| Arrow Rock Spanish Mustangs & American Sorraia Mustangs |
| Preserving the horse from yesterday... For the people of tomorrow |
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| Jolie Alongi HC 65 BOX 1480 Hominy, OK 74035 918-885-6154 |
| American Sorraia Mustangs |
| The Sorraia Mustangs are Spanish Mustangs that are even more rare and contain a very special genetic history. They are the proven genetic descendant of the endangered, Sorraia Horse of Portugal. This very special horse gained it's fame as the unwanted horse of Columbus and Cortez and gained it's fame as the hardy, eminently suitable horse of the new world. |
Sorraia Mustang Criteria
by Lucia Roda
by Lucia Roda
| There is no discussion required that the Conquistadors brought many types of Iberian blood stock with them to the New World. Conquer, convert and expand is the nature of any empire or kingdom.It was soon found that the Sorraia Horse was able to suffer any number, or extreme climate changes and survive. From the deserts and mountains of Peru to the North American high deserts and prairies. The Sorraia Horse and then the Sorraia Mustang survived to populate only the most remote areas of North America. It is this fact, that has kept them characteristically like their Portuguese ancestor. |
| The Sorraia Mustang is a slim, leggy horse with a long elegant head, expressive deep set eyes that do not have the bulge of pony eyes. They have medium to long ears, excellent bone, feet and gaits. Most striking is their primitive markings. They are dun or grulla, with no red dun, accepted. These horses keep their feet up under them, at all times and are always alert to what is around them. |
| They carry any number of primitive markings. A dorsal stripe is always present.They may have shoulder crosses, leg barring or stripes, facial cob webbing, chest or rib hair stripes. Highly prized is the bi-colored mane which looks as if the mane & tail has been frosted with a lighter color. |
| They were the horses of the pony express, the vaqueros of Mexico and the Native Americans... Brave, loyal and fierce. They are a superbly loyal, family horse that will go the distance with the partner of choice. I have found them to be highly bondable, willing, and intelligent. The easiest horse that I have ever trained for carriage driving. They like to learn and like having a job. They are a tough, hardy horse and are able to excel athletically in any discipline. |
| They carry the Sorraia mtDNA of the 2 surviving mares lines of the Sorraia horse of Portugal. The American Sorraia Mustang Project makes no claims for these horses to be anything other than what they are. They do not need to be called American or Iberian Warm bloods or be approved for this or that. Nor do we have any quarrels or disagreements with those horses that are registered as crossbreeds of the above. Nor will we breed any project horses to outside blood, with the exception being perhaps, a pure Sorraia horse. Sorraia type Spanish Mustangs that are within this project are the proven genetic descendants. We are trying to preserve both the genotype and phenotype of the Sorraia Horse of Portugal within our breeder’s herds..The lineage of these horses is very important and a pedigree is required through six generations. |
| Herds of Spanish Mustangs that have had outside blood added to them are not accepted. Some Sulphur horses are accepted, with particular bloodlines, documentation and history. These horses will be considered on a case by case basis. Currently there are only about 100 Sorraias in the world. There are only about twice that many living, documented American Sorraia Mustangs. The American Sorraia Mustang is a genetic safeguard for the Sorraia Horse if and when it's population decreases due to either lack of genetic viability or disease. That is why it is so important to preserve the American Sorraia Mustang, which has had generations of separation from their native southern Portugal. |
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| There has always been a question as to where the Bookcliff horses came from originally. A popular theory is that some of the horses that Chief Wakara of the Utes brought back, from the many horse raids that he made into California, escaped to form secluded bands, deep in the Bookcliffs. I'm sure that there were raids into New Mexico also. James Beckworth & Thomas “Pegleg” Smith partnered up with Wakara for the famous 1840 raid ,where the reported, thousands of horses were herded back across the desert to Wakara’s home range. The stolen herds were some of the finest bred horses in the world, at that time. |
| Chief Wakara’s horse pasture alone, ranged from the Sevier River, on the West to the Green River on the East. The Bookcliffs sit directly north of the Green River. Note the red area of the map above. It seems probable that the theory is correct….or a huge coincidence. Research continues on the origin of our Sorraia Mustangs. One thing is for certain, that American Sorraia Mustangs are unique among those special horses that we call Spanish Mustangs. |
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| Please don't misunderstand. All of the horses shown are registered Spanish Mustangs, registered with the Southwest Spanish Mustang Association. Some of them are also also registered with the Spanish Mustang Registry & the Horse of the Americas American Sorraia Mustangs are a unique strain within the Spanish Mustang umbrella. Jolie Alongi Windcross Conservancy Email Arrow Rock |
| The American Sorraia Mustang is what it is.. A true genetic descendant of The Sorraia Horse of Portugal. |
| Jolie Alongi HC 65 BOX 1480 Hominy, OK 74035 918-885-6154 |