Actually, there are (fossil) facts showing the horse evolved on this
continent before dying out, they are actually considered a reintroduce
species these days. The Indians hunted them for their meat. These
are also documented facts. I don't care to get into a heated debate on
this list about the origins of wild horses in North America but I could send you
info that proves they were here, fully evolved and died out, along
with camels and mammoths, long before the Spaniards came here and released
horses.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 12:18
PM
Subject: RC: Wild horses
The Wild Horse Controversy, Heather Thomas, Is
one of the best, most complete, and accurate,
books about the "wild" horses in the Western US. Very
readable.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 10:07 AM
Subject: RC: Was barefoot, now mustangs
I won't belittle you for posting, but I will
suggest that you check your history. I'd recommend the book THE WILD
HORSE CONTROVERSY and suggest that you delve into its fairly lengthy and
comprehensive bibliography. The fact that there were no free-roaming
horses in this hemisphere until horses escaped from the Spaniards in the late
1600's is not my opinion--it is a well-documented fact. The entire
Native American population was afoot until that time, which can also be
well-documented. Their travois were pulled by dogs. So while it
may be true that the feral horses are not just the result of cowboys turning
horses loose, they are still nonetheless the result of European horses having
gotten loose from explorers or settlers. (Although in recent years, many
are a result of actual breeding programs by western ranchers, who turned out
Remount stallions of various breeds.)
Also, I get a bit wigged at the political
implications that the free-roaming horses were not owned. The Indians
clearly thought they owned them, unlike the truly wild animals, even though
their culture did not utilize fences and brand books to denote
ownership. I find it odd that on one hand we are expected to accept our
Native American counterparts as equals, but on the other hand, are expected to
completely ignore how their culture worked and how they defined
property. I maintain that the Native Americans were human beings with a
unique culture, and it is clear that they felt they could dip into "their"
herds to count out horses to pay debts and to give gifts--they honored future
in-laws with gifts of horses, they recognized that horses of another tribe
were property to the point that stealing them back and forth was a recognized
activity, etc. Horses were not only owned, they were the currency with
which the western tribes did business. Nowhere have I ever seen it
mentioned that they paid their debts with live deer, or elk, or bear, or any
other truly wild animal. Nope, the horses were considered to be
property, and as such, different than wild animals, even by the Native
Americans. To consider them otherwise is quite disrespectful of Native
American culture. Some tribes (the Nez Perce come to mind) even
practiced gelding and selective breeding to some extent.
Also, the genetic typing of these horses is
greatly misunderstood by many--there is no way to prove that a horse is or is
not of a specific "breed" by DNA testing. What CAN be done is
demonstrate relationships or lack of relationships via genetic markers, and
follow dam lines with mitochondrial DNA. Many breed share genetic
markers, because many breeds are interrelated. LIkewise, mitochondrial
DNA types can be common to multiple breeds, since they often descend from
the same horses. I'd suggest that you contact a geneticist such as
Michael Bowling for references to better understand this process.
As to the feet of burros--burros are not horses,
even though they are related. They have a rather different structure and
growth pattern to their feet, and actually are far better adapted to rocky
conditions unshod than are horses.
My reference to being off-topic was only because
we were talking about the relevance of shoes on horses--I've changed the
subject line here, since the topic has clearly changed.
Heidi