The Spanish had referred to
this horse type as Caballo Tigre or Tiger Horses because of their
wild color patterns. The extinct Spanish Jennet was most likely the
ancestor of this breed with its easy four-beat gait and tendency for
elaborate coloring, which was quite popular for a time in Europe. By
the time of the English colonization of the New World, however, the
Tiger patterned horses had begun to lose favor in the face of the
influence of the English Thoroughbred, and many Tiger Horses were
exported to the Canadian colonies as trade goods.
The Native Americans tribes of North America quickly
adapted to life with horses. For them the elaborately patterned
horses became dearly loved and prized. Their devotion to these horse
helped to preserve the Tiger type horse. The Ni Mee Poo (Nez Perce)
Tribe of the Pacific Northwest has been singled out and erroneously
credited with developing the spotted horses found so frequently in
the Northwest. The Ni Mee Poo themselves, however deny
that they developed this breed, but they did love them and traded to
acquire them whenever possible. Tigers figured strongly into their
breeding programs, which were perhaps the finest of any of the
Native American Tribes. Not only did they acquire Tiger horses from
Canadian traders, but Tribal oral history also tells of special
stallions bought from Russian traders, which were pushed off boats,
and swum ashore by tribesmen. Some have felt that because these
horses were obtained from Russian traders, they must have originated
in Russia. Extensive research by historical experts has shown no
evidence of Russian importation of any livestock. It is much more
likely that these "Ghostwind" horses were pure Spanish, obtained by
the Russians from the Spanish in California, where the Russians
established farms. Thus, the breeding programs of the Ni Mee Poo
were heavily influenced by the blood of the horse "Most worthy of
being mounted by a Great King."
The excellence of the Ni Mee Poo
horses, due to the Spanish influence, is recorded in the journal of
Merriweather Lewis, written during the Lewis and Clark expedition in
1804. Lewis wrote: "Some of those horses are pided with large spots
of white irregularly scattered and intermixed with the black, brown,
bay or some other dark color, but much the larger portion are of a
uniform color with stars, snips, and white feet, or in this respect
marked much like our best blooded horses in Virginia, which they
resemble as well in fleetness and bottom as in form and color."
It must be remembered that at the
time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, there was still a strong
influence in the colonies of the British Hobby, and the Narragansett
pacer was quite popular. Both these well known breeds had a strong
Spanish Jennet influence, so it is no wonder that Lewis, himself a
horse breeder, recognized the quality of the Ni Mee Poo herds.
One of the most notable traits
retained by Tiger Horses was the ability to perform an intermediate
four-beat gait, or, as it became known later, the "Indian Shuffle".
This comfortable riding gait was so much easier on horse, rider and
equipment that cowboys would pay as much as $50.00 more for a
"Shuffler", and this at a time when a good broke cowpony would go
for around $30.00.
In 1877, war between the Ni Mee Poo
and the U.S Army brought the conquest and relocation of the Tribe,
and the nearly total dispersal of their huge herds of horses. Many
of the Tiger type horses were still to be found in the Pacific
Northwest, due to the fact that they had been well distributed among
the Native American Tribes by trade, and some ranchers either owned
some, or held portions of the Ni Mee Poo herds against the eventual
return of their rightful owners. In 1938, Claude Thompson, an Oregon
farmer established a registry to preserve the spotted horses
believed to have been developed by the Ni Mee Poo. While the credit
for development of these horses was misplaced, the founding of the
Appaloosa Horse Club did bring attention to these horses, and
prevented their total extinction. Unfortunately, the ApHC embarked
on crossbreeding programs, using Arabian, Thoroughbred, and Quarter
Horse bloodlines, which have all but eliminated the original
characteristics from the Tiger Horse. There have remained, however,
pockets of the original type in Canada, remote areas of the Pacific
Northwest, and in those herds held in trust by ranch families for
the Ni Mee Poo. In addition there have always been breeders who
adhered to "Foundation" breeding, and have regularly produced horses
of the ancient Spanish type and four beat gaits.
