Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: busy

Choctaw Ponies

I love rare breeds.  I was delighted to read about the Choctaw ponies, direct descendants from Spanish ancestors let loose in America centuries ago.
Tags: ethnic studies, history, nature, news
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  • 6 comments
wcg

wcg

April 27 2011, 08:57:14 UTC 10 years ago

Hmmm... I'm a little dubious about the purity of the bloodlines, just because there was so much horse stealing among all the different tribes back in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Choctaw people had the same problems with Comanche raiders that everybody else did, and I'd imagine they mounted reprisal raids to steal horses back, so some of their stock would have gotten mixed in with stolen stock from other tribes, from Spanish settlements, and (later in the process) from the US Cavalry. Still, I can see how these horses would still be mostly the small, rugged, Spanish ponies that were brought over for the vaqueros on the rancheros in northern Mexico.
msminlr

msminlr

April 27 2011, 10:15:45 UTC 10 years ago

You're thinking the wrong corner of the Lower 48. Choctaws are southEASTERN Indians; there's a reservation of them near Philadelphia MS where my brother-in-law used to live.

Choctaw & Chicasaw ponies were among the ancestors of the American Quarter Horse.
ysabetwordsmith

Well...

ysabetwordsmith

April 27 2011, 17:33:04 UTC 10 years ago

According to the article, meticulous records of breeding were kept, and genetic testing showed the Choctaw ponies to be among the purest of ancestry. I was a bit surprised by that, because a lot of mixing did take place in many areas, but I think it's cool.
msminlr

msminlr

April 27 2011, 10:18:55 UTC 10 years ago

Lovely animals. I can see the basic Iberian Horse conformation in these: compact muscular body, straight face [neither bowed nor dished] and the LONG mane and tail.

It would be interesting to do genetic comparisons of these and the PasoFino ponies of South America.
ysabetwordsmith

Yes...

ysabetwordsmith

April 27 2011, 17:37:51 UTC 10 years ago

I agree, the Paso Fino comparison would be interesting. I love the long mane and tail of Spanish breeds.
endlessrarities

endlessrarities

April 30 2011, 15:25:16 UTC 10 years ago

The bottom picture of the Choctaw pony really betrays its Spanish bloodlines. It's got the presence of an Andalusian...