Healthy horse standing in pasture with environmental water conservation symbols, promoting sustainable horse keeping practices.
My Horse is Not Who I Thought She Was!
Horse drinking water from a trough at a horse farm, promoting sustainable land management practices and healthy horse care.

Some of you may have read my blog back in September about Stellar, the mustang who adopted me, and whom I in turn adopted permanently. In January, I mentioned I was going to send a hair sample from Stellar for DNA testing, and I did.

Well, I received a surprise—the cavalry has arrived!

For the most part, mustangs are thought to be descendants of horses brought to North America by early Spanish explorers. Stellar looks to me like a Quarter Horse, draft pony mix, but with her beautiful long mane and tail I figured she had some Spanish blood in there somewhere.

I recently learned about equine genetic testing for horses, where DNA testing is used to determine ancestry. I eagerly sent in 30-50 mane hairs, complete with hair follicles, then sat back awaiting the results. How amazing a thing it is to have a peak into my calm and kind mare’s ancestry! Stellar’s genetic debut revealed something far different than I expected: Selle Français, Hackney, and Holsteiner.

Stellar the mustang horse working on desensitization techniques in a round pen

When I spoke with the researcher at the Texas A&M Lab where I submitted the test, he explained a few things to me, since I wasn’t familiar with Selle Français and was quite curious about her Hackney and Holsteiner parts. He referred to Selle Français as “French Thoroughbred,” and said they are the genetic backbone of a lot of working horse breeds, including many of today’s Quarter Horses. He also made it clear that all three of Stellar’s breeds were imported from Europe to the New World as workhorses (he said Hackneys were used as carthorses). Furthermore, he told me the US Cavalry heavily used all three breeds.

Stellar grew up in Wyoming in the Adobe Town Horse Management Area, which in the 1800s had several military posts and forts nearby. I picture her great-great-great grand parents pulling heavy, military wagons, and helping to build forts or railroads.

Based on Stellar’s DNA typing, my mustang has impressive bloodlines of hard-working relatives in her background, surprisingly Northern European, and not at all Spanish. I wonder if that means Stellar and I have a future in carthorse driving?

On another note, grazing season is almost here! I’m super excited for spring, and all of the great classes and farm tours coming up. Check out our blog on rotational grazing tips and join us at one of the upcoming events; see in person how you can enhance your place and help your horses thrive this year.

Alayne

Picture of Alayne Blickle
Alayne Blickle
Alayne Blickle is a lifelong equestrian, ranch riding competitor, and the creator and director of Horses for Clean Water. Well-known for her enthusiastic, down-to-earth approach, Blickle is an educator who has worked with horse and livestock owners since 1990, teaching manure composting, pasture management, mud and dust control, water conservation, chemical use reduction, fire preparedness, and wildlife enhancement.  Blickle and her husband raise and train their mustangs and quarter horses at their eco-sensitive guest ranch, Sweet Pepper Ranch, in sunny Nampa, Idaho.
Picture of Alayne Blickle
Alayne Blickle
Alayne Blickle is a lifelong equestrian, ranch riding competitor, and the creator and director of Horses for Clean Water. Well-known for her enthusiastic, down-to-earth approach, Blickle is an educator who has worked with horse and livestock owners since 1990, teaching manure composting, pasture management, mud and dust control, water conservation, chemical use reduction, fire preparedness, and wildlife enhancement.  Blickle and her husband raise and train their mustangs and quarter horses at their eco-sensitive guest ranch, Sweet Pepper Ranch, in sunny Nampa, Idaho.

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