Author: Nanci Falley

AIHR open house trail ride to Argarita Ranch – Patricia Leopold, Kelly Hurd, Curtis George, Tommi Grey, Laura Christensen, and Vickie Ives.

A NETASA trail ride is in the plans for the day before, April 26th, at nearby McKinney Roughs.  Learn more about the trails at McKinney Roughs by following this link:

Where The Trails Are

Last Year’s Open House was Held on April 28th, 2013, was a big success. The first ever annual open house trail ride left on Sunday morning with six riders and their mounts, all registered with AIHR and HOA, and riders representing the two Texas Indian Horse Clubs, Tejas and NETASA. The ride was from Rancho San Francisco to Agarita Ranch five miles away. The riders enjoyed the abundant wildflowers along the way, Indian Blanket, appropriately being the most prevalent. Agarita Ranch in Lockhart, TX. has a replica of a western town so it was a very photogenic place to visit and lots of super pictures were taken – check out the AIHR and NETASA FaceBook pages photos.

The ride ended back at Rancho San Francisco and the afternoon festivities opened at 2pm with guests coming in for a bbq lunch and a costume display by Trail Boss Curtis George. Curtis brought along several of his costumes which depict Spanish Horse history in the Americas from the Spanish Conquistadors, through the Native American era, the Civil War period, the cattle trails era, to gunslinger and gambler eras. Beautifully displayed under the big oak tree in the front yard of RSF, the costumes were a point of interest for many of the guests. Sixty plus people enjoyed the lunch and the costume display along with the critters of RSF which include American Indian Horses (of course), the AIHR Museum, open for the first time since 2010, the ranch’s three rescued Pot Bellied Pigs, chickens, cats and a magnificent peacock who was willing to show off for the crowd when he wasn’t hiding from them!

The high point of the day came with the presentation of AIHR Hall of Fame #165 to The Sea King and his partner, Tomlyn Grey. King is the first ever pure Corolla Island horse to receive AIHR’s Hall of Fame award.

Also presented was a Keeper of the Flame award to the Tejas Indian Horse Club which has been dedicated since 1982 to the preservation and promotion of the American Indian/Colonial Spanish Horse in all its classifications.

Thanks to everyone who came and helped and spent time with us at RSF. Mark your calendars for April 27th, 2014 for the 8th Annual AIHR Open House.

The first pure Corolla Island horse to receive AIHR’s Hall of Fame award, The Sea King, with his partner Tommi Grey and AIHR president Nanci Falley.

AIHR President Nanci Falley with Mano, official spokeshorse for AIHR.

The American Indian Horse Registry was established in 1961 for the purpose of collecting, recording and preserving the pedigrees of American Indian Horses. The Registry is currently housed at Rancho San Francisco near Lockhart, Texas together with a collection of Western and Indian Americana and a library pertaining to the history of the American Indian Horse.

A question that is often asked is, “What is the American Indian Horse?” If you desire, you may trace their ancestry back to the mists of antiquity and to the dust of the Arabian desert where they were housed with honor in the black tents of the roaming Bedouin tribes. From there they traveled to Spain, were bred with Barb and Andalusian stock and became known as the best horse in the world at that time. From Spain they were brought to the New World on the ships of Columbus and the Conquistadores during the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Indian Horse has gone by many names: call him cow pony or buffalo horse; mustang or Indian pony; cayuse or Spanish pony — basically they are all the same animal.

Virtually every color known to the horse appears in this breed; he is sometimes appaloosa spotted, sometimes paint and sometimes solid colored with every variation imaginable occurring. He is well made, has excellent feet and legs and has as much savvy as any horse that ever lived. Height ranges from 13 to 16 hands; weight 700 to 1000 pounds with a few individuals over or under.

The Indian Horse’s loyalty is legend as is their toughness and intelligence, and anyone who is fortunate enough to share their lives with one knows how truly special they are.

Please do not hesitate to write, call, or e-mail with questions:

The American Indian Horse Registry, INC (AIHR)
9028 State Park Road, Lockhart, TX 78644-4310
Nanci Falley 512/738-0211
aihrnanci@gmail

Thank you for your interest in AIHR.
WOLAKOTA (peace and friendship in the Lakota language)

Nanci Falley and Unwritten “Rhett” at the 2010 National Show.