| When Paloma arrived at the barn, which was | | | | A particular herd of pure Spanish mustangs |
| accustomed to warmbloods, she drew a crowd of | | | | was discovered by the Bureau of Land |
| people who were waiting to see in person what | | | | Management (BLM) in 1977 and separated to |
| a real mustang looked like. Curiosity turned | | | | preserve their purity of traits. These horses |
| to even greater intrigue when her owner said | | | | are known as the Kiger mustangs. To be |
| that she was a "Spanish" mustang, not the | | | | considered a Kiger, according to the Kiger |
| feral mustang that roams free in the west. | | | | Mesteño Association, a horse must be the |
| The timing was an interesting coincidence as | | | | offspring of a registered Kiger or have |
| most of the boarders had seen the movie | | | | documented proof it was obtained from one of |
| "Hidalgo," in which the equine star plays a | | | | the Kiger herd management areas. |
| Spanish mustang. | | | | Additionally, Kiger mustangs carry the breed |
| | | | color traits, which include dun and gruel, |
| The Spanish mustang is a descendant of the | | | | among others, along with markings such as |
| horses brought to the Americas by the early | | | | dorsal stripe, zebra stripes or facial mask. |
| Spaniards. On his second voyage to the New | | | | |
| World, Columbus brought a number of Spanish | | | | By contrast, the American mustang is the |
| horses, as the breed was considered to be the | | | | descendant of escaped light riding horses and |
| finest horses in the world. | | | | draft horses, mixed with the Spanish bred and |
| | | | others. In general, these horses are thought |
| In the 1950s, because they were on the verge | | | | to have little-to-no remaining Spanish blood. |
| of extinction, an effort to preserve the | | | | |
| Spanish mustang type began through the | | | | Charged with the oversight of wild mustangs |
| selection of horses that best demonstrated | | | | and burros is the BLM, which manages wild |
| the Spanish mustang breed characteristics. As | | | | horses and burros on the public land in a |
| a result, the Spanish Mustang Registry was | | | | "multiple use" mission that considers natural |
| incorporated in 1957. "This registry was | | | | resources and uses such as ranch livestock |
| formed to preserve and perpetuate the last | | | | grazing. The BLM monitors herds for health |
| remnants of the true Spanish mustangs," | | | | and population size and offers individual |
| according to the Registry. Twenty horses were | | | | animals for adoption. Since 1973, BLM placed |
| originally entered into the registry, and | | | | more than 213,000 horses and burros in homes |
| current numbers show about 3100. | | | | through its adoption program. In 2005, |
| | | | Congress enacted a new law to maintain herds |
| Like the Spanish mustang breed classification | | | | at healthy population levels that requires |
| describes, Paloma was just under 14 hands, | | | | BLM to place for sale horses and burros older |
| with short strong canon bones and round, | | | | than age 10 or for whom adoption has failed |
| muscular hindquarters. But her most | | | | three times. According to BLM, this affects |
| outstanding trait that caught everyone's | | | | approximately 8400 horses and burros. |
| admiration was her classic Spanish head with | | | | |
| concave forehead and convex nose. Her noble | | | | Formerly wild mustangs have found success in |
| head was set on a fully crested arching neck, | | | | new homes. J.B. Andrews, a large black |
| and she looked like a baroque horse, such as | | | | mustang, has successfully competed in |
| the Andalusian or Lipizzaner. | | | | dressage to Intermediare I while schooling at |
| | | | the Grand Prix level. |