SORRAIA MUSTANG STUDBOOK
The SORRAIA MUSTANG STUDBOOK (SMS) has been established to record available data of as many Sorraia-type mustangs as possible, keep track of these horses, and encourage selective breeding for this type, as a means to help preserve the subspecies. The SMS does not rival any other mustang registry, and does register horses strictly on phenotype, regardless of the BLM Herd Management Areas they were captured in, or other mustang registries they may have already been registered with.
At this point, free registration is available and consists of data-recording only; no papers issued. Issueing of registration certificates optional, at $30.-per horse.
If you are a mustang owner and feel your horse(s) may qualify, please write to the SMS, sending in five color photographs: 1 direct sideview from each side, 1 front view, 1 headshot directly from one side (if necessary, take forelock out of the way to ensure clear view of profile), at least one shot that clearly shows the front leg stripes; at least 1 of the photos must show dorsal stripe. If applicable, send also BLM number and BLM Herd Management Area incl. state (or registration number of other mustang registry, if the horse does not have a BLM-number), and provide the following data: name, sex, year of birth, height at withers, name and address of owner and phone number. Should the horse have a white marking not recognizable in the photos, please specify, or include close-up photo.
The SMS provides the following divisions for mustangs showing Sorraia characteristics: Permanent, Foundation, and Tentative. Permanent is reserved for mustangs which absolutely resemble the Sorraia horse in color and conformation; Foundation status is for horses which resemble the Sorraia, but lack in minor details, such as a small white marking, or a less than ideal profile; Tentative is for individuals which fall short significantly in one way or another, but can still be expected to make a valuable contribution (i. e. producing horses eligible for Foundation status) because they possess many of the characteristics.
Horses are assessed based on conformation, color, movements if possible, and bloodlines.
Send your application to:
SORRAIA MUSTANG STUDBOOK
Othmaringhausen
58553 Halver
Germany
oehorse@t-online.de
SORRAIA CHARACTERISTICS
SMS STANDARD OF PERFECTION
The purpose of the Sorraia Mustang Studbook is the conservation of those special individuals among America's mustangs which represent in type the indigenous wild horse of southern Iberia, today known as Sorraia horse. Therefore, the Standard of Perfection, and any evaluation of the phenotype of Sorraia Mustangs, must be based solely on the typical conformation, color, and other characteristics of the Sorraia horse:
Conformation
General: Refined, not coarse or heavy-boned. A horse of long lines and built "uphill".
Size: Approx. 14 to 14,3 hands.
Head: Profile more or less convex – a curved line from poll to nostrils without any indentations. Forehead usually somewhat domed and fairly narrow. Head narrow from front and side view. Face rather long. Small and refined muzzle. Ears of medium length or long, only slightly curved. Eyes set rather high – very large, protruding eyes are atypical.
Neck: Of good length, with a clean throatlatch. Slim in individuals of normal condition, crested in fat individuals, sometimes ewe-necked.
Withers: Prominent and long, reaching far into the back, typically higher than the rear end.
Back: Straight; of medium length; back bone visible in individuals of rather lean condition.
Chest: Narrow from a front view, deep from a side view.
Barrel: Narrow.
Hip/Rump: Rafter-shaped, looking melon-shaped in well-fed horses, protruding hip bones readily showing in lean horses. Hip of medium length, sloping but not dropping. Medium tail set.
Legs: Long, with round, fairly long cannon bones and long pasterns. Hooves are of medium size with tendency toward mule-footedness. Very little, if any, fetlock hair.
Muscling: Long and smooth.
Color
Always grulla or regular dun (no red dun), typically a light or medium shade. Face/muzzle dark, and dark around the eyes. A mealy mouth is not acceptable. Ears are outlined black in front and back, with whitish rim; tipped black on backside, sometimes also striped on backside. Fawn-colored tuft inside ear. Bi-colored mane and tail = the black middle part is fringed by light-colored hair that is often almost white. A dorsal stripe must be present; cobwebbing on forehead, zebra stripes on legs, neck stripes, shoulder stripes, and fishbone markings on the back are all desirable, although not always present. White markings are atypical and undesirable.
Note: Mares of different color, but showing all the other characteristics of the Sorraia, may still be eligible for Foundation or Tentative division.
Haircoat
Finer in texture than northern primitive horses. The forelock is often sparse, sometimes non-existent. The hair structure creates the appearance of stripes ("barring") on neck/chest. Newborn foals often have a zebra-like pattern all over, created by the lay of the hair.
