11/26/07 Kiger Mustang

Horses from the Iberian peninsula are gaining quite a following in the Northwest but they really aren't anything new. I'm Jeff Keane, and I will be back with Oregon's' own Iberian horses. Descendants of horses from Spain and Portugal can be found in Oregon's Steens Mountains. Here's Susan with the Story. Jeff, The Iberian horses, the Andalusian and Lusitano we see in today's dressage arena were bred centuries ago for nobility, to move cattle and fight bulls. The southern Oregon climate is nearly identical to the Iberian peninsula thus horses that escaped from Columbus and others thrived out West . Columbus's diary reveals that he was duped by a horse trader. Selecting Andalusians for his 1493 ships he received instead Sorraia's tough, hardy cow ponies not as pretty but sure able to survive. Descendants of these conquistadors horses were discovered in the late 1970's and named Kiger and Spanish mustangs. The wild horses exhibit classic Spanish characteristics and I was actually stunned by their beautiful coloring ; grullas/s duns clay banks and their zebra striping when I photographed them in the wild. The BLM in Burns Oregon puts a few Kigers up for adoption every four years on a competitive fee basis There are also Kiger breeders and a breed registration. So Susan if you want to experience a piece of living history, Western and European, the Kiger Mustang might be right up your alley.