Nothing speaks of the American West like the sight of a wild horse racing across the horizon. The horse, free, wild, untamed, and independent truly reflects the indomitable spirit of the land and the people of the old west.
Anyone who has read Misty of Chincoteague recalls the Spanish brought horses to the Americas. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 set numbers of horses free along the Spanish footholds. Soon they ranged over the Great Plains and into the Rio Grande area in vast numbers similar to the bison or buffalo of the Great Plains. This natural resource lured many Anglo's to the Tejas province with the hopes of rounding up herds and bringing them to the east to make money. This led to many confrontations with the Mexican government, settlement of the Tejas lands, and eventually TEXAS would break away as its own republic before joining the rest of the United States.
The wild horse was also a revolutionizing moment for the Native American people. It gave them a source of wealth as well as transportation. Riding horses allowed Native American tribes in the Great Plains to easily hunt and kill the buffalo. Pueblo Indians bred the animals selling their fine steeds to other tribes such as the Apache and the Comanche. The Comanche used their horses and developed their riding talents becoming fierce warriors of the west.
As the west tamed, ranchers allowed their stock horses to roam free and mingle with the wild herds. Their offspring produced "cow savy" animals that became highly prized. The introduction of the European breeds also created larger animals more suited for the size of the American people.
Wild horses are a gift and should be treated with respect - for without it the ranches, the history , the romance of the west would cease to exist. God Bless the Wild Horses of America.
12 comments:
I agree with God bless the Wild Horses of this country, it is part of the rich abundance in our country.
The Indian thrived because of the horse and became great horsemen.
Great article.
Love and blessings
Rita Hestand
Hey Rita.
What a lovely surprise seeing you here. Thanks so much for dropping by. Yes, I can't imagine images of the west without the horse or the Native Americans.
Nan
Nice website, nice blog :) We love wild horses in Idaho too.
As a child, I loved horses, and read all the books about horses that I could. Thanks for writing this post and reminding me again how wonderful this wild creature is.
Hi Gail,
I envy you living in the west. I'm near the ocean on the east coast and its just a dream to see it. One day ONE DAY. :o) Thank you so much for coming by.
Nan
Hi Katie,
Oh I know I think I devoured every Walter Farley book. The Black Stallion was just "The Horse". I've been able to see the wild ponies of Chicoteague and some one of the Banker ponies on North Carolina's outer banks. There is just something majestic about a horse. Thanks for stopping in.
Nan
Wild horses, how many young girls have dreamed of having one and riding wildly across the plains? At least that is what I dreamed of as a child. Not sure that is so prevalent for young girls today.
When I first started writing all my stories were about horses.
HI Maryanne,
Oh I know... I have pictures sitting on horse at 2. At six I had the pony, and at 12 Arabians. I was very lucky to have owned mine for 28 years. I haven't bought another since. I don't have the heart to lose one again.
Nan
HI NAN!!
I LOVE HORSES BUT WOULD NEVER RIDE ONE UNLESS A HUNK IS IN BACK!! LOL
LINDA B
HI Nancy,
Sorry I'm late as always. Love this reminder of how important the wild horse was to the development of our Great Plains and western states. As a young girl I read every horse book I could find from Marguerite Henry to Walter Farley. I still love westerns with a good horse involved. Thanks for the memories.
Great post, Nancy! I love wild horses. And we can easily forget how important they were in developing the west.
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