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History of Romero-Gonales & Marques Spanish Horses

By Bruce Emerson (Written in 1982)

I was in Cebolla (Rio Arriba Count), New Mexico in 1968, trying to buy about 120 head of yearling steers belonging to the Romero and Gonzales families.

As we were driving up a big canyon where there were good spring and water holes, I spotted a bunch of mares and colts with a little pinto stallion.  Leander Romero was in the pickup with e and told me that he (the stallion) and 4 of the mares belonged to him.

There were 9 mares and 5 colts in the bunch,  7 mares were solid colored and 2 were spotted.  One colt belonged to the spotted mare.  The other 4 belonged to solid colored mares.  But the colts were spotted and were all typical Spanish ponies, although they showed a lot of class.

He said the little stud was 5 years old and was barely green broke.  He had broken him as a 3-year-old, then turned him back out with the mares. 

I knew well the legends and history of the Romero-Gonzales and Marques families and their horses in the 1700-1800’s.  They were Comancheros (Comanche Indian traders) and known for their superior horses.  Also, there had been very little outside blood added in 150 years.

I like the little horse so well, when I left Cebolla the next day, I had bought 110 yearling steers and the little stallion, who turned out to be the best traveling, toughest, well-reined cowpony I had ever rode.

This little horse throws color on probably 90 to 95% of his colts from solid colored mares and 100% on spotted mares.

I was raised on mustang ponies as my family were all wild horse catchers, and although they had quite a few cattle around (1200 mother cows), they would quit working cattle anytime to go run mustangs.

Our whole remuda was the pick of all the wild hores we caught over the years.  I am getting along in years now (66) and I am thankful there are people like Gilbert Jones and the Brislawns and all the members of the Spanish Mustang Associations that have done so much to preserve this historic breed.

Note:  Bob Ele lived as a neighbor to Mr. Emerson and knew him and his uncle Les Collier well.  The stallion, Cortes (SSMA #299), now deceased, was given to Bob Ele and Medicine Spring Ranch has colts from him, thus, his blood will be perpetuated.  Bruce Emerson’s knowledge of the Spanish Mustang is recognized as being of the highest authenticity.

FURTHER NOTES (Explaining the New Mexico Comanchero Mexican Traders) – By Gilbert H. Jones (1986)

There were Mexican traders who were called Comancheros.  They traded with the wild Comanche Indians, whose favorite buffalo hunting ground was the Llano-Estacado, a treeless and supposedly waterless plain over 100 to 150 miles wide and 200 miles long.  Almost as level as a dancehall floor.

All around it was what was called a cap rock of rugged breaks and scrub bushes.  The plain was several hundred feet higher altitude than surrounding country below cap rock.  This vast expanse lay between eastern New Mexico and west Texas.

New Mexico had an agreement with the Comanche Indians (who both hated the Texans) to keep the Texans off Llano-Estacado.  In other words, this was a barrier  between two arch enemies.  For many years, no white man dared penetrate this vast wild area as no white people knew where the water existed.  In fact, it was thought to be waterless.

The Pala Duro Canyon was up on Llano Estacado and Red River headed on this mighty gorge.  Where Red River headed was unknown until 1844.

The Mexican Comancheros came to nine trading sites on Llano Estacado to trade with the Indians.  They were as follows:

  • Muchague, 7 miles southwest of present day Gail, Texas
  • Laguna Sabinas (Cedar Lake), 25 miles northeast of present day Seminole, Texas.  (I was raised near Cedar Lake.  Chief Quanah Parker was born there in 1849).
  • Canon de Rescata (Canyon of Ransom), near present day Lubbock, Texas.  So named as Indians ransomed white captive women and children to Comancheros here.  The Comancheros sold the captives in New Mexico for slaves.
  • Casas de Amarillas (Yellow House Canyon), north of present day Levelland, Texas.
  • Rio Dolas Lenglas (River of Tongues), present day Quitague, Texas.
  • Valle de Legrimes (Valley of Tears), so named as this was where the mothers and their children were separated, never to see each other again.  This was near present day South Plains, Texas.
  • Tule, near present day Tulia, Texas.
  • Pala Duro, near present day Danyon, Texas.
  • Las Tescovas, near old Tascosa, Texas.
  •  

Mustangs and buffalo roamed this vast plain by the thousands and New Mexico villages and professional buffalo hunters roaming the Llano Estacado in two-wheel carts pulled by oxen.

Butchering buffalo to feed New Mexico villagers, these buffalo hunters and Comancheros were in perfect harmony with the Indians.  The Comancheros would trade the Indians guns, ammunition, tobacco, copper kettles, trinkets, looking glasses, copper jewelry, mules, cattle, buffaco, loud-colored ribbons, calico cloth, and most important — rot gut water-diluted whiskey.  Much of this was stolen by the Indians in raids, both in Texas and Old Mexico.  This was an enormous business and Comancheros had well-beaten roads from New Mexico to these trading sites.

All over this level expanse were shallow wells and some well-hidden springs.  These Indians and traders knew all the watering locations and could travel without want of water for man or beast. 

It took good horses and mules to stand these rigorous trips for days for Comancheros to pack their trade into these Indian campsites and return to New Mexico with what they got from the Indians.

It took a special breed of horses and mules to do all this on grass only.  The Cortes blood is that breed of horse!!