Let me introduce you to a living artifact, the Colonial Spanish Mission Horse. These horses are direct descendants of the horses Spain brought to the New World and were thought to be extinct.
In 1990 Robin Collins, owner of Rancho Del Sueno, was asked by the Livestock Conservancy, to take 18 head, with 13 mares foaling the first day of arrival, from the herd found in AZ for preservation of the breed and to protect the pure genetic pool. She set up the Heritage Discovery Center, a 503 c non-profit, to educate the public on the historical importance of preserving part of California’s early history through the animals and lifestyle of that period.
At the time the horses were gathered in AZ, blood samples were taken to verify their heritage. The results found that the genetics of these horses were a cohesive group based on type with nice genetic variability meaning no inbreeding. The most significant find was that the results of the blood typing provided evidence of Spanish ancestry supportive of their oral history.
At this time, we have two immediate needs, get funding to vaccinate our herd and fund local temporary staff that is experienced with horses or local volunteers to assist with the horses. The owner had surgery and is laid up for several months and her assistant is having surgery with a short recovery period. You may go to our website www.ranchodelsueno.com to make your pledge or mail a check payable to Heritage Discovery Center and mail it to: Rancho Del Sueno, 40222 Millstream Lane, Madera CA 93636.
For further information on our facility, please call us at 559-868-8681 or by email at [email protected]
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