Kiger Mustang’s –The Spanish Mustang

The Kiger Mustang is a unique and rare breed of horse due to its beauty and history. It is a descendant of horses brought to the New World by the Spanish Conquistadors.

The Kiger mustang survived in the rugged southeastern Oregon, in Beatty’s Butte with out human intervention until they were discovered in 1971 by Ron Harding a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Wild Horse Specialist who noticed that a homogenous group with in the herd had similar color, conformation and distinct markings known as the dun factor. It was decided to separate these special horses and have genetic testing performed at the University of Kentucky to determine there heritage. The DNA testing showed a high level of Spanish markers linking the Kigers to the Spanish explorers horses of the 1600’s. It was also noted that the primitive gene for the dun factor is present in the breed. The BLM decided to manage the herd and to preserve the breed divide and release twenty Kiger Mustangs in the Kiger HMA and Seven in the Riddle Mountain HMA. This allows the breed to multiply and avoid being wiped out by natural catastrophe.

In order to keep the herds at manageable levels, round-ups are held periodically. It was at one of these round-ups that Rick Littleton happened upon Steens Kiger. In 1978 a beautiful dun stallion and three fillies were brought home to kmranch in Bend, Oregon. Little did they know the impact this stallion would have on the horse world today.

Steens Kiger is truly one of the most majestic horses I have ever seen. His disposition, willingness, versatility, conformation, beauty and brains places him above most.

This is why we have chosen to breed from his bloodlines. Steens has been published in various magazines, was featured in a one hour television show for the French public. He was also shown on the Larry Mahan’s show called “Horse World” Steens offspring carry his beauty and brains and have been proven time and again. Steens sons, Donner and Silverado, have been displayed at Andalusia events, featured in Conquistador Magazine. Steens son Donner is most well known as. "Spirit, the Stallion of Cimarron” DreamWorks and Jeffery Katzenberg were looking for an impressive horse as their star and they found just that in Steens son Donner. DreamWorks purchased Donner and used him for all the sketches of Spirit for the hit movie that enthralled young and old audiences of a mustang’s life. Since then, the marketing of Spirit items is impressive!

The best measure of Steens success is the offspring’s owners who find pleasure in a relationship with a horse who is not like any other.