Mill Swamp Indian Horse Views: Making Better Horses

Throughout history the definition of a "quality horse " often had nothing to do with the horses themselves. Check out this post from several years ago Mill Swamp Indian Horse Views: Making Better Horses: It seems that horses throughout history have been given the same social status that is accorded to their owner's class. When small Sp...

Our American Cousin

One mare is from the wilds of North Carolina, Corolla. The other is from the tames of South Carolina, Lowther Farm. Secotan, the Corolla mare descends from the Spanish horses of the 1520's and her shape remains essentially untouched by human hands. Her pin bones are not considered unstylish by nature so they were allowed to remain. The Marsh Tacky was domesticated and bred by humans since the 1700's. Secotan is a Spanish horse. Hickory Wind is an American and is likely the closest cousin to the wild Bankers of which the Corollas are one herd.

Being Americanized changed the Tacky as surely as being wild and adopting to the wild changed the Corolla. The changes took slightly different paths.

The changes are but surface changes. Each carries all of the wonderful attributes of the Colonial Spanish Horse.



(If you recognized the title of this post as being the play that Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated go tell at least one of your parents that they raised a smart kids.)          

Before They Hatch

By tonight I may have one of the most important announcements to make about our program to occur since its inception.

Mill Swamp Indian Horse Views: Health Alert: Help Curb Equine TTFM

An important consideration for breeders ==Mill Swamp Indian Horse Views: Health Alert: Help Curb Equine TTFM: TTFM (Too Tall For me) is a genetically related disorder that often results from breeding mares over 13.3 hands to stallions of equal siz...

We Are But One

Mustang preservationist cannot afford to fritter away our energies arguing about breed versus strain and other extraneous arguments that serve only to divide us. In the marsh, on the plains , or in the desert our horses are simply different slices cut from the same cake.

Sometime a picture can be more confusing than a thousand words. Anyone that has spent any time in our horse lot will instantly recognize this location. The picture is obviously shot from the area around the smokehouse toward the runway, about three yards behind the red gate with Melvin's field serving as the back drop.

Except that it isn't. The horse is a mustang, a beautiful stallion from the Baca herd. As hard as it is for my eyes to accept it that really is not my horse lot--though it looks just like it. That picture was taken much further from our horse lot then I have ever ventured.

Funny thing is that I did not notice the similarity until after I got in last night from moving a round pen--to the runway, about three yards behind the red gate, near the corner of Melvin's field.

For those who might be wondering, I am not joking.