Friday, January 30, 2009

American Sulphur Horse Association

In 2003, the American Sulphur Horse Association was formed out of frustration with the current Sulphur Horse Registry. The people that had  gotten involved with the Sulphur horses were only after preserving and promoting the Spanish type of Sulphur horse that is most commonly ( but can be found elsewhere on the Mountain Home Range) found east of Mountain Home Peak on the Mountain Home Range which is encompassed on the Sulphur Springs Herd Management Area (HMA). Not all horses on the Sulphur HMA are made the same. The horses to the very far south of the HMA are a drafty type of horse that comes mostly in bay and also grey. Grey is NOT a color that is found among the Spanish or even mixed Spanish Sulphur horses. Therefore, it is safe to assume that due to conformational differences as well as color differences that those two groups do not mix. 

The reason why another registry was formed is that the Sulphur Horse Registry(recently renamed as the SulphurSprings Horse Registry) registers all Sulphur horses found on the HMA. Thereby not preserving and promoting the Spanish horses that are found further north on the Mountain Home Range as well as not having a registry and a support group for those people who strictly want to preserve the Iberian horses found on the HMA. By not selecting for Spanish type and breeding any Sulphur (whether they are Spanish, mixed, or not Spanish at all) is effectively destroying the genetic treasure of the Spanish Sulphur horse; the mount of the Spaniards in Golden California. It is therefore, critical to preserve these rare horses through selective breeding practices and becoming educated on what true Spanish type is.

For more information please post and I will do my best to answer your questions. 

The link to the ASHA is: American Sulphur Horse Association

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