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