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robert glen, sculptor
The horse of history was not native to the
western hemisphere. "Mestenas" – whence
mustangs – were the escaped descendants of
horses brought to America by the Spaniards.
The mustangs, roaming northward across Texas
from Mexico, represented the vanguard of
modern civilization to Texas and the entire western
United States. Before the eighteenth century was
far advanced bands of mustangs were ranging
over Texas and the northern plains, wilder than
deer and as free as eagles.
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dedicated september, 1984
"These horses bore Spanish explorers across
two continents. They brought to the plains indians
the age of horse culture. Texas cowboys rode
them to extend the ranching occupation clear to
the plains of Alberta. Spanish horse, Texas cow
pony, and mustang were all one in those times
when, as sayings went, a man was no better than
his horse, and a man of foot was no man at all.
Like the longhorn, the mustang has been virtually
bred out of existence. But mustang horses
will always symbolize western frontiers, long
trails of longhorn herds, seas of pristine grass
and men riding free on a free land."
J. Frank Dobie |
