STRAINS in our registry
Strains of our Spanish Barb Horses originate from populations
known to contain horses of strong Spanish Barb type.
These sources include individual breeders and isolated geographic areas.
THEY are an inherent part of early American culture that cannot be recovered if lost to extinction.
DID YOU KNOW...
The Livestock Conservancy lists theSE spanish barb strains as critically endangered on their equine conservation priority list?
Wilbur-Cruce
original sbba
Baca-Chica
Sulphur
WILBUR-CRUCE
The Wilbur-Cruce Horses were discovered on a ranch in Southern Arizona in 1989, where they had been isolated for over 100 years. Their origin goes back to the late 1670S, to Mexico at Rancho Dolores, where Father Eusebio Kino, a Jesuit priest, established his headquarters. Kino was responsible for bringing the first livestock to this area and spreading them northward as he built his mission churches.
Thanks to a dramatic effort of concerned citizens and the Livestock Conservancy, spearheaded by Dr. Phillip Sponenberg, these horses were preserved and today make up the majority of the horses available in the SBHA Registry.
Their numbers are extremely limited, and they are highly sought after.
Blood-typing (before DNA was available) and evaluation by Dr Phillip Sponeberg concluded “The Wilbur-Cruce strain is the only known ”rancher” strain of pure horses that persist in the southwest.
The Wilbur-Cruce horses are of great interest because they are a non-feral strain.”
With the small remnant left of the Wilbur-Cruce horses, and a combined focused effort, we can bring these spectacular horses back to their once robust numbers that populated the Southwest.
ORIGINAL SBBA
The original horses in the Spanish Barb Breeders Association, (now Spanish Barb Horse Association), come from several populations of known Spanish horses. Foundation animals came from the McKinley-Romero Ranch in central New Mexico, Sandhills of Nebraska Rancher, ILo Belsky, from the breeding program of renowned Spanish Mustang breeders, Robert Brislawn of Wyoming, and his brother Ferdinand Brislawn, of Utah. In 1957 these brothers formed the first registry for Spanish blooded horses in the United States, the Spanish Mustang Registry. Only a handful of currently registered horses descended from these original SBBA bloodlines remain in the SBHA.
BACA-CHICA
The Baca strain gets its name from their founder, Joty Baca of Belen, New Mexico. Since the 1950s Joty bred Spanish horses at his Baca Chica Farm. Joty, observed that the horses of his childhood were being systematically slaughtered so he began to establish a herd of his own. His foundation horses came from the mountains near Tijeras, New Mexico, and from other ranchers and Native Americans in the area.
Joty recognized the importance of keeping these blood lines pure. He bred for temperament, conformation, smaller stature and endurance.
In 2005, The State of New Mexico recognized Joty and his wife, Virginia, for their persistence, dedication and great sacrifice for the preservation and recognition of the Colonial Spanish Horse. In 2013, at the end of Joty’s life, the last of his herd was dispersed from Baca Chica Farm. During his lifetime Joty had produced over 200 horses of exceptional quality and character. Today only a small number of animals and breeders of Baca Chica horses remain.