The Spanish Mustang Foundation is comprised of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds who, together, provide a broad array of experience, leadership and expertise in protecting the Spanish Mustang.

What joins them by a common thread is the commitment and enthusiasm to protect and preserve these exceptional horses.

Board of Directors
The Spanish Mustang Foundation Board of directors is comprised of volunteers who exercise overall responsibility for The Spanish Mustang Foundation's governance, including setting policy and establishing programs to further the organization's mission.

Advisory Board Jim Sloan, Adam Edwards 

  • Ed Walsh

    President — After his 45 year career as a Trial Lawyer in Chicago, Ed retired from the practice of law and in recognition of his successful representation of his clients over his career, the Chicago Law Bulletin Publishing Company and Jury Verdict Reporter awarded Ed the 2016 Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award. This coveted award is bestowed upon only one Plaintiff Trial Lawyer in the state of Illinois each year.

    After retirement, Ed secured five young wild Spanish Mustangs from the Brislawn herd in Wyoming, and he has gentled and trained them using ROTH® natural horsemanship techniques. Ed lives in southeast Minnesota and Colorado and also enjoys native plant restoration, reforestation, land stewardship and, along with his wife, family activities and wilderness adventures with their sons and their families.

  • Doug Lanham

    Vice President—After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, Doug has spent 35 years in the restaurant industry, the majority of the years with Brinker International (Chili's.) Mr. Lanham is a founding partner of Jinja Bar & Bistro, the Santa Fe based restaurant company with locations in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. He began his involvement with the Spanish Mustangs in the late 1990s and has been an active supporter of the Brislawn Family and Spanish Mustang Registry. He is a past board member of the Horse Shelter and the Española Valley Humane Society.

    Photo: Debbie Fleming Caffery

  • Connie Doughman

    Secretary — After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio Connie taught art in public schools in Ohio at the high school, middle school, and grade school level. Following that she founded her own pre-school in Oxford, Ohio. Her creativity led to her writing. Her work has been published in various publications. History has also been a major interest. In 1973 she and her family moved to New Mexico where she and her husband established a contracting business eventually specializing in custom cabinetry and beam work. Connie designed many landscapes and maintained Santa Fe gardens while continuing to express herself with art and writing while directing the business. They developed their own line of furniture, doors, and screen doors. Along with her husband, Robin Doughman, they pursued an interest in horses and Spanish Mustangs, raising three foals, over a 40-year period. Their involvement with the Spanish Mustang Foundation opened many doors and provided an outlet for Robin’s training and horsemanship and Connie’s writing and organizational skills.

    Photo: Wana Choy

  • Sierra Perkins

    In 2006 Sierra started spending time in NM and became involved with Spanish Mustangs. Spanish Mustang horses became the focus of her photography work. She owns and breeds the horses of La Jara Ranch in Galisteo, NM where she continues to pursue her work in photography and the preservation of Spanish Mustangs.

    Photo: Donna Mitchell

Donna Mitchell

We lost one of our founding members in March of 2023. Donna Mitchell's ideals remain a part of the Foundation. Her leadership style, quiet compassion, and determination is a model for us. We will be forever grateful to Donna for her dedication to the Spanish Mustangs. 



All Photography © Sierra Perkins, except where specified.

This video by Raji Mandelkorn introduces founders of the organization, owners and trainers —and especially the horses of the Spanish Mustang Foundation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Spanish Mustang?
A Spanish Mustang is a pure descendant of the horses imported to the New World from Spain as early as Christopher Columbus's second voyage to the Americas. For further information on the history of the Spanish Mustang, please refer to the our comprehensive article, "History of the Spanish Mustang".

Are there any Spanish Mustangs still in the wild?
It is possible that wild horses in isolated areas could have predominately Spanish blood 

What is the relation between the Spanish Mustang and the BLM horses?
The Spanish Mustangs are not the same horses under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM feral horses have been bred over time with Morgans, Saddlebreds, Thoroughbreds and Percherons. They do not represent the true Spanish Mustang, preserved by the Brislawn family and other breeders since the 1900s.

Are the Spanish Mustangs an endangered species?
The American Livestock Breed Conservancy has classified the status of Spanish Mustang as Critical in their Conservation Priority List.

 Are Spanish Mustangs a particular color?
The Spanish Mustangs are a breed of many colors. The following list contains some of the colors seen in the breed.

  • • Bay
    • Black
    • Buckskin
    • Chestnut
    • Dun
    • Red Dun
    • Bay Dun
    • Grey
    • Grulla
    • Overo Paint
    • Palomino
    • Roan (various combinations)
    • Sabino
    • White

What is the Spanish Mustang Foundation doing to protect and preserve the Spanish Mustang?

  • We are currently working to protect and preserve the Spanish Mustang through the following efforts.

  • We produced the educational documentary Return of the Horse.

  • We are helping re-home Spanish horses throughout the country.

  • We help feed Spanish Mustangs throughout the country.

  • We are supporting the research and writing by Connie Doughman of the history of the various strains of the Spanish horses.

For further information on each of these initiatives, please visit the "Projects" section of our website.

How can I help protect and preserve the Spanish Mustang?
Please visit the various links under the "Resources" link in the navigation menu above for further information on the current efforts underway to protect the Spanish Mustang. Your donations to the Spanish Mustang Foundation are also helpful.

Where can I see Spanish Mustangs?
To find Spanish Mustangs in your area check the Spanish Mustang Registry website to find breeders closest to you. 

Are they expensive to buy?
Trained Spanish Mustang horses have been sold for over $6,000 and as low as $3,000 depending on the owner. Some untrained Spanish Mustang horses are priced at from $800 - $1,000 again depending on the owner.

Are they easy keepers?
These horses are very easy keepers and most do not require shoeing. If the terrain is rocky we do recommend they be shod.

 

The Spanish Mustang Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization formed to strengthen and expand efforts to preserve this exceptional horse, through educational activities and preservation practices. 

Tax Returns are available for viewing from the links below: