Re: RC: Re: Amblin/Racking/what ever

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/21/00 7:13:56 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
GoldenCMK@aol.com writes:

<< The first Spanish horses brought into the New World were decendants of the 
 breed Cordoba which orginated from four Arabian sires. Cortez insisted on 
 bringing only heavy bred Arabian type Spanish Barbs because he knew they 
 would be the strongest, toughested and have the best endurance for his trip 
 to the New World. >>

Thanks for chiming in, Maria.  Specific Arab sires (and sometimes mares, too) 
are named in a great many foundation pedigrees of a lot of the breeds that 
have been under discussion here, as well as the general infusion of Arabian 
blood that occurred during Moorish invasions, horses brought home as spoils 
of war during the Crusades, etc.  The gaited horses have foundation pedigrees 
that "read" very similar to some of the early TB pedigrees (just shows what 
happens when one breeds selectively for very specific traits)--the TB's, in 
addition to the three "noted" founding Arabian sires, have literally dozens 
of Arab ancestors that show up time and time again in early pedigrees.  At 
one point I had a copy of Justin Morgan's pedigree, and it was utterly 
fascinating, with all sorts of Arabs in it.  The Morgans share a lot of 
common ancestry with the various American gaited horses.  The South American 
breeds are pretty much directly descended (as I understand it) from the 
horses the Spanish brought in--and they had several "local" breeds such as 
you name, all of which had a fair degree of Arab blood, both from "recent" 
(to their time) specific individuals and from the wartime mixing.

Heidi