Mr. Leonard “Black Moon” Riddles, Comanche tribal member from Walters, OK, is considered an expert on the mustang horse. He and his wife Eva share their country place with a small herd of mustangs, where he raises them on a small scale. A highly acclaimed artist, his fascination with the mustang carries over into his art work. He seeks out elders for authenticity when drawing the horse, and retains the information to insure the history of the mustang is not lost. 

There are two versions of mustang horse: The short and chunky type was preferred by the Northern tribes, but the Comanches preferred the more slender version.

The five main family groups of mustang were the red paint, black paint, red-ear Medicine Hat, black-ear Medicine Hat and the Appaloosa. At one time Mr. Riddles’ great grandfather owned about 250 Appaloosa horses.

The old-timers referred to all mustangs as “Indian ponies.” 

Mr. Riddles says there is confusion concerning the Medicine Hat and War Bonnet color phase of the mustang. The Medicine Hat has a light colored body with dark ears, a shield on the chest, and blotchy flanks, knees and ankles.

The War Bonnet has a distinct bonnet to their eyes in addition to a shield. Both color phases of the mustang were highly prized by the Indian as Buffalo and War Horses.

On the Medicine Hat, the color of the ears can range from yellow to orange to red on the red-ear Mustang, and from violet or purple to brown to black on the black-ear mustang. The knees are blotchy as is the chest, with the color roaning out to white. The Medicine Hat will sometimes have striped hooves, as will a regular paint horse.

Many times medicine Men were asked to say prayers over and put special markings on a warrior’s horse before a big battle or buffalo hunt. A hand print might be placed on the rump, or circles drawn around the eyes or dots placed on the legs or rump. Zigzag markings were also used. These coveted War Horses were sometimes decorated extravagantly with ribbons, feathers and braided manes. It was custom to split one or both ears on these special horses.

Mustangs are noted for their stamina and endurance. The early, pure mustang had natural herding instinct and cow sense. There are few remaining true specimens of this fine breed that exists today.

The Spanish Mustang has many outstanding characteristics. Foremost is his sensible disposition, agility, alertness and hardiness. His size (13.3 to 15 hands) and smooth way of traveling are also desirable traits. His intelligence and ability to learn quickly make him an ideal horse.

One sign of a true mustang is large, bright eyes that show intelligence, with a great deal of white showing around them. Their hooves are small and of harder texture than domestic horses, and many never need shoeing. Roan hairs at the base of the tail and a little gray on the flanks are other true mustang characteristics.

Mr. Riddles serves on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Spanish Mustang Association, whose aim is to restore and preserve the breed.