HORSES

In the McCullough Peaks beyond Cody lives a piece of the true West, still roaming free. Herds of wild horses can be seen here, living as they have for hundreds of years, providing people with the rare opportunity for viewing them. On any given day, the horses can be seen grazing, frolicking and fighting. They are majestic to watch and the story of how they came to be here is just as majestic. It is perhaps best told by Ken Martin, who has spent years following the horses and studying their origins.

Large herds of wild horses descending from the Spanish Barb and the North African Andalusian began arriving in the Bighorn Basin area of Wyoming between 1690 and 1735. How these "Spanish Mustangs" ended up in this area is a long story…

Spanish explorers originally brought horses into the Caribbean during the late 1400s and into the Americas during the early 1500s – into areas that are now South America and Mexico. These events marked the return of the horse to the Americas after an absence of roughly 10,000 years or more when their prehistoric ancestors became extinct in North America.

The original horses brought by the Spaniards were no larger than 13 hands high – somewhat smaller than most horses of today. The natives were at first frightened by these animals and referred to them as the "big dog." However, it was ultimately the Native American people, not the Spaniards, who were responsible for the arrival of the horses into what is now the Great Plains area of the United States, including the Bighorn Basin.

Native American tribes, perhaps first the Navajo, eventually came into possession of some of the Spaniard horses in various ways. The event which stands out as the most significant in terms of shaping the widespread distribution of the horse throughout the North American landscape occurred during the late 1600s near the area which is now Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the Pueblo Indians revolted against Spanish control. As a result of this important historical event, the Pueblo Indians were no longer merely the caretakers of horses belonging to the Spaniards, but were instead the riders and owners of the horses. They also began to breed them and trade them with other tribes for furs, blankets and other valuables. In this way, and also as a result of horses getting loose and becoming wild, the horses worked their way northward and eastward – eventually into the Bighorn Basin and beyond.
The horses became a very important part of the lifestyle of the Native American people and forever changed their way of life. They were able to travel farther and into each other's tribal hunting grounds. Unfortunately, along with the good came the bad and warfare often ensued due to the encroachment into new territory.

It is widely accepted that the period of time between 1690 and 1735 was an active time for the arrival of these horses in the Bighorn Basin. This is determined through pictographs. Those dating before 1690 show no horses, and those dating after 1690 do show horses.

And now, three hundred years later, we are blessed to be able to watch these beautiful creatures roaming our lands. Many have been rounded up and sold at auction. Once gentled and put to use at ranches, guest ranches and outfitting businesses, they make wonderful horses. They are usually sure-footed, small and tough. The wild mustangs that have been sold can be identified by numbered brands on their necks.

Many of the wild horses in the McCullough Peaks that we now view are descendants of Buffalo Bill Cody's horses.

When Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show was not active, he would let his horses out east of Cody and in those days the area was not fenced, so his horses would roam all of the Peaks area. When he rounded up his horses for the Wild West Show, he would end up with an extra horse or two and would probably lose a horse or two as well. So through the years, his horses would interbreed with the wild mustangs.

After one of the Bureau of Land Management roundups, a horse purchased at the sale was DNA tested. The DNA test indicated that the horse's bloodline traced back to a horse that the Queen of England had given to Buffalo Bill. The Queen had given him some horses to thank him after a tour in Europe. Thanks to modern technology, we now know for sure that descendants of Buffalo Bill Cody's horses roam the Bighorn Basin.

Ken Martin has lived in Cody since 1972 when he followed his older brother, Jack, out West from Wisconsin. During his tenure in the area he has worn many hats, including physical education teacher at Cody High School, performer with the Cody Country Gunfighters, owner of an athletic apparel shop, and currently manager of three tourism-based businesses: Red Canyon River Trips, Red Canyon Wild Mustang Tours and Yellowstone Wildlife Photo Tours. To get in touch with Ken you can visit his website at www.wildmustangtours.com.