Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Inc.

Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Inc. receives the Humanitarian Award for "unique devotion to humanitarian service, promoting human welfare and advancing social reform" at Emma Willard School's distinguished alumnae award ceremony.  Nancy (far left) accepts the award on behalf of Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, Inc., my husband Eddie (President of CMVHR, Inc.), and our loyal supporters.

Hi.  My name is Hita which means “Little Girl” in Spanish.  My name is Spanish because I’m a Colonial Spanish Horse – America’s first horse.  I am one of only 3,000 of this genetically unique breed left in the world, and am part of a critical preservation effort to save my historically important bloodlines. 

Before arriving at Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue, I lived at Red Road Farm in Morrisville, Vermont under the care of Stephanie Lockhart, a Colonial Spanish horse preservationist, trainer, and manager of Red Road Farm.  Red Road Farm is owned by John Fusco, writer and producer of the movies, Hidalgo, Spirit - Stallion of the Cimarron, Young Guns and Young Gun 2, Thunderheart, and more.  The farm is home to the largest herd of purebred Colonial Spanish Horses in the northeast and devoted to promoting, training and preserving my remarkable breed.  

Efforts to save the Colonial Spanish Horse can be attributed to a select group of individuals throughout history including Frank Hopkins.  John Fusco’s 2004 film, Hidalgo, starring Viggo Mortensen tells the story of Frank Hopkins and his Colonial Spanish Horse “Hidalgo” as they endure a grueling 3,000-mile endurance race across the Arabian Desert.  According to the US Remount service Journal of 1936, Frank Hopkins competed in and won over 400 long distance races, including this legendary ride in 1890 on “Hidalgo”.   The horse who played Hidalgo in the movie is my friend, Oscar, who lives at Red Road Farm.  You can get a chance to meet Oscar at Crane Mountain Valley Horse Rescue’s events.   

Let me give you a little bit of my own history and introduce you to some more amazing people who have dedicated their lives to preserving my breed.  I proudly come from the Baca Chica Farm in New Mexico, where I was born.   The Baca Chica Farm, owned by Joty and Virginia Baca, is an historical place in its own right as the farm sits directly on the Camino Real, America’s first road.  A little trivia:  Did you know the word road is derived from the fact that before there were cars, horses were human’s mode of transportation and guess what, you “rode” us – hence the term “road”. 

The Baca family has received many awards and well-deserved recognition for their efforts to preserve and restore my heritage and my breed.  Stephanie Lockhart at Red Road Farm is the only east coast representative of Baca Chica Farm, and her partnership with the Baca family has been a catalyst in promoting these rare and historic horses in the northeast.  Stephanie invited Eddie and Nancy to form a collaborative partnership to educate the public about the historical importance of the Spanish Colonial Horse and the critical need to ensure our future for generations to come, as well as showcasing our versatility, intelligence, and natural beauty.  The Baca family generously donated me to Crane Mountain to make that partnership possible. 

I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but in order to understand my heritage and historic importance to all horses, I simply must.  I am a combination of great beauty, athletic ability, and am a sensible and capable riding partner.  

I am a rich liver chestnut coloring, with a long mane and forelock.  Doesn’t it give me a very feminine look?  My stunning presence will catch the attention of any horse lover.  I stand at a regal 14.2 hands with long slender legs, a characteristic of my rare bloodlines. 

I am a perfect example of the characteristics of this breed.  I am considered to be the 'southwest' type, leggier and leaner than the northern plains horses of the Native Americans.  My balanced conformation, sloping shoulder and hip angles, short back and well chiseled head with short ears, reveal the qualities which were highly sought after when the King of Spain sent horses of my type with his Spanish armies.  My intelligence, gentle and inquisitive spirit sets my breed apart from today’s modern breeds.  The Colonial Spanish Horse has often been referred to as a horse full of soul and spirituality.

Colonial Spanish Horses were originally brought to the United States by the Conquistadors from Spain in the 1500s during the conquest of the New World.  We were small enough to travel across the ocean by boat and are hardy, sturdy horses that adapt well and thrive on our own in unknown territory.  We are well-known for our endurance and our population grew throughout North America for buffalo running, packing and warfare by native tribes.  Despite our strengths, my breed was considered too small for cavalry work.  That, coupled with our ties to Native American and Mexican cultures, contributed to our decline as we were replaced by larger horses that belonged to the dominant Anglo culture.  A massive decline of my population followed in the 1900s when many of us were shot and killed, to be replaced by modern day breeds.  Today, only a few thousand remain of my genetically unique breed that once numbered in the millions.

In the past 50 to 60 years there have been many dedicated people doing their part to preserve my breed with as pure blood as when the conquistadors brought us to America from Spain. There are only a few of us left with this pure blood, and the preservation efforts are critical.

Colonial Spanish Horses helped to build our country.  For centuries we were the only horses in the Americas and we remain to be the foundation stock for most North American breeds.  If we lose my breed, we lose a piece of our heritage that we’ll never recover.  Our children will only read about us in history books, instead of having the privilege of standing beside us and partnering with us, as the human race has for generations and generations when we first arrived on this continent.  On that note, I’ll turn it over to Eddie….

These horses are our heritage.  This is the bloodline that started all bloodlines.   This breed of horse is what started natural horsemanship.  They partnered with us, lived, laid beside and ate with us, took care of us in battle, and died for us.  Without them, the history of our world would be vastly different.  We owe it to them to preserve the breed, and to us, to preserve our heritage.  To them, we owe great thanks for giving us our heritage.  Don’t let our heritage slip away.  We extend the invitation to join us in our efforts to preserve horsemanship and our natural heritage, by preserving America’s first horse – the Colonial Spanish.

Keep a light rein, and head into the wind.

Edward E. Mrozik, Jr.

To learn more about Red Road Farm, the Baca Chica Farm and the Horse of the Americas, visit the following websites:


www.red-road-farm.com

www.caballosdecolores.com

www.horseoftheamericas.com