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The Kiger Mustangs
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Rojo, wild red dun stallion |
Sundance Kigers Running Shadow |
When the Spanish
Conquistadors arrived on the shores of the North American Continent over 500
years ago they did not come alone. With them they brought some of the finest
horses the world had ever seen. It was from the horses of the conquistadors
that the huge herds of mustangs descended. Most of today's mustang herds are of
mixed breeding. The result of horses being turned loose or escaping from
ranches. This is not the case with the Kigers. They are one of only four herds
in the United States that are managed as Spanish Type Mustangs.
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| During a routine round up of
wild horses from the remote desert area around Beaty's Butte in South Eastern
Oregon, 27 primitively marked horses were captured. When they arrived at the
Bureau of Land Management wild horse corrals in Burns, Oregon the BLM employees
realized they had found something special. One BLM document states " That
of the roughly 4000 horses that have been brought to the Burns holding
facility, about 40 have shown strong primitive marks. The document goes on to
say that these horses " to some degree resemble horses as they existed
back to the ice age and to a very high degree represent a type of horse brought
to this country by the Spaniards. |
Sundance Kigers Running Shadow |
Sundance Kigers Running Shadow |
Subsequent tests have been
performed on the Kiger horses showing that they are indeed related to the
horses brought to the United States by the Conquistadors. German author Hardy
Oelke has done extensive research into the Iberian Sorraia and it's relatedness
to North American Sorraia type mustangs. It was Hardy Oelke who said in his
book " Born Survivors on the Eve of Extinction " that " the
Kiger horse resembles the Sorraias to an uncanny degree." |
Characteristics
Zebra markings on the legs of Sundance Kigers
Running Shadow |
The Kiger horses are mostly
of dun coloration with dun, grullo ( mouse gray ), red dun and claybank the
most common colors. Kigers also can be found in bay and black. The dun horses
have a dorsal stripe down their backs and zebra stripes on their legs. Other
dun characteristics found on these horses include cobweb marks on their
foreheads, ear bars, leg bars and bi-colored manes and tails. They are of
compact build, around 14.2hh, with strong legs and very hard feet. Possessing
tremendous endurance and a natural ' cow sense' the Kigers are proving
themselves as capable, hard working horses.
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In the news
Spirit - the movie star |
The Kiger mustang herd is
rounded up every four years and the excess horses are put up for adoption. The
last round up was in 'October '99. The top selling horse there was a four month
old filly that sold for $19,000.
A three year old Kiger mustang colt was recently
purchased by Steven Spielberg's film company " Dreamworks " to become
the model for their latest animation feature film. The movie to be called
" Spirit of the Cimarron" is about the life of a wild horse in 18th
century America. A Kiger was picked as the model as they closely resemble the
horse of that period. It is reported that the film company paid $ 50,000 for
the 3 year old horse. |
The legends
Every wild horse herd has to
have its legendary stallions. The Kigers are no exception to this rule. One
horse stood out from the others and was instantly recognized as the horse
destined to become the lead stallion. " Mesteno" which means "
unclaimed horse" in Spanish, lived his entire life running free on the
Steens Mountains of South Eastern Oregon. Most Kigers today can trace their
bloodlines back to this one horse. This horse had so much presence to him that
he inspired the model making company " Breyer" to make a series
depicting his life story. From his birth to his twilight years he is portrayed
in the "Mesteno" series.
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The Breyer model of ' Mesteno |
The Kiger adoptions are not the only place to
purchase a Kiger Mustang. There are a number of breeders around the United
States who have horses for sale and stallions at stud. And that number is
growing as more and more people are discovering the beauty, presence and
loyalty of the Kiger Mustangs.
This article and the accompanying photographs were
kindly provided by Danna Miyamoto, owner of Sundance Kigers.
To learn more about the Kiger Mustangs
please click here to visit the Sundance Kigers website.
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