When Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico for the Spanish in 1519 his cavalrymen were mounted on the best blooded horses of the world. Stallions known for their endurance, speed, beauty and grace. As the Spaniards settled, they continued to import these fabulous horses into Mexico, this practice continued on for the next 125 years.
In 1565 the Spanish admiral Pedro Mendez de Aviles imported over 100 horses mainly from the Royal Spanish Ranches in Old Spain. He set up an equine breeding farm (fancy words for horse stud) in a place called Spanish Guale (old fancy words for the place they now call Florida). These horses were renowned world wide and were called Orientals and were predominantly Barbs in other words of mainly Arabian blood. This cross was exactly that of THE Godolphin Arabian. The Chickasaw Indians began trafficking these horses north to trade with the colonists (fancy word for Americans) in Carolina.These horses became known as Chickasaws, they were sensible saddle horses, top cow horses and were extremely fast.
They were agile, built like the proverbial, easily recognized and rarely grew to over 14 hands.
The Indians were lovers of horse racing, in particular Chief Mad Dog had a very popular strain of Chickasaws. So the horses which were raced through the streets of towns in the Carolinas and Virginia in the 1600s were not scrub Indian ponies as is commonly suggested, but they were in fact line bred Barbs.
Meanwhile down South things weren't going too well. In 1680 the Mexican tribes revolted against the Spanish destroying everything including those fine Spanish ranches, eating their cattle and pigs and turning the horses loose.
Being expensive and comparatively scarce, practically every horse was breeding stock, hardly any were geldings, they swept northward into America and in the 100 years that followed it is estimated that they multiplied to 1,500,000 head. To an extent they became in-bred, but also tough, hardy creatures gaining a surety of foot and instinct for survival. These Chickasaw ponies became the foundation mares for the famous American Quarter Horse.
In 1752 a little Stallion was imported from England to Virginia for the sole purpose to enrich the blood of distance runners on the colonial tracks. . . . . his name was Janus. read on.
