Namib

History
 Before the 17th century, no horses existed in southern Africa, but in the 1600s they appeared in Namibia, possibly imported by Europeans. At first, these horses were probably used for work of some kind, but just like the horses in the Americas, some escaped and formed feral herds. Eventually, most of the horses had escaped and began roaming the Namib Desert.

 Exactly how the horses brought over by Europeans adapted to the arid desert weather is unknown, though scientists in Africa have observed how they survive today. The Namib horses rarely drink at all, only hydrating themselves every 30 hours in the summer(November to March) while they search for food. During the rainy season, the horses gather near the water trough and feed on the grass during the night, drinking regularly throughout the day. At daytime, they play and relax. Sometimes, they will eat their own dung for extra nutrients.

A Namib mare and her foal. credit

 In 1992, a drought caused people to want to gather the horses and put them on farms. Six years later, another drought, this one lasting nearly two years, cause the number of Namibs to drop from 149 to 89. by April 2005, the number had risen to 147.

 Today, the herds reside in Naukluft Park, nearby Aus, where visitors can learn about the Namib and hide nearby the water hole so they can watch the horses drink.

Breed Description and Uses
 Namibs, though not conmsidered ponies, stand an average of 14.2 hands high, with few growing as tall as 15 hands high. Like the mustangs of Western American, the appearance of the Namib may vary. Typically, though, they are sturdy with a narrow chest, prominent withers, short necks and large, convex profiles, complete with large ears and wide-set eyes. Commonly, the Namib is chestnut.

 For the time being, the Namibs will remain feral, but if their numbers exceed the maximum number of 200 horses, some will be rounded up and brought somewhere else. Until them, the horses will continue to wander the desert.

P.S. If you own an OTTB, don't forget to participate in the OTTB Success Story series.

Florida Cracker Horse

 History
 In the early 1500s, many Spaniards came over to explore the New World, taking horses with them. A man named Ponce de Leon brought African Barbs with some Spanish blood in them to what is now Florida, making several breeding stations throughout the state.

 As their numbers grew, many of the horses escaped and formed large, wild herds across the state of Florida. The Seminole tribe, who lived in the area, captured some of these horses, but others were allowed to roaming free, natural selection choosing who would breed the next generation.

More settlers arrived in the 1700s, also capturing the horses, which they used in their cattle ranches, snapping bullwhips as they rode. Eventually, the breed was identified by the cracking sound of the whip, hence the name, "Florida Cracker Horse."

Florida Cracker Horses are light and nimble.
credit

The first blow to the popularity of the Crackers happened in the early 1900s, when tractors and other machines started to appear, making farm work much easier. The Crackers took another blow in the '30s, when screwworms began infecting herds of cattle. In order to rope the cattle to administer medication, ranchers needed the stronger Quarter Horses.

 In 1989, a group of people who loved the Cracker horse formed the Florida Cracker Horse Association. They planned to search for the remaining Crackers and create a herd and a registry. At first, only 31 horses were registered, but today, through the efforts of several families, who have bred them for their own use, that number has grown to 800.

 On May 2, 2008, the Florida Cracker, also known as the Florida Marsh Tacky was voted Florida's state heritage horse.

Breed Description and Uses
 Though the Cracker is not a pony, it stands a minimum of 13.2 hands and a maximum of 15 hands. The breed has wide-set, intelligent eyes; a nice neck, short back, sloping croup, and slender legs. Many Crackers are gaited and can do the flatfoot walk, running walk, and amble. They come in all solid colors, with greys being most common.

 Today, Crackers are often used for endurance racing, pleasure, and ranching activities, such as cow sorting.

The Barb

History:
 The Barb is an ancient breed, and is the ancestor of many Spanish horses to date. Although its complete origins are unknown, it is believed to have been established in the Fertile Crescent of North Africa, a place that surrounds the countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Libya.

 The Berbers of North Africa prized the fast and agile Barb as great war mounts, using them when their large Muslim armies invaded Spain in the eight century. The name "Barb" actually originates from the group of barbarous people.

 By 1492, the Spanish had regained control of their country and began their explorations of the New World. They took with them many horses---descendants of the ancient Barb. The horses were originally taken to several islands throughout the Caribbean, where they were bred for multiple purposes, but later they were taken to what is now the United States, Mexico, and South America. From there, they became foundation horses for many popular American breeds---Quarter Horses, Paint Horses, Appaloosas, etc.

 During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many horses had escaped and were taken by Native American tribes. At about the same time, the English had begun colonizing much of the east coast, and found these Spanish horses, thinking of them as native horses.

Barbs are the ancestors of many popular breeds, including
Spanish breeds and stock horses.

 Before long, the English began importing their own horses---racehorses of a Barb type with a little bit of added Irish blood. From there, of course, the English imports were bred with the Spanish horses, and  many horses made their way West with pioneers. However, it was during these westward treks that many of the breeds already living in the West became endangered. People didn't realize the value of the Spanish Barbs that were living in the West with Native Americans. As a result, they crossed their English horses with the ones that had been their for centuries, hoping to Americanize the ones that had seemed unappealing. Many were sold or slaughtered or extensively crossbred, nearly destroying the pure Spanish Barb. However, Western ranchers liked the breed and helped preserved the ancestor of America's stock breeds.

Breed Description and Uses:
Barbs are stocky, standing 14.2 to 15 hands high, and can come in almost every color, particularly dun, chestnut, grulla, black, bay, roan, palomino, buckskin, grey, and pinto. Their head is long and refined, with a broad forehead, short ears that point slightly inwards, and a refined muzzle that often sports crescent-shaped Roman noses. Their chest is strong, their ribs well-sprung. Much like Arabians, they only have seventeen ribs. Their shoulders are sloping. As for their back, it is proportional to the rest of the body, complete with short, straight loin, a rounded croup, and hindquarters that aren't very heavily muscled.  The legs are straight and strong, with clean cannon bones, strong, sloping pasterns, and hard hooves.

 Barbs makes excellent endurance and trial horses due to their stamina and agility.