Mill Swamp Indian Horses: Raising Yesterday's Horses For Tomorrow's Riders

Sunday I had some unexpected guest show up at the horse lot while I was clearing land. I had a great time showing them around. I was already a bit tired from cutting firewood for half of the day and I found myself rambling a bit as I described what goes on in our program. We have grown into such a multifaceted rare breeds conservation program that I have no doubt that I confuse people by simply listing what we do.

One of the most important aspects of our program often slips by visitors. That aspect is how we are funded.

Instead of listing our programs I am going to make an effort to briefly post on every aspect of what we do. We are a 501 (c) 5 breed conservation nonprofit corporation. We have no paid staff. We receive no government grants. Everything that you will be reading about over the next two weeks is all accomplished by volunteers.

Our primary focus is on preventing the extinction of the historic Banker strain Colonial Spanish horse that now remains wild in only two herds--the Corolla and the Shackleford bands on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We have seven stallions who were either born wild in those bands or are first generation domestically born. We have six mares of the same back ground. We have a small group of pure Colonial Spanish horses of other strains who are closely related by genotype or phenotype that we carefully include in the foundation herd to provide the genetic diversity that is essential to the survival of these horses.

Foals that we produce are then placed with others who agree to use them to raise more of these horses in satellite breeding programs. Tsennacomacah, shown above with his mother will be going to Colorado this summer where he will be the furthest placement that we have made from our program. The foals born last summer have all been placed and we have a list of people who are awaiting the foals to be born this spring and summer. In 2018 we will breed more mares than we ever have before.

To learn more about our program see our website at www.millswampindianhorses.com. See the group Mill Swamp Indian Horses facebook page. Look back through previous posts in this blog.

Future posts will focus on each individual string that makes up the entire harp of Mill Swamp Indian Horses. Stick with us over the next few weeks. Share these informational posts with everyone that you know.

Again, we have no paid staff. We are all volunteers. Our horses eat from 10-14 thousand pounds of hay each week. We are funded from program fees and donations. We have never turned anyone away for inability to pay program fees.

This is our time of greatest expense and also our season of fund raising. You can donate directly at the donation button on our website or you may write a check to Gwaltney Frontier Farm and mail is to 16 Dashiell Drive, Smithfield Va 23430. Donations are not tax deductible for a 501 (c) 5 breed conservation program. 

Become a follower of this blog to stay in touch with this effort. And as you read this and upcoming posts keep in mind that each post will only show one aspect of what we do.