Action
Free, ground-covering, long-strided movements, especially a flowing, lofty trot, noticeable knee action. Great flexibility in neck, spine, and legs. Even when excited, the tail is raised rarely more than level; these horses usually do not raise their tails up perpendicularly, let alone laying them over their rump when excited, like Arabians tend to do.
Sorraia stallion in Portugal with typical conformation, showing the free, ground-covering movement these horses typically have
The typical rafter hip of the Sorraia, visible in animals of medium
and poor condition
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Some say the SMS is just a color registry. Is that true?
Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is correct that Sorraias come in grulla and regular dun only (no red duns), the color is only one characteristic that has to be met. Sorraias are of a unique conformation, so for SMS registration, conformation is at least as important as is color. The way a horse moves is also a criteria, as is how it holds its tail.
Is it true that Sorraias originally came in all colors and have been selectively bred to be grullas and duns?
We have to rely here on the work of DR. RUY D'ANDRADE, a well-respected Portuguese scientist. He was the one who discovered the Sorraia in 1920, he was the one who selected those individuals to which all of today's Sorraias go back. According to him, the color of this horse is grulla or dun. He had no intention to create a color breed, or any new breed; his intention was to preserve the Sorraia as a remnant of a truly wild horse population, and the primitive ancestor of the Andalusian/Lusitano horse. Also, it could be proved through DNA tests that the horses he selected actually have a unique status. Chroniclers many centuries before d'Andrade have already and always described the Iberian wild horse as grulla.
So, no - Sorraias never came in all colors. Theirs is the color of the South Iberian wild horse: grulla, resp. dun.
Is it the position of the SMS that there are still mustangs around which are pure Sorraia?
No. After centuries of unrestricted interbreeding in the wild, it would be unresonable to assume for any mustangs to be pure this or pure that. However, mustangs of Sorraia phenotype aren't what they are by chance. The DNA study proved the existence of Sorraia blood among the mustangs, and the fact that many of the Sorraia-type mustangs "breed true", i. e. pass on reliably their characteristics, proves that they aren't just freaks, i. e. similar in phenotype by some chance – they actually must also be similar in genotype.
Here are some reasons why we still have Sorraia-type mustangs:
1) The natural qualities of the Sorraia horses equipped them to survive better in a wild state on the American continent than horses of other origins, at least as far as prairie, semi-desert, and desert regions are concerned – a survival of the fittest.
2) Another reason is that animals of a certain kind, especially primitive ones, will instinctively prefer partners of the same kind to mate with if they have a choice. The vast and remote regions of the American West provided an environment for wild horses that allowed for groups of certain kinds to more or less stay together. This held true until recent times: When the BLM started to take stock and round up the wild horses in their efforts to manage the public lands, they found herds or bands of horses that were similar in type and even in color.
3) The primitive genes may somehow be stronger, because they are Mother Nature's own recipe. Remnant populations of wild animals show a surprising ability to retain their type and color in spite of interbreeding pressure from surrounding domestic animals of the same species. That's why populations of mustangs of a primitive type could have retained their characteristics in spite of some of their interbreeding with other mustangs – there remained a nucleus of horses which still possessed most or all of the characteristics.
By starting breeding programs based on mating Sorraia-type mustangs to Sorraia-type mustangs, the Sorraia genotype will be strengthened and rehabilitated, and other genes will be bred out. Thus, a population of Sorraia Mustangs can be revitalized and reinstated, consisting of horses of good Sorraia phenotype and genotype.
Is the Sorraia-type mustang the only true Spanish mustang, or Spanish type, like some say it is?
The typical Sorraia horse differs in type from the general run of Andalusians and Lusitanos, the Iberian man-made breeds. The latter combine traits of several types of horses, and have been selected toward a certain man-made ideal. However, many Lusitanos and some Andalusians still show Sorraia characteristics. It is only logical though that a mustang which looks like an Andalusian or Lusitano must also be called a Spanish type.
It so happens though that certain characteristics of the Sorraia have been declared by some people as non-Spanish, like the narrow head, ears that are not "hooked", the narrow chest, the medium-length back, the tail that is not set particularly low. It is ignorant and even irresponsible to declare the most original and primitive Iberian horse to be of non-Spanish type. Besides, some of the aforementioned criteria aren't even typical for Spanish horses. In other words, most Andalusians and Lusitanos don't have a particularly low tail set, and they do have a rather narrow head, and many don't have hooked ears.
With all the discussions about what Spanish type is, and all the arguments one way or another, the Sorraia's conformation type provides an objective parameter, a breeding goal, a standard of perfection not formulated by Man, but determined by Mother Nature – by Iberia's natural environment.
