CVHA UELN number: 840043
The California Vaquero Horse Association
"The Spanish horse that helped shape California"
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Does the California Vaquero Horse Association accept all Sulphur horses?
Catarina Sforza de España Antigua owned by Tracy P.
What kind of horse does the CVHA accept? For many, this has been a confusing topic because the BLM considers all Sulphur horses to be of Spanish type. When the CVHA came around to support the classical Spanish type horses, this discluded many Sulphurs that the BLM still considers Spanish. This disregards the fact that Dr. Sponenberg (on the board of the Livestock Conservancy) and Dr. Cothran (equine geneticist) consider only a very small portion of the current herd, of over 700 (last count since 2015) to be Spanish at all. This is why the California Vaquero Horse Association was created in 2010, because we felt the need for a specific registry for those few special horses coming off the HMA or domestically born to have support and official recognition as old Iberian horses. Not only that, but the California Vaquero Horse Association recognizes, promotes and is proud of the history and heritage of our classic Spanish type Sulphurs. This can be further read about in the, History of the horses section with references if you'd like to look into their history into more detail.
Accepted, Both Wild and Domestic
In August 2014, they gathered around 30 horses from the Sulphur Springs HMA. About three horses exhibited classic Spanish sulphur phenotype. But it wasn't until February of 2015 that we saw some exquisite classical Spanish type Sulphurs. It was reported that 103 horses were gathered and sadly, about five exhibited the classical Spanish phenotype of the original segregated herd. More tragic, three of those horses were stallions, all gelded and one perished from the process. Three high quality horses, one gone and two others unable to help keep their critically endangered breed alive. This is what happens when people are uneducated about an animal and are unaware of their conformation type and even more so, when we have horses that fit the original type that are not segregated from other non or mixed Spanish herds on their own land to sustain our precious wild old Iberian herd. This is why claiming their heritage as California's horse that not only helped establish the state but claiming their proven genetic and phenotype as a true old Iberian horses is so important. Without recognition, these horses will disappear and remain as only paintings and old photos in our history books. What better way to cherish and honor the original California Vaquero horseman than to keep a semi-wild herd, segregated in their original home on the lands of San Diego, CA, but also have the horses that were gathered, gentled and loved on our own lands? In order to distinguish our old Iberian sulphur herd from the other herds, the name, the California Vaquero Horse was chosen by popular vote in, the California Riding magazine, of May of 2010. By naming these noble horses, the California Vaquero Horse, we not only distinguish them uniquely as California's old Iberian horse, but we help conserve them on the HMA by giving them a distinct and historically correct name and preserve them in our breeding programs.
Please visit the History of the Horses and also, if you have a horse from the Sulphur Springs HMA that you feel would qualify as a classical type Spanish horse, visit our registration page. It costs no money to apply and have your horse looked at, but do please follow the registration guidelines. Also, have a look at our conformation page that follows the conformation of the original herd and also, 'This is the Spanish Horse' by Juan Llamas.