Bay Cerbat stallion with outstanding conformation, consistent with its Spanish ancestry. Apache Trail Ranch
Apple Tree Ranch
4970 South Kansas Settlement Road
Willcox, Arizona 85643
www.angelfire.com/az/xochitl
In the Cerbat Mountain area of northwestern Arizona, there is a small yet distinct herd of Spanish Mustangs that is one of the purest Spanish horse descendants in the United States. Documentation obtained from a pioneer rancher family in 1966, and published in a national magazine that same year, stated the herd was present when the family settled in the area in the 1860s. To their knowledge, no outside blood had ever been introduced. The local Native Americans made no claim upon the horses, stating they had “always been there.”
The most plausible explanation for the presence of the Cerbat herd is the prevailing theory that their ancestors either escaped from, or were lost by, early Spaniards. A study into the history of the area reveals that a number of Spanish expeditions ranged into Arizona, New Mexico, and California. Loss, escape, theft by Apaches, and other means would easily supply the seed stock into the Cerbat area. Blood testing of these horses shows without a doubt that they carry Spanish markers.
Living in an extremely inhospitable environment at an altitude ranging from five to seven thousand feet, the original herd evolved into exceptionally tough, agile horses with extraordinary endurance and survival ability. Their day-to-day lives involved navigating around and through rough boulders, rocks, and brush.
Due to drought conditions in the area in 1971, ranchers began eliminating these historic animals to preserve more water for range cattle, not realizing wild horses will dig for water and thereby open up waterholes for the cattle as well. Much of Arizona land was owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which leased it to the ranchers, who did what they wanted with the horses.
At about that time, a local rancher who apparently regretted the destruction of the horses gave permission to a friend, a veteran Arizona cowboy by the name of Ira Wakefield, to capture and keep the last surviving herd. This small band of horses lived in total isolation at an altitude of seven thousand feet in an exceptionally rough section of the mountains. The land they ran on was owned by the BLM, which at that time had not yet begun the business of adopting out wild horses or managing herds.
Wakefield’s plans for the roundup progressed slowly due to the extreme difficulty in getting vehicles into the rough terrain of the area, but he eventually managed to build an enclosure around the main source of the horses’ water. Less than twenty animals were captured and marked with Wakefield’s brand on the capture site. Then they were brought down to the flatlands where they were issued the required Arizona paperwork. The group was divided among several people with a number of animals going to Washington State.
One stallion and three mares were released by Wakefield into an adjacent mountain range some miles distant from the original capture site. The remaining horses were taken to the Phoenix area and later were moved to Colorado, except for one stallion. He was placed on the Cayuse Ranch in Oshoto, Wyoming, the home of Robert E. Brislawn, founder of the Spanish Mustang Registry.
Distinctive and beautiful Cerbat mare. Some Cerbats are gaited. Apache Trail Ranch
A year later, the small herd that had been turned loose was water trapped, and the foals were removed and brought to Phoenix. The herd consisted of a yearling colt, two yearling fillies, and one weanling filly. All except one yearling filly were purchased by Apache Trail Ranch, which then was located north of Phoenix. Realizing the rarity of these horses, the ranch decided to preserve the genetics by producing a pure breeding herd of Cerbat horses. With just the one colt and the two young fillies, the future was not bright, but with the acquisition of two mares from the Colorado group, the genetic variation was improved.
Regal looking five-year-old Cerbat stallion that is a rare seal brown. Apache Trail Ranch
For many reasons, it is highly probable that this Cerbat herd was one of the purest groups of feral Spanish-descended horses in existence. The area in which the group lived is remote with extremely rough terrain, making the introduction of outside gene sources difficult at best. There is documentation of the horses’ presence prior to the settling of the area by white settlers more than 130 years earlier. There is lack of a Native American claim, and there was an extremely heavy Spanish influx into the Arizona area for hundreds of years.
Genetic blood testing by the University of Kentucky proved the Cerbat horses to be of Spanish descent. Further evidence of their Spanish connection was the fact that a number of these Cerbat horses were laterally gaited, doing a credible “paso” gait, though without the extreme action of their cousins, the Paso breeds. This is not at all surprising, as they carry genes similar to the Peruvian Paso, indicating a common ancestor.
