, riding a grandson of Yellow Fox, was awarded the coveted Jim Jones Award in sanctioned AERC endurance riding for 1550 miles in one season in 50 and 100 mile rides. Chief Yellow Fox carried approximately 250 pounds the entire season. Chief Half Moon, another stallion owned by Kingsley, was second nationally with 1250 endurance miles. In more recent years, Don Funk of Iowa, on his Brislawn bred stallion, Geronimo's Warrior, won the Jim Jones Award as well in 2000 and 2001, as well as being national mileage champion in the AERC with over 2000 miles per season both years. Other horses have done well also. Martha Gresham of Auburn, Alabama, riding Cholla Bay, accumulated 1000 miles a year in AERC's sanctioned endurance rides for three consecutive years. Anne-Marie Pinter of California, on her gelding Montana, competed in and finished the Tevis twice, once when he was 11, once when he was 19.

Steve Huffman of Mississipi, riding his Brislawn bred gelding, Dutch Pete, did extremely well in endurance, specializing in 100 milers. In the 1990 Tallahala Marathon (100 miles) the team of Steve and Dutch Pete tied with two Arabians with a time of 13 hours and 45 minutes, seven hours faster than the next two competitors which were also Arabians. Although conditioning is necessary for the longer rides, practically any range raised Spanish Mustang can complete a sanctioned novice ride of 25 miles in less than five hours with no undue stress. Huffman and Dutch Pete qualified and rode in the national championship endurance race series in 1991, earning seventh place nationally. Holding first place in the nation going into the third and final race, having won the first of the three required races and taking the red ribbon in the second by completing the 100 miles in a bit over ten hours, all was going well in the final race when a runaway crashed into them injuring Dutch Pete's shoulder and forcing him from the race. However, regardless of the fact that only two of the three races were completed, they still placed in the top ten horse and rider teams in the nation - winning over teams that had completed all three races!

The Spanish Mustang is a using horse and is versatile and well equipped to compete in varied fields. At present there are horses competing in team penning, dressage, jumping, competitive trail, showing and gymkhana. A junior member from Arizona, in open competition, accumulated 102 ribbons in 2002 in gymkhana in open competition, also receiving high point winner for the season in one association and runner up high point winner in a second association. Mike Pittman of South Dakota is getting a lot of attention from his competitors as he competes in team penning, a more recent sport that is growing and he is also competing in open competition (against all breeds).

Though eager to acquaint the public with this fine breed, the primary aim of the Spanish Mustang Registry is to assure the retention of the qualities that allowed this unique horse to survive over the centuries under adverse conditions. It is with a great deal of pride that the breeders and owners of Spanish Mustangs can honestly state that the preservation of the Spanish Mustanag has been accomplished without compromising the historical value or uniqueness of the breed. The Spanish Mustangs are now as they always have been and the principal tenet of the Registry is that there will be no attempt to crossbreed or to otherwise change these historical and distinctive anmals.With the trend toward conforming breeds to satisfy various show standards, this unique breed is among the very few that has not lost many of its characteristics due to the whims of man.