{"id":82404,"date":"2020-01-28T20:50:36","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T03:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=82404"},"modified":"2020-01-31T23:13:37","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T06:13:37","slug":"hard-evidence-of-ancient-american-horses-part-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2020\/01\/hard-evidence-of-ancient-american-horses-part-7.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201c\u2018Hard\u2019 Evidence of Ancient American Horses\u201d (Part 7)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"British<\/a>
\u201cWhistlejacket,\u201d by George Stubbs (ca. 1762) \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Wikimedia Commons public domain image<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Proceeding with my notes from\u00a0Daniel Johnson, \u201c\u2018Hard\u2019 Evidence of Ancient American Horses,\u201d \u00a0BYU Studies Quarterly<\/em>\u00a054\/3 (2015): 162-164<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

As of 2015, the scholarly consensus was that all \u201cnative\u201d horses in the Americas must have descended from European stock, mostly Spanish and Portuguese, mostly strays. \u00a0However, Daniel Johnson observes, the evidence for this is weak. \u00a0Indeed, it seems to be mostly supposition. \u00a0As a matter of fact, historical records seem to lean in the opposite direction. \u00a0Spanish cavalry personnel kept close track of their imported (and limited) equine resources. \u00a0In order for the stray hypothesis to work, too, both stallions and mares need to escape more or less together, etc.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Has this happened from time to time? \u00a0Of course. \u00a0Is it enough to account for widespread Amerindian horse culture within mere decades of First Contact? \u00a0That is much less clear.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Actual historical information is available, not just vague mist. \u00a0A look at four important early Spanish land expeditions involving horses is instructive:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n