mustang arrived in North America with the Spaniards. “And they just left them here; when they
went back to Spain they just left them to run. They
knew they were going to come back, and it didn’t
make sense to haul them back.” So from the time
of their arrival in the New World, the Spanish
breed multiplied unhindered.
Of course the wild horse herds of today, those
managed by the federal government (the BLM),
are a mixed bag — draft stock (animals used for
pulling loads), thoroughbred and mustang bloodlines mingled. But in places, the pure mustang
survives.
“You can do a DNA test on your mustang, just
send in some hair. And you’d be so surprised at
some of the breeds,” said Dittmer. “You know, a
lot of them will be Old World bloo dlines … like
100 percent Spanish DNA. A lot of the Nevada
horses have a lot of draft influence, because some
of these draft horses would get loose off ranches
and breed in with the mustangs. And there were
LEFT: Jerrad Dittmer prepares to lead his project horse, a 5-yearold mustang, into the training pen. The horse is outfited with
boat bumpers, plastic bags and crushed anti-freeze jugs with
rocks inside. The noise and akwardness of the training aids help
curb skiddishness.
JUNE 2015
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
ABOVE: Jayde Dittmer adjusts his mount’s bridle during a training session. Two weeks before these horses were completely
wild, had never had a saddle on their backs, much less a leg
thrown over them.
18
the army remounts, thoroughbred types that
mixed in.”
The horses that are “real Spanishy looking”
are found in the Pryor Mountains of Wyoming,
Dittmer explained. According to the website
pryormustangs.org, the Pryor herd is special
because of its Colonial Spanish American
heritage. Having lived in this rugged area for
nearly 200 years, these mustangs are protected
vigorously. The website’s message is straight
forward: “If lost, the herd cannot be restored;
and so its biological viability, together with its
history, must be preserved.”
“They’re a little bit different deal. Everybody wants a Pryor Mustang,” Dittmer said.
“They’ve all got dorsal stripes on their backs.”
The Kiger Mustangs, often dun in color and