The History Of The American Indian Horse
Horses have been around for centuries and can be found in many different countries and cultures. As specialist horse insurance company we understand how important it is to understand the history of breeds as an important factor for their future survival. The North American Plain Indians got their first horses through trading with the Indians of the Southwest. In the 1600 s the Navajo and Apache Indians were the first Indian tribes in North America to have horses. They acquired them by stealing them from the Pueblos.
In the 1800 s mustangs changed the lives of the Native Americans that were living near or in the Great Plains. Settlers were moving farther west and brought their horses with them. The horses escaped and ended up joining the herds of wild horses. Horses were also traded between tribes.
The eastern wild horse herds were forced west by civilization. They eventually crossed the Mississippi River and joined the western herds. French blood was added to the mix from herds from Detroit and New Orleans.
During the late 1800 s 150 stallions were purchased every year by the United States government from Germany. The old style East Friesian breed was used as a coach horse. It was also used to pull artillery and heavy wagons.
The large wild horse herds did not become a problem until the western part of the United States began being settled. These settlers brought cattle and other grazing animals. The dry lands of the west couldn t support a large population of grazing animals. Ranchers began to shoot the wild mustangs.
At the beginning of the twentieth century there were about 2 million wild horses. By 1926 the herds had been cut in half and the current population is around 30,000. In 1971 the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act was passed by Congress. This act was put in place to protect the wild horses. After this was put into place the population of wild horses increased so much that it became a major problem.
To combat this problem in 1973 the Adopt A Horse program was started. The public could buy a burro or horse for $125 each. Anyone adopting a horse had to meet certain requirements to ensure the horse would be well taken care of. These mustangs require an experienced handler and are used for riding and used in endurance trials.
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