SORRAIA MUSTANG STUDBOOK
(Except for the Permanent horses, the horses listed and shown below are just examples; these are just a fraction of the horses registered,)
PERMANENT DIVISION
P1 Toledo Titmouse
stallion, grullo, born 5-19-2000
Sire: Polvorinho 963, Sorraia;
Dam: Misty Jo SMS F16, by Chato's Shadow SMS T53, out of Mountain Mist SMS F15
Good type, good withers; fair bi-coloring, subconvex profile, decent leg stripes, good shoulder stripes. Tendency for lateral gait.
Breeder: Hardy Oelke, 58553 Halver-Othmaringhausen, Germany
Owner: currently not on record
P2-SS Sundance Sulphur's Rizada
mare, dun, born 1999
Sire: Sampson, SS
Dam: Blossom, SS
Excellent profile, ears, over-all conformation. 14hh as a 2-year-old; very good stripes, dorsal stripe with sawtooth markings, shoulder cross, indistinct fishbone markings set off from dorsal stripe, some cobwebbing, bi-coloring could be stronger.
Breeder: Leo and Kathleen Campbell, Idaho Falls, ID
Owner: Nield, Naylene, Cedar City, UT 84720, 435-865-0454
P3 Unica
mare, grulla, born 6-23-2001
Sire: Polvorinho 963, Sorraia
Dam: Misty Jo SMS F16, by Chato's Shadow SMS T53, out of Mountain Mist SMS F15
Good type, good stripes.
Breeder: Hardy Oelke, 58553 Halver-Othmaringhausen, Germany, oehorse@t-online.de
P4 Xácara
mare, grulla, born 5-18-2003
Sire: Saloio 995, Sorraia
Dam: Misty Jo SMS F16, by Chato's Shadow SMS T53, out of Mountain Mist SMS F15
Good type
Breeder: Hardy Oelke, 58553 Halver-Othmaringhausen, Germany, oehorse@t-online.de
Owner: Monika Lehmenkühler, Lindlar-Reudenbach, Germany
P5 Chispalita de Mayo
mare, dun, born 5-1-2002
Sire: Silver Bullet SMS F50, Kiger
Dam: Steens Maria SMS F87, Kiger
Excellent type, including convex profile, good color, good bi-coloring, good size.
Breeder: Diane Pinney, Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR, 916-717-3755; 541-548-9624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
P6 Little Spanish Annie
mare, grulla, born 1998
Sire: Montar, Pryor Mountain #PR-45-23-S
Dam: Little Orphan Annie SMS F94, Pryor Mountain.
Good type, although a little stocky: good color, including shoulder stripes, good leg stripes, and bi-coloring; good size.
Breeder: Dale and Daphne Hartman, P.O. Box 453, Lovell, Wyoming 82431, 307-548-6818, dhartman@tctwest.net
P7 Angelina d’ Oro
mare, dun, born 5-11-2004
Sire: SMS F50 Silver Bullet, Kiger
Dam: SMS F89 Zottara, Steens Mountain
Good color, good size; leg stripes partly reddish instead of black/brown.
Breeder/owner: Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR, 916-717-3755; 541-548-9624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
P8 Sovina’s Zorita
mare, grulla, born 2002
Sire: Sovina 995 (Sorraia)
Dam: Tia F1
Very good type, except profile, which is rather straight. Good bi-coloring, no white.
Breeder: Erin Gray. Owner: Kevin Droski & Lynne Gerard, Box 611, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Canada, Ravenseyrie@xplornet.com
P9 Sora Sonora (KMA 0305-P)
mare, grulla, born 1997
Sire: Kiger's Cherokee Diamond
Dam: Tigress (Kiger of Mount Shasta X Kitten, from Sheepshead HMA, owner Manford Isley)
Good profile; good dorsal stripe; shoulder and neck marks; bi-coloring could be better. Advanced from Foundation Nov. 09, based on conformation and produce. mtDNA-type D1.
Breeder: Manford Isley, Joseph, OR, Owner: Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR 916-717-3755; 541-548-0624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
P10-SMR (yet unnamed)
mare, grulla, born 2006
Sire: Troubleshooter SMR (Appaloosa-colored)
Dam: Mirage F38
Decent stripes. Advanced from Foundation upon inspection in 2009.
mtDNA-type D1
Breeder: Sharron Scheikofsky, 27003 SF Hwy 89, Hot Springs, SD 57747, 605-745-4883
P11 (yet unnamed)
mare, grulla, born 2007
Sire: Chato’s Shadow
Dam: Mountain Mist
Good type. Full sister to Mirage F38.
mtDNA-type D1
Breeder/owner: Sharron Scheikofsky, 27003 SF Hwy 89, Hot Springs, SD 57747, 605-745-4883
P12-K Salamander
stallion, dun, born 2008
Sire: Silver Bullet F50
Dam: Steens Maria F87
Kiger. Good type, good profile, good bi-coloring.
