THE MUSTANG HORSE

by Barbara Morris Goodin

Mr. Leonard "Black Moon" Riddles, Comanche tribal member from Walters OK, was considered an expert on the mustang horse.  He and his wife Eva (both now deceased) shared their country place with a small herd of mustang, where he raised them on a small scale.  A highly acclaimed artist, his fascination with the mustang carried over into his art work.  He sought out elders for authenticity when drawing the horse, and retained the information to insure the history of the mustang was not lost.

According to Mr. Riddles, there were two versions of  mustang horse.  The short and chunky type was preferred by the Northern tribes, but the Comanche preferred the more slender version.

The five main family groups of mustang were the red paint, black paint, red-ear Medicine Hat, black-ear Medicine Hat and the Appaloosa.  At one time Mr. Riddles' great grandfather owned about 250 Appaloosa horses.  The old-timers referred to all mustangs as "Indian ponies."

Mr. Riddles said there was confusion concerning the Medicine Hat and War Bonnet color phase of the mustang.  The Medicine Hat had a light colored body with dark ears, a shield on the chest, and blotchy flanks, knees and ankles.  The War Bonnet had a distinct bonnet to their eyes in addition to a shield.  Both color phases of the mustang were highly prized by the Indian as Buffalo and War Horses.

On the Medicine Hat, the color of the ears ranged from yellow to orange to red on the red-ear Mustang, and from violet or purple to brown to black on the black-ear mustang.  The knees were blotchy as was the chest, with the color roaning out to white.  The Medicine Hat sometimes had striped hooves, as will a regular paint horse.

Many times Medicine Men were asked to say prayers over and put special markings on a warrior's horse before a big battle or buffalo hunt.  A handprint might be placed on the rump, or circles drawn around the eyes or dots placed on the legs or rump.  Zig zag markings were also used.  These coveted War Horses were sometimes decorated extravagantly with ribbons, feathers and braided manes.  It was custom to split one or both ears on these special horses.

Mustangs are noted for their stamina and endurance.  The early, pure mustang had natural herding instinct and cow-sense.  There are few remaining true specimens of this fine breed that exists today.

The Spanish mustang had many outstanding characteristics.  Foremost was his sensible disposition, agility, alertness and hardiness.  His size (13.3 to 15 hands) and smooth way of traveling were also desirable traits.  His intelligence and ability to learn quickly make him an ideal horse.

One sign of a true mustang is large, bright eyes that showed intelligence, with a great deal of white showing around them.  Their hooves are small and of harder texture than domestic horses, and many never need shoeing.  Roan hairs at the base of the tail and a little gray on the flanks are other true mustang characteristics.

Mr. Riddles served on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Spanish Mustang Association, whose purpose was to restore and preserve the breed.

(IN MEMORY: Mr. Leonard "Black Moon" Riddles, b. 6-28-1918; d. 6-30-2003)