Arrow Rock Spanish Mustangs
& American Sorraia Mustangs
Preserving the horse from yesterday...
For the people of tomorrow
Jolie Alongi
HC 65 BOX 1480
Hominy, OK 74035
918-885-6154
Email
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
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.
Sorraia Mustang Characteristics List Form

Convex Profiles.  No less than straight.  
No dish faces.
Long narrow face
Smooth Muscling.
Moderate to low tail set.
Rafter Hip preferably
Lower neck set than modern horses.
Square horse built uphill.
Sound legs and feet
Medium Canon Bones
Good hoof wall in proportion to the horse.
Long Elegant neck with clean throat  latch.
Well laid  back shoulder.
Narrow chest with deep heart girth.
Ears medium long, rimmed, tipped & sometimes striped.  
No overt jowls as seen with quarter horses and
warm-bloods.
No Hundters bump across the croup.
Medium to short back with well defined withers.
Bi-coloring in mane and tail is very desirable.
Leg-barring.
Dorsal Stripes.
Cob webbing.
Hair stripes.
Can have brindling.
Sooty faces and legs darker than body.
Dun or Grulla.  NO red duns.
White markings are to be faulted as less desirable.
Sabino characteristics are also to be faulted
in non  mtDNA carrying horses.        
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.
Efforts are underway to establish a non-profit foundation to locate, preserve, and protect the few remaining Sorraia
Mustangs in the World today.There are less than 100 surviving Sorraia horses in the world today. There are only about
twice that many living, documented Sorraia Mustangs.
The 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 Sorraia Mustang which has had
generations of separation from their native southern Portugal.

For information on how you can help ....& see more of these beautiful horses, Check out:  
Windcross Conservancy
Dunsmoke Spanish Mustangs
Email
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
Email