Reply to : Spanish Sage Ranch

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Norm,I just have a few questions on what is posted on your new registry site.First, I recommend that everyone go there and look at the pictures of the Kigers, and the ones from 1996. I firmly believe the increase in the dished head is a new element. And not a Spanish/Iberian trait that should be perpetuated in this breed.According to my conversations with Josh Warburton, he said the Riddle HMA was created in 1986 due to concerns about the potential for a natural disaster to wipe out the Kiger herd if it were all in one place. But your pictures and notes say the Oreana pasture was on the Riddle HMA. Can you clarify?I also have information that the Oreana rim horses, and the Oreana rim, was in the Beattys Butte HMA. Can you clarify that as well.Not questioning the validity, just confused. It could be that Riddle existed in 1976

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Riddle did exist before and in fact "Kiger" Type horses were found there (1975-76) before the Beattys Butte animals were found. Per the documents those original horses were returned to Riddle and the decision was made to maintain Riddle for this type of horse. They were unable to completely clear Riddle of non-spanish type horses so the years up to the early 90s yielded mostly non spanish types being adopted out to clear out the HMA. In the 90s we start seeing the numbers of Kiger type comming off Riddle increasing in the adoption. This is all from the BLM documents. As to the reference to the Oreana pasture in Riddle, this is also straight from the records. We are meeting with BLM this weekend to
discuss and clearify many q?tions still lurking out there. As a personal observation, I have noted a shift away from the goals of the management plan resulting in animals exhibiting undesirable traites for Kiger breed type. They did have an unfortunate experience of an HMA set up for Draft types, they didn't have sufficient water and the horses died of thirst. With this in mind and the small AML numbers for the Kiger HMAs it was decided to have more than one location. It was also noted that Kiger type animals were in pockets in other HMAs and would be a source of genetic diversity in the future through introduction every 4-5 years. The problem with not tracking bands and releasing in a manner that preserved the social dynamics and reducing the probability of incestous breeding they have created a genetic bottle neck and very possible a biologically unsustainable population. In the long haul given the reality of changing government policies and atitudes toward horses on the range the captive breeding programs are the only hope for a sustainable breed. This is predicated on the assumption that all breeders are committed to the preservation of the horse and will breed up to the Kiger breed type definition. Ron Harding had a conversation with an old time rancher who informed him that if he wanted these dun mustangs that were long rumored to exist he should look to the Oreana Rim. When this was rounded up for the inventory and management as required by the Free Roaming Horse and Burro act the afore mentioned horses were in fact found and moved to Smyth Creek/Kiger. We are going to post all the documents we have and are endevoring to get photos from the BLMof all the animals put up for adoption. There is also a book in the works but these efforts take time i.e. years to complete.

Norm