The following categories are the different categories of standards. The general American Heritage Horse standard and then those specific to the Spanish LP Horse and American Sorraia Horse Projects.
(AHHA)
BREED STANDARD FOR THE FOUNDATION SPANISH MUSTANG

There are no Foundation Spanish Mustangs in the wild today. The population of AHHA is based upon a finite population of horses.
These horses are to be preserved as they are. There will be no efforts of “changing” as seen in hybridization.

  1. Convex Profiles. No less than straight are preferred. Dish faces are less desirable but acceptable in Heritage Horses. They are not acceptable in American Sorraia Horses.
  2. Heads are refined never coarse.
  3. Eyes are bright and alert. White scerla is not to be faulted as seen in LP Horses. The small pig eye is to be faulted.
  4. Heads are long, narrow with the best specimens showing a chiseled refinement.
  5. A medium to wide forehead.
  6. There should be a noticeable brow over the eye not in anyway similar to a draft horse.
  7. The Heritage Horse has medium jaws, however they are not the noticeable jowls as seen on as seen quarter horses and warm-bloods.
  8. Ears medium long, sometimes, rimmed, tipped & striped. Small pony ears are not desirable and should be faulted.
  9. Nostrils are slim but capable of great expansion upon exertion.
  10. Muzzles should never be meaty. They should be fairly refined even in the heavier specimens of the breed.
  11. There may be a mustache on the upper lip of the Heritage Horse also.
  12. The neck is deeper than most breeds and is should measure proportionally to the length of the back.
  13. The neck set is lower neck than modern horses, without meaty neck of the Peruvian.
  14. The throat latch is clean even in heavier specimens.
  15. The neck blends into well set on medium withers. Mutton withers are not typical of these horses.
  16. The Heritage Horse is a square horse that gives the impression of being built uphill.
  17. The heart girth of the these horses is deep and narrow 55 gallon drums are not typical.
  18. Medium to short back with well defined withers.
  19. Rafter hip, preferably
  20. Well laid back shoulder a 40 - 50 degree angle is desirable.
  21. These horse possess either 5 lumbar vertebrae or a fused 5-g vertebrae.
  22. Narrow in the front. “A” up no broad H shaped chest or bulgy chest muscles.
  23. The Fore arm is long.
  24. Canon bones are round and of moderate length.
  25. The front canon bone is almost as round as the rear canon bone.
  26. The front canon bone of these horses is round as opposed to the oval/flat of the modern horse.
  27. The pasterns are though fairly long are strong and let down for smooth riding.
  28. Chestnuts if present are small and smooth. Ergots are often also completely missing.
  29. The legs are clean, lacking or showing very little feathering on the fetlock.
  30. The hooves are small hard and can be black, white, amber or striped. Hoof wall is in excellent and feet are in proportion to the horse. A size 1 show is large for one of these horses.
  31. No double muscling as seen in Quarter Horses and Draft Blood.
  32. Moderate to low tail set. Arab set tails are faulted heavily, as it indicates Arabian influence.
  33. The tail should fit cleanly into the hindquarters. The very best specimens tails fit so smoothly into the line of their hindquarters as to appear as one line.
  34. Croup is sloping without a hunters bump as seen in warmbloods, thoroughbreds and some other breeds. It should also not be flat as seen in Quarter Horses. No draft or square hip.
  35. The maximum height for these horses is 14.3 hh. A rare specimen may reach 15 hh on maturity they are extremely atypical and should not be considered breeding stock. The minimum size for these horses is 12.3 hh.

