When I first heard the term “Spanish Mustang” I made the all too common mistake of assuming people were talking about BLM Mustangs, but when I was encouraged by Martine Lettau to do a bit of research about the breed, I was immediately hooked. I inquired about a striking black overo colt from the Cayuse that had an interesting story to tell. Eager to find out more about him, I emailed Martine and she told me how he had been separated from his mother in a storm – and how a few days later he was found, alive and well. It was a few months before I plucked up the courage to put a deposit on this little guy, now called Nevada Outlaw.
But as I waited for his arrival I found myself wishing I had a Spanish Mustang to start riding now; as little Outlaw was only a baby it would be a few years before I would sit on him. I kept being drawn back to a dun roan 4 year old that Martine had imported to England, but the fact that he was a stallion was putting me off. I definitely did not want the hassle of owning a stallion! However, fate has a way of giving you a gentle shove in the right direction – and before I knew what I was doing I had bought him. I had no intentions of keeping him entire, but when I got him home I found him to be the sweetest, quietest and friendliest little horse. Given the very small number of Spanish Mustangs in Europe, I felt it would be a real shame to geld him, so I left him entire for a few months to see if I could handle a stallion. I needn’t have worried – he has been a gentleman from the moment I had him – a cheeky gentleman, but a gentleman nonetheless. Everyone who meets him adores him, and so many have commented on his quality and intelligence.
But now that I had a young stallion, it felt right that I should have a mare for him to breed from – so I set about finding a suitable Spanish Mustang mare. I was extremely lucky to find exactly the filly I wanted from Sharon Sluss, of Rainbow’s End stud. Sharon very kindly allowed me to buy her beautiful filly, RE Golden Warbird to start the Spanish Mustang breeding program in Ireland.
So I had gone from having no idea what a Spanish Mustang was, to owning three, in the space of about eight months. The next problem was how to get them to Ireland! Martine was so helpful and arranged everything for me, transport, quarantine, paperwork – I didn’t have to do a thing except prepare for the arrival of my new herd. There is a warning about the breed though – they are highly addictive! They are very intelligent, spirited, passionate animals – with wonderfully sensible personalities. They are not spooky or silly, and have a charisma about them that I haven’t seen in any other horse. They bond strongly with their owners and are fast learners. I do anticipate buying more of these amazing horses in the future, and I cannot wait to begin breeding my own. I cannot imagine a time when I will not own a Spanish Mustang, so impressed am I with the breed.
My sincerest thanks go to Martine, without whom I would never have found this wonderful breed.
Chris, owner of Brego:
A friend had told me of the Spanish Mustangs UK website in November 2005. I E-mailed Martine to ask her about Spanish Mustangs in the UK as I did not know there were any here. She was surprised to find that there were people in the UK apart from her who were Spanish Mustang fans and who had actually ridden them.
I had just written an article for the Horses Hoof, a magazine for barefoot horses, on the New Forest Ponies stating that it was not possible to view Mustangs feet in the UK; so, once I found out that Martine was also a barefoot enthusiast, I wrote another article, with Martine's help, about the barefoot Spanish Mustangs in the UK. However, I had no intention of buying a horse.
During our correspondence she told me she had this really nice horse called Brego who was for sale. In fact whilst we were working on the article she had two people who nearly bought him. She was also very economical with the truth about how nice Brego was.
I visited with Martine to get some photos of the mustangs and their feet. Whilst I was there I met Brego for the first time, and agreed with Martine's statement that he was a nice horse. He sort of adopted me and followed me around the field, much to everyone's amusement.
After I left I kept finding Brego wandering around the canyons of my mind, so decided to make another visit just to confirm to myself that I really did not want to buy him!!
During this second visit my opinion changed from "That is a nice horse'" to "You only find a horse like this once in a lifetime". I also realised how economical with the truth Martine had been about him. But if she had really told me what he was really like would I have believed her? The honest answer to that is "No" I would have dismissed it as a sales pitch. I also had a 180 degree change of mind and decided that I probably did want to buy him. Least ways my heart said "this is the horse for you go for it", whilst my head was saying "hold on lets think about this some more".
Between my second visit and when I told her two weeks later that I would buy him Martine must have really wondered what was happening, and what sort of person I was. Well I hope to be the sort of owner that Brego deserves and that he would choose if he could. Martine is helping me achieve this goal.
Buying Brego was not a decision I reached easily; but it was the right one, of that I am now certain.
It is still early days, but Brego has tuned out to be everything that Martine said he was and then a whole lot more. He never ceases to amaze me with his personality, his laid back attitude and his intelligence. Everyone who has met him loves him; he is that sort of horse.
One of my friends, who is also a Spanish Mustang enthusiast, and who has met Brego, calls him "Chris' million dollar horse". Well, he certainly is one in a million.
Thanks Martine for agreeing to sell him to me, and for your subsequent help and support.
Celia B. Owner of Nizhoni Nitika
A couple of months ago I was looking to buying another horse as my other pony is now 26. Not sure of what I really wanted but only knowing that I wanted to do western style riding, I came across the website for Spanish Mustangs UK. After reading up on these animals and contacting Martine over the net and looking at the horses that were for sale, I was convinced that the mare I had seen was the one for me.
I took lots of advice and Martine was happy to oversee all the arrangements. I was most impressed by the businesslike and efficient way in which everything was undertaken. I had complete confidence in what I was buying and just sat back happily chewing my nails whilst all the transportation and quarantine details were seen to by her. I was kept informed regularly as to what stage had been reached and where my new mare was and where she was going to next.
My mare arrived well before time, although tired, but has so far turned out in only a week, to be a fantastic advertisement for the Spanish Mustang and I can thoroughly recommend this wonderful animal to anyone out there who is thinking of owning one.