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| Wild horses I saw |
On a recent trip to the Steens Mountain my husband and
I had the pleasure of seeing and photographing a herd of wild horses at a
drinking hole. I’m not sure if any of them were Kiger Mustangs. We didn’t get
close enough to see their distinctive markings, but there were some dun colors
in the mix. The Steens Mountains are one
of the few places the Kiger Mustang is still in the wild. It is also the place
where the breed was discovered in 1977.
The Bureau of Land Management began rounding up wild
horses in Harney County in 1971, but it wasn’t until 1977 when they did a round
up at Beattys Butte that they discovered a herd of horses with similar color
and markings. DNA testing was done and they discovered the mustangs bore a
close relationship to the Spanish horses brought to America in the 16oos. They
separated these horses from the other wild horses, split them into two groups
and placed them in separate areas of the Steens Mountains.
Today they are flourishing and are some of the most
prized horses when the BLM does a roundup and auction.
Kiger Coloring:
Most would say a Kiger had a “dun”colored coat. In
truth they come in a variety of colors— grulla(mouse gray), red, and buckskin with a variation of these
colors.
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| Photo from Wikipedia-Mesteno Kiger Stallion |
Other characteristics are: dorsal stripes, zebra
stripes on their lower legs, chest, rib, and arm bars, outlined ears, the top
one0third of the ear on the backside is darker than the body color, fawn
coloring on the inside of the ears, bi-colored mane and tail, face masks and
cob-webbing on the face. The less white they have on their bodies the stronger
the dun coloring. A horse may have many
of these traits but not all of them.
Kiger Physique:
They have both
the tarpan and oriental hotblood horses that were in the original Spanish
Mustangs.
Their bones are small and round, with small feet and
hardly any feather on their legs and fetlocks. They have wide set prominent
eyes, distinctly hooked ear tips, and fine muzzles.
They stand 13.2 to 15.2 hands (54 to 62 inches) high.
They were the perfect horse for the early American settlers living and working
in the west because the Kiger is agile and intelligent with stamina and
sure-footedness. They are compact, well-muscled with deep chests, and short
backs.
Kiger Temperment:
While being bold they are also gentle and calm.
The Spanish mustang played a large part in helping the
American west grow as well as a means of travel for the Native American. The
Kiger mustang is the closest remaining horse to the Spanish mustang. That is
why The BLM and breeders of Kigers have made keeping the breed from extinction
their goal.
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| Another photo of the wild horses. |
Breeders sites if you’d like to see more photos of the
horses:
Paty’s Bio:
Award-winning author Paty Jager and her
husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication
she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with
the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and
cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the
western lifestyle, she lives it.
All her work has
Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and
engaging characters. Her penchant for research takes her on side trips that
eventually turn into yet another story.
You can learn more
about Paty at
her blog; Writing into the Sunset
her website; http://www.patyjager.net
Newsletter: Paty’s
Prattle: http://eepurl.com/1CFgX
twitter @patyjag.
Love, love, love the Kiger mustangs, Paty! Thanks for sharing a post about them!
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