American Sorraia Horse Breed Project Standards

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The American Sorraia Horses are Spanish Mustangs, which are even more rare, and contain a very special genetic history. American Sorraia Horses are the proven genetic descendants of the endangered Sorraia Horse of Portugal, showing the genetic markers and physical characteristics of their Portuguese ancestors.
The Sorraia is a very special primitive wild form horse, which gained it’s fame as the unwanted horse of Columbus and Cortez and earned it’s reputation as the hardy, eminently suitable horse of the new world. There is no discussion required that the Conquistadors brought many types of Iberian blood stock with them to the New World. Conquer, convert and expand is the nature of any empire or kingdom. It was soon found that the Sorraia Horse was able to suffer any number of extreme climate changes and survive, from the deserts and mountains of Peru to the North American high deserts and prairies. The Sorraia Horse and then the American Sorraia Mustang survived to populate only the most remote areas of North America. It is this fact which has kept them the characteristically like their Portuguese ancestors.
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The American Sorraia Horse is a slim, leggy horse with a long elegant head, large, expressive deep set eyes that do not have the bulge of pony eyes. The head profile is convex in nature and no less than straight in profile. The American Sorraia Horse have medium to long ears, excellent bone, feet and gaits. Some individuals may have a four beat lateral gait, which historically among the old cowboys of the West were called the 40 dollar horses as they were such a smooth ride. The average horse of that time went for 10 dollars. The muscling is smooth and flat without heavily muscling found in some modern breeds. The heart girth is deep and the chest is narrow and more “A” shaped in the nature as opposed to those of other horses shaped like an ‘H” in front. The neck tie in is lower to the chest as in most Iberian breeds. The neck can be quite slim in horse that are lean, but conversely be well crested in horses that enjoy a more fat condition. The hips are raftered in nature. The tail set is moderate to low and should fit smoothly into the curve of the hip. They are an up hill structured horse which enables them to move with collection more easily than other breeds of horses. The hair coat of the horses is fine. Chestnuts are small or missing and ergots rarely seen. There is little fetlock hair even in individuals in winter living in colder climates.
The colors of the horses reflect their primitive ancestry. The American Sorraia Horses are either dun or grulla, roans of those base colors are allowed with appropriate pedigree documentation, with red dun not being admitted. Excessive white markings are faulted and not allowed in breeding stock.
Most striking however, in the horses, are their primitive markings. A dorsal stripe is always present. They can have shoulder crosses, leg barring or stripes, facial cob webbing, chest or rib hair stripes. Highly prized is the bicolored mane and tail, which looks they have been frosted with a lighter color.
These horses keep their feet up under them, at all times and are always alert to what is around them. They were the horses of the Pony Express, the vaqueros of Mexico and the Native Americans, upon whose backs much of North America was built upon.
“Brave, loyal and fierce. They are a family horse that will go the distance with the partner of choice. I have found them to be highly bondable, willing, and intelligent. These are not push button horses and will not abide abuse. They are however always willing to try. These horses like to learn and like having a job. American Sorraia Horses are a tough, hardy horse and are able to excel athletically in many disciplines. Currently there are horses competing in dressage, eventing, carriage driving, jumping, team penning, rodeo, endurance, polo and gymkhana, for example.
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Breed Standard listing for American Sorraia Horse


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      • All horses submitting information to the American Sorraia Horse Project should be prepared to submit photos of all 4 sides of the equine.  A close up shot of the horses head, without the foretop in the way. Close up of markings are an additional plus.  The horses registration papers are required or a 6 generation pedigree if not registered with any other registry.

      • Upon request owners may be asked to submit hair samples of the equine.  The American Sorraia Horse Project will be performing gene banking in an effort to establish lineage and historical progression of the breed.

      • In addition, due to recent events within other CS registries, there will be required  upon submission of papers a signed affidavit of breeders ethics.  If a member breeding is found in violation the equine in question will be suspended pending a committee and board hearing and the breeder in question may be removed from the project.

      • Application form. Please follow the directions and if there are any problems. Contact the registrar at heritagehorse@mac.com


      Spanish Lp Project
      SLP Characteristics
      Smooth Muscling. Moderate to low tail set. Rafter Hip Lower neck set than modern horses. Square horse built uphill. Sound legs and feet Medium Canon Bones Good hoof wall in proportion to the horse. Mule feet are not uncommon. Well laid back shoulder. Narrow chest, with a good “V”.

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      Deep heart girth.
      Head refined, profile straight or convex with good bone over eyes with alert expression Ears medium, tips curved inward No overt jowls as seen with quarter horses and warm-bloods. Medium to short back, with well defined withers.
      It is not unusual for Spanish LP horses to be gaited or to “shuffle”
      Registered Spanish Mustangs accepted into the Spanish LP project must have acceptable pedigrees & conformation.
      If there is a question on parentage, DNA testing will be required.

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      No horses that carry gray will be accepted, period. If a LP foal is born with one gray parent, it must wait until it is three years old to be considered for inclusion. Close up, clear pictures are required.
      13 to 14.3 H
      LP Traits:
      A Spanish LP project horse must have at least three LP traits clearly showing at birth.
      1. White sclera
      2. Striped or amber feet on dark legs
      3. Mottled skin in the genital area & or on face.
      4. Spotted blanket with different degrees of white expression, depending on the horse
      5. Snowflake pattern (usually two yrs or older)
      6. LP roan with bony protrusions holding their base color pigment (usually showing on older horses).
      7. Snowcaps or near few spots having no spots within large blankets of dense white. They also usually have amber feet or non pigmented feet on dark legs or coronets. The dark can travel to pointed triangles on the front of the legs… Sometimes traveling up to the chest. This is a sign of being homozygous for LP. These horses also show that they have at least one copy of PATN1.
      8. White tipped ears are normal for horses with large white expression, whether the horse has a spotted blanket, near leopard or is a snowcap or near few spot.
      Spanish LP Breeding Criteria
      If a LP Project mare or stallion is heterozygous for LP, he/she must be bred to another LP project stallion or mare who is either homozygous or heterozygous LP, for the breeding to be a project breeding. In that way we can give those LP project horses the best chance to produce LP offspring. The resulting foals will receive a copy of LP 50% of the time, from either parent. If each parent gives their one copy of LP, the resulting foal will be homozygous for LP.
      If the LP stallion or mare is homozygous for LP, he/she may be bred to solid, qualified, registered SMs in order to bring in diverse bloodlines. A homozygous LP horse will give one of their two copies of LP to 100% of their foals insuring an LP traited foal EVERY time.