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Re: Equids
Tara (tara@wam.umd.edu)
24 Dec 1994 06:12:14 GMT
whittet <whittet@shore.net> wrote:
>"WIlliam C. Wilson" <Wildbill@ilhawaii.net> says:
>The original 16 Spanish horses were Andalusian chargers, war horses
>designed to carry Conquistadores in full armor. The only other type
>of Spanish horse then used was the Arabian, which was used as a riding horse
>for ladies, and some gentle men perhaps. The horses which the plains
>indians used were much lighter.
>>Most of our modern large horses are
>>the results of (relatively) modern breeding practices and needs.
>
>Yes, particularly as regards the medieval knight for a sturdy mount.
>
>>(ie.. you don't need a big strong fairly fast horse to pull a plow,
>>chariot, wagon, etc; but you do to carry a 180 lb man, 80 lbs of
>>armour and 20-30 lbs of weapons at a galloping charge. Once you have a
>>horse like that, It is great for pulling large heavy wagons if you
>>don't have an armoured knight to carry around of course. You could
>>pull the same wagon with several smaller horses of course, too.)
>
>This would argue against the introduction of the Spanish Andalusian horse to
>the Americas as the progenitor of the lighter mustangs.
I'm sorry that I missed the start of this thread, but are you aware that
the Andalucian isn't all that big of a horse? It's average size is about
15.2hh...MUCH less than the warmbloods seen today. I'm a 5'11" gal and
the Andalucians are a little in the small size for me. Granted they can
carry my weight and are stocky horses, but they are no larger (other than
sheer mass) than some Arabians I've seen. ;)
The Hispano, another Spanish horse (referred to as a "Spanish
Anglo-Arab") is a larger horse...usually in the range of 16+hh. (BTW
1hh=4 inches and this measurement ends in the area where the neck and
back meet, the withers).
Also, considering some of the "lighter breeds" developed in Europe as
descendants of the Andalucian, such as the Frederiksborg and the
Knabstrup, there is no reason to think why such similar breeds developed
in the Americas. The similarites between mustangs, Appaloosas and
Knabstrup ought to be taken into account. And don't forget the ancestry
of the "engineered" Quarter horse.
Also, no mention has been made thus far of the Galiceno who are descended
from the Garrano and Sorraia ponies of Portugal and Spain. Or what about
the horse known as the "native mexican?" It is descended from breeds
such as the Andalucian, Arab and Criollo. Both the Galiceno and the
"Native Mexican" fit very nicely into the catagory of a "light horse" and
fit the "wiry" description of a Mustang to boot.
Other light horses descended from the Andalucian stock are the graceful
Paso Fino, the long-legged Mangalarga, the Criollo (Crioulo, Costeno,
Morochuco, Caballo Chilero, and the Lhanero), the Alter Real and the
Lusitano. I'm sure there are more, but I can't remember them at the moment.
Now, I'm not exactly doubting what people have been saying (remember, I
missed quite a bit of this very interesting thread), but I'm curious to
know what research has been done in substantiating that there were horses
already running free in the Americas just prior to the introduction of
the Spanish stock. Also...how does it refute the simularities between
the mustang and other horses developed on the Americas? Also, where is
it being established where the mustangs would get their "colour" as it
were (I must have missed that part as well...)? The special colour
traits (tovero, overo, tobiano, leopard, snowflake, spotted blanket,
palomino) have so far only come from the spanish stock (Andalucian to be
specific) as a modern day trait. There has been some theory that the
Andalucian is either distantly related to an Asiatic horse who appeared
only in early art, or is an entirely different creature. But then the
Andalucian is also descendended from the Barb.
Next?
--
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Tara R. Scholtz University of Maryland at College Park >@)
tara@wam.umd.edu or ts94@umail.umd.edu McKeldin Library (V(_
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