Breeder/owner: Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR, 916-717-3755; 541-548-9624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
P13 Encantara
mare, grulla, 2009
Sire: Altamiro (Sorraia)
Dam: Belina F132
Excellent type, very good dun markings (neck and shoulder stripes).
Breeder/owner: Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve, Kevin Droski & Lynne Gerard, Box 611, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Canada, Ravenseyrie@xplornet.com
P14 Segura
mare, grulla, 2009
Sire: Altamiro (Sorraia)
Dam: Sovina's Zorita P8
Very good type and color.
Breeder/owner: Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve, Kevin Droski & Lynne Gerard, Box 611, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Canada, Ravenseyrie@xplornet.com
FOUNDATION DIVISION
F4-K 0732 Eclipse
mare, grulla, born 1996
Sire: wild
Dam: F3-K 0717
Captured 1996 in Kiger HMA
Very good type, although head profile not ideal; some white hair on forehead.
Adopter: Linda Meeh, West Linn, OR
F11 Maggie May
mare, grulla, born 1996
Sire: Kiger Diamond Rio 89007186
Dam: May 91544111, Nevada mustang mare
Good type, although rear end a bit too stocky, okay head profile, no white except few white hairs on forehead, dark face.
Breeder: Dean Parker, Athena, OR, owner: Alan Wernsing, Athena, OR
F38-SMR Mirage
mare, grulla, born 1998
Sire: Chato's Shadow
Dam: Mountain Mist
Some white hairs on forehead. Excellent type; would be Permanent without the white hairs.
Owner/breeder: Sharron Scheikofsky, Box 138, Pringle, SD 57747
F50-K Silver Bullet
stallion, light grullo, born 1999
Sire: Kiger's Diamond Rio
Dam: Kiger Katie
Good profile, very good color, tiny star.
Breeder: Manford Isley, owner: Diane Pinney, Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR, 916-717-3755; 541-548-9624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
F55-Silver Swan (SMR 2478)
mare, grulla, born 1990
Granddaughter of Jack Slade
Dam: Little Mex (?)
14,3 hands. Very small star and very small snip, no other white. Little bi-coloring. Good type, good profile. Gaited. Dam of Bonita and Silver Fox.
Owner: Susan Watt / Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary
PO Box 998, Hot Springs, South Dakota 57747, 605-745-7494 or 605-745-5955
F58 Amigo's Smoking Millennium
mare, grulla, born 2-20-2000
Sire: Amigo's Smokin Gun (Kiger X Sulphur cross, now gelded)
Dam: Tia SMS F1-SS 0626
Good conformation; good color and bi-coloring.
Breeder: Erin Gray, Nature's Mustangs, Mulino, OR 97042
Owner: Ronald Castillo, 170 Devilla Trace, Fayettevile, Georgia 30214
F60-K Mountain Evening Mist
mare, grulla, born 2000
Sire: unknown (wild)
Dam: Kiger Mountain Spirit, SMS F44-K
Good color, good stripes, good bi-coloring; good type.
Breeder: Ron and/or Helen Lander, 38491 S. Nowlens Brdg Rd. Molalla, OR 97038
F69-K Kiger's Cherokee Diamond
stallion, dun, born 1991
KMA 0146-W, BLM 91009120. Adopted October 1993 from Kiger Range.
Good type, okay profile, 14,3 hh; no white, some bi-coloring.
Owner: Karisma Kigers, Janet Mendez & Jillian Cook, P.O. Box 1019 Madras, Oregon 97741
F73-K Sorraia Songbird
mare, grulla, born April 2000
Sire: Kiger Medici, BLM 95010733
Dam: Stands With A Fist, BLM 87007135
Good type, looks like she is getting a somewhat con-vex profile; good bi-coloring, thin dorsal stripe, some leg stripes, no white markings
Owner: Kimberly Stachurski, 1201 S. Blaine St., Newberg, OR 97132
F101-K Quicksilver Wind („BubbaDusty“)
stallion, grullo, born 2003
Sire: Silver Bullet SMS F50, Kiger
Dam: Sora Sonora SMS F51, Kiger
Very good type, very good profile. Has star and one white heel, would otherwise be Permanent.
