Colonial Spanish horse
The Banker horse is an example of a Colonial Spanish Horse
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| Distinguishing features | Small size, Spanish type, DNA markers indicating origins in the Iberian Peninsula |
The Colonial Spanish horse is the term, popularized by Dr. D. Philip Sponenberg, for a group of horse breeds descended from the original Iberian horse stock brought from Spain to the Americas. The ancestral type from which these horses descend was a product of the horse populations that blended between the Iberian horse and the North African Barb. The term encompasses many strains or breeds now found primarily in North America. The status of the Colonial Spanish Horse is considered threatened overall and six strains are listed as critical. The horses are registered by several entities.
The Colonial Spanish Horse is not synonymous with the Spanish Mustang, the name given to a breed derived from the first concerted effort of conservationists in the United States to preserve horses of Colonial Spanish Type. Colonial Spanish Horse type and DNA exist in some mustangs, but there has been considerable crossbreeding in many of the feral horse herds. For that reason, the true Spanish type is rare in feral herds. But where such animals have been found, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other agencies attempt to blood-type and preserve them.
Small groups of horses of Colonial Spanish Horse type have been located in various groups of ranch-bred, mission, and Native American horses, mostly among those in private ownership.
Colonial Spanish Horses are generally small; the usual height is around 14 hands (56 inches, 142 cm), and most vary from 13.2 to 14 hands (54 to 56 inches, 137 to 142 cm). Weight varies with height, but most are around 700 to 800 pounds (320 to 360 kg). Their heads vary somewhat between long, finely made to shorter and deeper, generally having straight to concave (rarely slightly convex) foreheads and a nose that is straight or slightly convex. The muzzle is usually very fine, and from the side the upper lip is usually longer than the lower, although the teeth meet evenly. Nostrils are usually small and crescent shaped. They typically have narrow but deep chests, with the front legs leaving the body fairly close together. When viewed from the front, the front legs join the chest in an "A" shape rather than straight across as in most other modern breeds that have wider chests. The withers are usually sharp instead of low and meaty. The croup is sloped, and the tail is characteristically set low on the body. From the rear view they are usually "rafter hipped" meaning the muscling of the hip tapers up so the backbone is the highest point. Hooves are small and upright rather than flat.
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