The Ancient Connection
Humans and mustangs have developed a mysterious relationship which involves both the meaning of "wild" and the difference between romance and reality. Man's relationship with the horse began some 50,000 years ago, when Cro-Magnon man considered the horse a valuable source of food. Eventually, as early Cro-Magnon farmers were forced to become nomadic, it is likely that they used horses as pack animals to move their camps, food and belongings.
Around 5,000 years ago farmers kept horses for meat and milk, and may have begun the process of taming horses for riding; unearthed horse teeth from this period show distinct signs of wear from a bit, the metal mouthpiece on a bridle used to control the horse. Today we are still making connections with the wild horses that roam the free ranges of this country.
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Although North America was once home to boundless herds of wild horses, a combination of man, a changing environment and disease forced them to emigrate from this continent. They migrated throughout the world. It wasn't until the early 1500's that North American soil would once again cushion the pounding hooves of herds of wild horses.
Spanish conquistadors came to the Americas in the early 1500s, bringing with them both domesticated horses and cattle to help them conquer the vast new world. The journey over the seas was often a grueling one for man and beast alike. The horse would become a central factor in the settlement of the Western Hemisphere. The Spanish also brought cattle that became the foundation stock for the great cattle industry that was to develop extensively during the 19th century. Once the conquistadors destroyed the Aztecs and other Indian peoples, many Spanish horses escaped or were turned loose and became feral or wild. The Spanish horses, which we now describe as Andalusians, were from the finest strains and were regarded as the foremost breed in Europe. They formed the nucleus of the great herds of wild horses that spread upward from Mexico into the United States and the western plains country.
The North American Indians' astonishment at these "horse-men" contributed to their submission to the conquistadors. Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who accompanied Cortes in his 1519 incursion into Mexico, wrote "The natives had never seen horses up to this time and thought the horse and rider were all one animal. " But over time, the Mexican Indians became the original cowboys. Enslaved by Spanish conquerors who put them to work tending herds on their vast rancheros, the Indians became highly skilled horseman, developing a close bond with this magnificent creature and the beginning America's long romance with wild horses.
| The Ancient Connection | The Horse in Agriculture | Moving Man and Machinery |
| Native Americans and the Horse | Horses and the Journey to the New World |
| Palo Duro Canyon Tragedy | The Sporting Horse | Waging War from Horseback |