Breeder: Diane Pinney, Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR, 916-717-3755; 541-548-9624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
F 146 K Nieta de Sombre („Ciente“)
2005 grulla mare, sire: Shelby, by Nieto de Sombre (Kiger Don Sombre x Rubie), out of Kiger Cispa; dam: Bit o’Honey, by Casper (T 23 Steens Kiger Silverado x Kiger Cispa), out of Kiger Sierra Myst (WLM Kiger Geronimo x Kiger Quail). Good Sorraia type with rather straight profile. Breeder: Bill and Sophia Hill, Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada. Owners: Kevin Droski & Lynne Gerard, Box 611, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Canada, resp. 1429 Scotland Road, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Ravenseyrie@xplornet.com
F162-K Donovan
stallion, grullo, born 2008
Sire: Silver Bullet F50-K, Kiger
Dam: Sora Sonora P9
Kiger stallion. Good type, decent profile, good color, including bi-coloring, decent stripes, weak dorsal. Would be Permanent if it weren't for minimal white on bulb of left hind foot.
Breeder: Spanish Sage Ranch, P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR 916-717-3755; 541-548-0624, www.spanishsageranch.com, SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
F172 Animado
stallion, grullo, born 2008
Sire: Altamiro (Sorraia)
Dam: Bella F122
Very good type and color. White coronet band on right hind foot, would otherwise easily be Permanent.
Owner/breeder: Ravenseyrie Sorraia Mustang Preserve, Kevin Droski & Lynne Gerard, Box 611, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Canada, Ravenseyrie@xplornet.com
F 185 SMR Silver Shadow’s Star
2006 grulla mare. Sire: Silver Shadow F 20, dam: Chato’s Star T 54. Good type, no white, somewhat dark in color. Breeder: Sharron Scheikofsky, owner: Petra Masa, Obmettman 1-2, 40822 Mettmann, 02058-87720, 0162-6777399, sorraia-mustang@web.de
BREEDERS INDEX
Auer, Sandra
Am Grasfeld 6, 85395 Wolfersdorf, Germany
+49-8168-99 70 07 or +49-8752-86 90 57
Caballo de Destinos, Sharron Scheikofsky & Dave Reynolds
RR1, Box 131 A, Hot Springs, SD 57747, 605-745-4883
Home of Silver Shadow SMS F20
Carnahan Ranch
Fort Laramie, WY 82212, 307-837-2917
Dalke, Karen
W 4250 Hoefs Rd, Seymour, WI 54165
Home of Tejo II, Sorraia stallion
Hammer, Jeff & Helena
P.O.Box 582, Tyrone, NM 88065, 505-388-1270
Hartmann, Dale & Daphne
Lovell, WY 82431
Kirk, John & Isa
Plenty Star Spanish & Sorraia Mustangs
P.O. Box 106, Pringle, SD 57773, 605-673-3012
Lander, Ron & Helen
38491 S. Nowlens Brdg. Rd., Molalla, OR 97038,
503-829-8002, or 503-873-6921
Petra Masa
Obmettman 1-2, 40822 Mettmann, Germany, +49-2058-87720
McDonald, Scott & Linda
P.O.Box 141, Ukiah, OR 97880, 541-427-3950
Nield, Naylene
Cedar City, UT 84720
435-865-0454 home, 435-590-2193 cell
Oelke, Hardy
Sorraias and Sorraia Mustangs
Othmaringhausen, 58553 Halver, Germany, +49-2353-2304
Olson, Sheri & Mike, „Soul of Sorraia“
8501 Red Fox Rd, Cheyenne, WY 82009
307-778-7119
Spanish Sage Ranch, Diane Pinney
P.O. Box 1631, Redmond, OR
916-717-3755, 541-548-9624
SpanishSageRanch@earthlink.net
Home of Silver Bullet, SMS F50
Susan Watt / Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary
605-745-7494 or 605-745-5955
PO Box 998, Hot Springs, South Dakota 57747 iram@gwtc.net
Leitner, Manuela
Toelzer Str. 16, 83703 Gmund am Tegernsee, Germany
leitner_manuela@web.de
Jeanie Langley, Kittyhawk Kigers and Mustangs
26591 Ferguson, Junction City, OR 97448
(541)-998-5381
Lynne Gerard & Kevin Droski, Ravenseyrie
Box 611, Gore Bay, Ontario P0P 1H0, Canada
Home of Altamiro, Sorraia stallion
Ealy, Anastasia
RN Sangre de Cristo Ranch HC 65, Box 203, Chamisal, NM 87521
