Abigail pointed out that when I talk to visitors to the horse lot about the program I do not discuss breed conservation as much as I once did. She was right--was not a conscious decision--just crept into my management projections. Perhaps, like most teachers I enjoy talking most about the subject that I am learning the most about at that time.
Soil and water conservation, microbial pasture development, using horses to understand trauma and PTSD are topics that I have learned a lot about in the last five years. I like teaching those subjects.
But the core purpose of Mill Swamp Indian Horses is to work to prevent the extinction of the Colonial Spanish Horse, with particular emphasis on the Corollas, Shacklefords, Marsh Tackys, Choctaws, and the remnant of the Grand Canyon strain.
This summer we will breed more mares than last summer. Edward Teach, Pancho, Matchcoor, Wanchese, and our other stallions will be bred to our mares, and also offered for breeding to outside mares.
We hope to create a mini explosion of foals for 2021.
That means that we also need to create an explosion of future horse owners and breeders for that time frame. Over the years we have bred slowly in order to never have more horses on hand than we could care for. We will continue to be prudent in our breeding and will continue to move toward providing trained trail horses in addition to foals.
Matchcoor will be available in the fall. He will be a beautiful young Colonial Spanish horse of the Banker strain, with a mother born wild on Shackleford and a father born wild on Corolla. He will only be available to sale to someone who will maintain him as a stallion and make him available for future breedings.
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