They're Saving Old World Spanish Colonial Horses AG WORLD Ag World 23-3-22 "They look as if they walked right out of the history books. They're an important part of our past, which makes them a breed well worth preserving," say Robin and Richard Keller, who have commited themselves to preserving pure bloodlines of rare "Wilbur-Cruce" Spanish horses on their ranch near Mokelumne Hill, Calif. They are breeders dedicated to the preservation and celebration of this ancient horse, whose ancestry can be traced back to Spanish Colonial times in the 1600's. Over the centuries the horses' bloodlines have remained pure while other American "wild" horses became a mixture of many breeds. How did it happen? In the late 1600's, Father Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit priest and missionary, brought the Spanish horses into the Pimeria Alta, an area made up of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Father Kino established headquarters in the San Miguel River Valley, about 25 miles east of today's Magdalena, where he founded Mission Dolores and Rancho Dolores. It is from this area that the Wilbur-Cruce horses originated. His mission remained active in the production of livestock for many decades, producing stock that was destined to be spread northward as each new mission was established. In the 1870's Dr. Ruben Wilbur bought some of the original Wilbur-Cruce horses from Rancho Dolores to stock his ranch in southern Arizona. Through three successive generations, spanning 110 years, the Wilbur-Cruce Spanish horses were kept in isolation on the family ranch. They were allowed to run in wild bands in rocky and mountainous terrain, developing qualities that only the harsh selection process of survival of the fittest can produce. In 1990, the elderly granddaughter of Dr. Wilbur, Eva Antonia Wilbur-Cruce, sold part of the ranch to the Nature Conservancy to be added to the Buenos Aries National Wildlife Refuge. Due to their historical and genetic importance, Eva agreed to donate 77 of the wild horses to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, an organization dedicated to conserving endangered breeds unique to the Americas. The Conservancy coordinated the task of trapping and removing the horses, ensuring that blood samples were taken for typing. Dr. Gus Cothran, director of the Equine Blood Typing Research Laboratory at the University of Kentucky, concluded that the Wilbur-Cruce horses were an isolated or closed population, with ample evidence of their Spanish ancestry. Robin Keller, who had worked with and studied domestic horses for most of her life, became one of the individuals chosen to receive 18 of the Wilbur-Cruce Spanish Colonial horses. That herd has now grown to 50 horses, all stallions and mares. "They have a unique, noble character that sets them apart from all other horse breeds," says Keller, who has worked with the animals for the past six years. "They have a lot of pride and passion, and a willingness to serve which usually isn't found in more modern horse breeds. They want to be with you and are always very interested in what you're doing. It's like having several horses in one, because in the Spanish Colonial days horses were more total. In the quest for fine horses through technology, the emphasis is on a specific performance rather than on character. Character is rarely spoken of, nurtured or bred for. "They come in a variety of sizes and colors, and there are three types: trotting and galloping horses used for war, mounted games, and racing; a gaited type with a short back prized for their swiftness; and the Iberian which is smaller, coarser type that the peasants could afford. We have all three types. Safety in numbers and working together kept them alive over the decades, which is why they are so social. They're also very intelligent - they can learn in one day what the average horse learns in one month." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robin Keller, Rancho Del Sueno, 1919 Ridge Rd., Mokelumne Hill, Calif. 95245 (ph 209 293-4919; fax 4929).

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