The American Indian Horse and its Registry

By Nanci Falleu, AIHR President

Before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors and their horses, the Native American Nations and tribes had any number of myths and legends about the coming of a ‘Great Dog’ or ‘Magic Elk’ - an animal which would become part of their lives and make travel easier. In the decades after the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the southern and western part of what we now know as the United States, the Spaniard’s horses instilled awe in the native people. As the years passed and the horses multiplied and migrated north this wondrous new animal was claimed by the Plains Nations. Each tribe adopted its own legend to explain the arrival of the horse, and these became part of each tribal history.

A Comanche Legend - The Magic Dogs:

In the old days the people walked wherever they had to go because they had no horses, only dogs to help them with their burdens. Then one day a herd of strange animals came along with long necks and tails and shiny humps on their backs. It was a very strange sight. Then a voice spoke from the hump of the leading animal, and even stranger, the hump split from the animal and stood alone on the ground, leaving the rest of the animal which looked like a huge dog. This hump-man indicated that he and his companions were hungry and so the Comanche fed them and let them sleep while the tribe discussed what to do with them. Some wanted to kill them, but wiser heads prevailed and suggested that they be followed to see how they worked with their magic dogs, as all of the Indians could see that these great dogs would be good animals to have. At the end of four days the Spaniards rode out of the Comanche camp heading west. The Comanche war chief waited a few hours and then took a party of warriors and followed them which was easy as they didn’t try to hide their trail at all. They watched when the Spaniards camped at night and saw that the hump-men took the pads off the big dogs’ backs, removed the guide ropes from their heads and hobbled them so they could not run away. When morning came the Spaniards returned the pads to the animals’ backs, took off the hobbles and put the guide ropes back on their heads. They did these same things every day. When the Comanches learned all they could about the magic dogs and how to handle them they sneaked into the Spaniards’ camp at night and took two of the animals and rode back to their village to learn more about these amazing creatures. Eventually they found more horses by trading and stealing, and the Comanches became famous riders and raiders.

The Spanish horses thrived on the wide grasslands of the South American pampas and the North American plains, and it was the plains people who used the horse to its fullest potential. Their names are with us today - Comanche, Lakota, Omaha, Ute, Apache, Kiowa, Nez Perce and many more.

The horse provided for them a totally independent culture. Most tribes counted their wealth in horses - horses were their transportation, companions and currency. Men paid for their brides with horses. Horse thievery among the Plains tribes was considered an art and a popular sport. Prized buffalo and war horses were tethered at night to their owner’s wrist in case a neighboring tribe might try to steal it. Many a youngster’s (male and female) first adventure was going on a pony raid against another tribe.
Horses were considered to be great medicine - tribal shamans often kept unusually colored horses to use in ceremonials of various kinds. One of the most interesting was the horse medicine cult of the Oglala Dakota tribe. The Oglala used horse medicine to influence the outcome of horse races, to cure sick and wounded horses, to calm a fractious horse and to make broodmares have fine foals. Horse medicine men and women were among the most respected members in the Plains tribes.

The Original American Indian Horse, mount of the Plains Indians, has come far and changed little over the years. Better care and herd management may have added a little to the size and general condition of the horses, but nothing has altered the heart or spirit of the descendants of the first Magic Dogs. It is with this in mind that the American Indian Horse Registry pursues the goal of perpetuating and promoting the original type of horse used by the native American Nations, as well as their hybrids and modern day descendants.

A Navajo’s Song About His Horse:

Adhering not to ‘cookie-cutter’ standards, the Original American Indian Horse comes in many sizes and types with every color known to the horse kingdom. Emphasis is not placed on modern conformation type (of any breed) but rather on soundness and body types leaning toward strength and stamina. Straight legs are not to be placed over serviceably sound legs, but defects causing unsoundness are to be heavily penalized in the breeding pen as well as the show ring. Modern breed conformation criteria which causes or contributes to soundness problems such as small feet, heavy, bunchy muscling, excessive fat and excessively wide (as opposed to deep) barrel should be penalized as not desirable in the Indian Horse. No particular head shape is preferred, as the dished face of the Arabian, the roman nose of the Barb or a more modern, straight profile may be found in the Indian Horse, but large, wide set eyes, full nostrils and alert ears are desired. Overall the Indian Horse should have an alert and interested appearance.