Although the Cerbat’s blood testing showed them to be heavily inbred and from a closed herd situation, like many wild animals in similar situations, apparently all defective genetic material had been bred out. This means that any animals possessing abnormal or imperfect genes were culled naturally, leaving only those with superior qualities designed for survival and reproduction. Additionally, their physical size decreased to adjust to reduced food supply.
In 1990, surprising news arrived: A small herd of horses believed to be descended from the handful of Cerbat horses left behind in 1971 were found in the same Arizona area. A group of eight was water trapped, and blood samples were taken and sent to the University of Kentucky for comparison with those taken from the horses captured in 1971. Although they were even more inbred, they did indeed match up with the 1971 group. It is probable that this newly captured group had no more than five ancestors and no less than three, according to the blood test, therefore making the horses extremely inbred.
The condition of the horses disproved there were any detrimental effects commonly associated with inbreeding. The new Cerbats were healthy, strong, and actually a bit larger than the original group. Lateral gaits were evident in these horses as well, and though undeniably related to the 1971 group, the addition of the new horses to the breeding program was a welcome asset.
Characteristics
Though the 1971 horses were small in size, with only one individual reaching more than 13.2 hands, the succeeding generation leaped in size by more than a hand. This substantiated the theory that their small size was caused by the inhospitable environment in the mountains. Horses that survived the first year of their lives in the mountains remained small, but were extremely healthy and strong. The weanling filly that had been caught and then acquired by Apache Trail Ranch grew to almost 15 hands due to better feed.
Cerbats do not come in any exotic colors. Only bay and chestnut, with an occasional seal brown, seem to be consistent in their genetic inheritance, however, at least 50 percent of these bays and chestnuts are also roans. A rather odd occurrence in the Cerbats is that roan foals are born roan, whereas in many other breeds, roan foals show their roan color only after the shedding of the foal coat.
Cerbat ears are small and curved. The eyes are rather high set. A definite relationship to the old-type Andalusian can be seen in the facial profile.
The chest is not flat between the legs, but is rather narrow in comparison to American breeds and is well “veed” up (inverted V-shaped). Shoulders are laid back, and the heart girth is deep.
Due perhaps to centuries of mountain living or simply their genetic inheritance, their legs and feet are excellent with well-boned legs and thick-walled feet. Backs are short, and hindquarters are sturdy, deep, and powerful. Chestnuts on forelegs are small and smooth, and are extremely small or nonexistent on the rear legs. Ergots are tiny or nonexistent.
Cerbat horses demonstrate outstanding disposition. They are quick to learn, intelligent, and willing, with a penchant for association with humans. Marye Ann Thompson, owner of Apache Trail Ranch, says, “They have the best dispositions of any horses I ever worked with. They are virtually spook-proof and totally sensible. Plus they have more bone than most of the other Spanish Mustangs and seem to pass on their good qualities to their offspring, regardless of what they are bred to, which is really nice.”
As a product of their Spanish inheritance, plus their more recent feral environment, Cerbat horses are tough, hardy, extremely durable animals. One interesting fact is that the resting pulse rate per minute in all individuals tested is rather low—in the thirties—which should be of value in any type of endurance competition. In fact, one-half Cerbat and five-eighths Cerbat horses have proven their capabilities by doing well in competitive and endurance rides as well as in three-day eventing.
Cerbat horses are extremely consistent in reproduction, which is not surprising considering they are so closely akin in genetic makeup. The mares have no difficulty in foaling. The Cerbat mares captured in 1971 produced well into their twenties. Foals are strong at birth and are usually on their feet and nursing within fifteen to twenty minutes, a necessity when living in predator country for generations.
Currently, there are less than fifty purebred Cerbats. Though still limited in numbers in the pure state, the herd has been preserved, and with future expected growth being high, a small number have been made available to a few select owners who wish to continue to breed them.
All Cerbats that are shown are registered with the Spanish Mustang Registry and can also be registered with the Horse of the Americas Registry.
The future looks bright for this distinct Spanish herd that was doomed to extinction more than thirty years ago.
Credit: Marye Ann Thompson