In 1994, the Tiger Horse Association
was launched to find, preserve and perpetuate what was left of the
ancient Tiger type horses. The first four years were difficult,
including many personal setbacks for the original Directors, and the
breaking away of a former member who established the unaffiliated
Tiger Horse Registry. Despite the setbacks, the dedication of Tiger
Horse aficionados was firm. In 1998, the Tiger Horse Association
incorporated and is now poised to launch an all out campaign to find
and register as many horses that still resemble the ancient type as
possible, to ensure their survival into the 21st century.
In order to understand exactly what
should be looked for, a comprehensive breed standard was developed
with the invaluable assistance of such experts as Dr. D. Phillip
Sponenberg, Deb Bennet, Ph. D., as well as many members of the Ni
Mee Poo Tribe who contributed oral history to the research. Dr. Gus
Cothran and the University of Kentucky is doing the DNA. work for
the association to assure the proper parentage records and the
genetic health of the Tiger Horse Breed as well as charting the
advances made toward the establishment of a true breed.
As base foundation stock, the Tiger
Horse Association Inc., is actively seeking all horses which display
the Tiger Horse characteristics of Leopard Complex (Appaloosa) color
patterns, an even four beat intermediate gait, and at least some
Spanish conformation characteristics. These horses can come from the
Appaloosa breed, Spanish Mustang, any of the Paso Breeds, Native
American herds, wild horse herds, or some of the less well known
Spanish based breeds, such as the Florida Cracker Horse. In order to
be considered for foundation registration, a video clearly showing
the Tiger Horse characteristics and the four beat gait of the horse,
and a completed registration application, must be submitted to the
Tiger Horse Association Inc., for consideration by the board of
directors and the advisors. All Foundation breeding stock must be
bloodtyped. Once a horse is accepted for registration they are
eligible to participate in the "Tiger in you Tack" awards program. A
Tiger Horse may achieve a Certificate of Merit for accruing 100
points in a Category, and a horse which achieves 100 points in the
Model Category, 100 points in the Road Gait Category and at least
100 points in any other Performance Categories, will earn a
Permanent Championship. This system was put in place to assure that
the Tiger Horse will always be what the Spanish and the Native
Americans knew and loved, a superior, beautiful, working, travel
horse!
All horses accepted for foundation
registration will of course show the ideal combination of
conformation, gait and color. The offspring of registered Tiger
Horses may not all, however, show the color traits. These offspring
are still fully registered Tiger Horses, but they will not be
accepted in the Model Category, therefor they will not be eligible
for a Permanent Championship. Thus, the Permanent Champion horses
will be the ideal toward which all breeders can strive, after
proving not only their color heritage, but their gaited working
ability also. No horse, which does not clearly show an intermediate
four beat gait, will be accepted for registration.
Due to the fact that the ability to
gait has been actively bred out of the Leopard Complex horses, it is
understood by the Tiger Horse Association Inc., that outside gaited
blood must be brought in to strengthen the gaiting ability of Tiger
Horses. The wholesale outcrossing which has been the downfall of so
many other breeds, destroying the very characteristics the breed
organizations were supposed to protect, will not be allowed by the
Tiger Horse Association, Inc. All outcrossing will be one generation
only. Foals from outcross breedings will have the letter O put at
the end of their registration number. These O number horses must be
bred back to a regular registered Tiger Horse or to another O number
horse to produce a registered Tiger Horse. Any further outcrossing
of O number horses will result in the offspring not being accepted
for registration. Tiger Horse breeders who wish to use approved
outcross horses, must submit an outcross approval form, and a video
clearly showing the gait and color of the horse in question to the
Tiger Horse Association Inc. for approval by the board of directors
and advisors.
El Caballo Tigre has a long proud
history which stretches back into the mists of antiquity in Spain,
and, in the New World, changed the course of history for Native
Americans. These smooth riding, colorful horses have come down to
today in sheltered pockets almost unchanged, and the Tiger Horse
Association Inc., exists to ensure that they will survive for future
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