The modern day American Indian Horse is as beautiful and useful today as they were to the Plains people. These are not scrubby individuals with scraggly coats and wild eyes as is the image so often conjured up from adverse publicity throughout the centuries. One must remember the conditions under which the native Americans and their horses were forced to exist. The lifestyle and hazardous terrain took its toll on human and animal in equal measure. Nature is a cruel master, and with the aid of outside forces pushing into the territories, the native nations and their herds were expected to exist on whatever meager rations were available. It has been said that the horses deteriorated and became unfit - this is an untruth. True, they decreased in size, but this is not deterioration, this is survival. They became stronger and hardier because only the fittest survived. They learned to exist on what nature provided and often had to travel long distances to find enough food and water to sustain themselves. Their very existence depended upon their intelligence and cunning, and they became masters at the art of eluding those who pursued them.

CHIEF PLENTY COUP OF THE CROWS:

“To be alone with my war horse teaches him to understand me and I to understand him. If he is to carry me into battle, he must know my heart and I must know his or we shall never be brothers. I have been told that some people do not believe the horse has a soul. This cannot be true. I have many times seen my horse’s soul in his eyes.”

For over 2 centuries and more the Horse Indians kept their territory free of intruders. The greater numbers and technology of the European invasion ended their lifestyle. Thousands of Indian Horses were killed, as an Indian rendered horseless was not an enemy to fear. Native Americans were confined to reservations and for the most part their mounts disappeared except for a few bands that were preserved by people who had the vision needed to realize the importance of keeping alive these links to our past.

The native Americans out-witted the government armies who tried to force them into the lives of farmers and provided them with heavy draft horses to pull their plows. Many camps hid the finest Spanish stallions and mares of their herds and continued to raise the horses who had been such a blessing in their time. Many of the surviving native herds have been kept pure over the years.

In the late 1950s some collectors of these horses formed an organization to preserve what they called Spanish Mustangs. In California, a native American who felt that the native influence was being ignored, started a separate registry and in 1961 the American Indian Horse Registry was formed to preserve the American Indian Horse and its history.

It is with great pride that today owners of Original American Indian Horses point to the various tribal names associated with the pedigrees of their horses. Upon meeting an American Indian Horse many people are struck first by their beauty and elegance, then by their gentleness and love of attention, yet thrilled by an underlying current of pervasive mysterious energy. It is in their stance, a tilt of the head, the flicker of an ear and in their eyes --- always in their eyes: that all encompassing look that misses nothing and says, “Be fair in all your dealings with me and I will give you devotion and loyalty and be a willing student, but treat me in an unkind manner and you will have made an enemy.”

The breed is highly intelligent, capable of learning and excelling in nearly every capacity for which the native Americans revered their mounts; hardiness, stamina, a willing attitude, a love for human companionship and a desire to please, plus the fortitude to withstand great odds. A lesser breed would never have survived their harsh history.

Throughout its history the Indian Horse has gone by a multitude of names: call them cow pony or buffalo horse; Mustang or Indian pony; cayuse or Spanish pony - basically they are all the same animal with the same roots. Today AIHR continues the original dream of its founder to preserve the Original Indian Horse and to recognize its modern descendants and hybrids.

To this end the AIHR has five classifications of registration:

The AIHR has no color or height requirements as the Indian Horse comes in all colors and sizes. They are well made, have excellent feet and legs and have as much savvy as any horse that ever lived. They can work cattle or herd sheep or rock a baby to sleep with their easy gait (many Indian Horses are naturally gaited - sometimes called the Indian shuffle,) and they can do it on less feed and less pampering than most horse people would ever believe. Their loyalty is as legend as their toughness and intelligence, and anyone who is fortunate enough to share their lives with one knows how truly special they are.

Regional Indian Horse clubs provide a focus on shows which feature games and events based on native American horse activities. With names like Trail of Tears (bareback pleasure class,) Torching the Prairie, Counting Coup, Cherokee Ribbon Race and Forest Escape along with the colorful Frontier Period and Native American costume classes, an Indian Horse show is a colorful and fast-moving family event. Points earned in the shows as well as points earned by the horse owner who never takes their horse away from home may count in the various AIHR awards programs that are sponsored by the registry.

Many people have registerable American Indian Horses in their backyards or pastures and do not know it. To find out how to register your American Indian Horse, contact AIHR at 9028 State Park Road, Lockhart TX 78644, phone 512-398-6642, or email nanci@indianhorse.com.