|
The
Florida
Cracker |
|
History
The Florida Cracker Horse, like the cattle breed of the same name,
traces it’s ancestry to Spanish stocks brought to the Americas
beginning in the 1500s. Historically, Cracker Horses were an
essential part of the cattle industry in Florida, which began almost
500 years ago and still flourishes today. Florida cowboys were
nicknamed "crackers" because of the sound made by their whips
cracking in the air. This name was also given to the small, agile
Spanish horses that were essential for working Spanish cattle. Over
the years, Cracker Horses have been known by a variety of names:
Chickasaw Pony, Seminole Pony, Marsh Tackie, Praire Pony, Florida
Horse, Florida Cow Pony, Grass Gut and others. The ancestors of
today’s Cracker Horses were introduced into what is now Florida as
early as 1521 when the Spaniard, Ponce de Leon, on his second
Florida trip, brought horses, cattle and other livestock. |
 |
 |
The
genetic heritage of the Cracker Horse can be traced to the Iberian
Horse of early 16th century Spain and includes blood of the North
African Barb, Spanish Sorraia, Spanish Jennet and the Andalusian.
Its genetic base is generally the same as that of the Spanish
Mustang, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, Criolla and other breeds
developed from the horses originally introduced by the Spanish into
the Caribbean Islands, Cuba and North, Central and South America.
The introduction of horses, cattle and other livestock by other
Spanish explorers and colonists continued well into the next century
and, by mid-1600, cattle ranching and horse breeding was well
established. Feral herds started from escaped and liberated animals
and both Spanish horses and cattle were quite numerous and common to
many areas of Florida long before it became a United States
possession in 1821. In the territory that became Florida, Cracker
Horses evolved mostly through natural selection as the horses roamed
freely. Survival in this environment meant adapting to its extremes,
and the Cracker Horse became vital part in Florida's heritage. First
the Indians and later the Pioneers began to use the Spanish Horses.
Besides their natural herding instinct, Florida Crackers were prized
for their unusual strength and endurance and naturally fast walk.
They were hardy, had adapted well to the Florida climate and
environment and excelled as working cow ponies. Cracker Horses were
frequently pressed into service as buggy horses, work stock, and in
many instances, were the only horse power for many family farms well
into the twentieth century. |
|
They
are indeed a vital part of Florida's Agricultural Heritage and are
very deserving of a place in Florida's future. There were thousands
of horses running freely over Florida by the 18th century. William
Bartram, a famous naturalist of the time, described Florida Cracker
Horses as “the most beautiful and sprightly species of that noble
creature” that he had ever seen. By the 1930s the quick-footed,
little cow-hunters experienced a devastating setback that almost led
to its extinction. The Great Depression led to the creation of a
number of relief programs, one of which encouraged the movement of
cattle from the Dust Bowl into Florida. With the cattle came the
screwworm parasite causing major changes in the practice of cattle
raising. Before the screwworm, cowboys used horses to herd and
drive free roaming Scrub and Cracker cattle. With the arrival of
the screwworm came the need to rope cattle and hold them for
veterinary treatment and dipping. As a result, ranchers turned to
larger and stronger breeds like the Quarter Horse and the Florida
Cracker Horse declined.
Preservation
With
an estimated worldwide population of 2,000 and less than 100 new
registrations annually, the Florida Cracker is considered rare. The
breed’s survival over the last fifty years resulted from the work of
a few families who continued to breed Cracker Horses for their own
use. |
 |
|
It
was these ranching families and individuals whose perseverance and
preservation of distinct horse bloodlines that kept the Cracker
horses from becoming extinct. In 1984, the late John Ayers of
Brooksville donated a group of Cracker Horses to the State of
Florida from which the state owned herds at the Florida Agricultural
Museum in Tallahassee and the Withlacoochee State Forest were
started. The Paynes Prairie State Preserve herd, where the free
roaming Spanish horses were once quite numerous, was started in 1985
with Ayers line horses that were purchased and donated to the
Preserve by The Friends of Paynes Prairie, a Citizen's Support
Organization. |
|
 |
Breed
Characteristics
Cracker Horses are from 13.5 to 15 hands in height and weigh from
seven hundred fifty to over nine hundred pounds. They are known for
their unusual strength and endurance, herding instinct, quickness
and fast walking gait. A good percentage of them have a running walk
and some have a single-foot gait which, in true Cracker dialect, is
often referred to as a "Coon Rack." Cracker Horse colors are any
color common to the horse, however, solid colors, roans and grays
are predominant.
The free roaming Cracker Horse evolved over a long period of time
through natural selection. It was molded and tempered by nature and
a challenging environment into the horse that ultimately was to have
a large part in the emergence of Florida as a ranching and general
agriculture
state. |
|
Cattle
Similarly Florida Cracker Cattle were shaped primarily by natural
selection in an environment that is generally hostile to cattle.
This has resulted in a breed that is heat-tolerant, long-lived,
resistant to parasites and diseases, and productive on low quality
forage found on the grasslands and swamps of the Deep South. It was
not until the importation of Zebus from India and the development of
the American Brahman breed this century that the Florida Cracker had
competition from other heat tolerant cattle. Not long afterwards,
the development of parasiticides and other medications allowed
British and European breeds to survive in the Deep South, and thus
the Florida cattle industry was further diversified. |
 |
 |
The
influx of new breeds very nearly caused the extinction of the
Florida Cracker breed. By the mid-1900s, the majority of purebred
cows had been crossbred, first to Brahmas and then to British and
European breeds. The cracker cow provided the maternal ability and
hardiness necessary for crossbreeding programs to succeed, and the
genetic distance between Florida Cracker Cattle and other breeds
created exceptional hybrid vigor in the offspring. The credit for
success, however, was always given to the improved breeds, and the
Florida Cracker was largely abandoned. As with Florida Cracker
Horses, Cracker Cattle survived in a pure form through the efforts
of a few Florida families, stubbornly resistant to “progress”.
As
one would expect of cattle adapted to the heat, Florida Cracker
cattle are small, with cows weighing 600-800 pounds and bulls
weighing 800-1,200 pounds. They exhibit the angular conformation
typical of Spanish cattle adapted to harsh conditions. Horne
style and shape vary, including very long and twisted horns as well
as smaller, more crumpled shapes. Polled cattle are found
occasionally. Dwarf types of Florida Crackers, called “guineas”,
occurred historically and were well regarded as milk producers. The
breed shares many of the same bloodlines as the Texas Longhorns and
the Piney Woods cattle of Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.
|
|
Colors in the breed vary widely, including almost all of the colors
known in cattle. This is a legacy from the breed’s ancestors in the
south of Spain, where even today ranchers prefer multi-colored
herds. Generally, solid red, dun, black, and brindle colors
predominate.
The
state of Florida has been a leader in the conservation and promotion
of the Florida Cracker breed during the past two decades. Florida
Cracker Cattle are considered a living part of Florida history, and
herds have been maintained at several state parks and forests. The
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have
supported the establishment of the Florida Cracker Cattle
Association and a breed registry which is operated by the American
Livestock Breeds Conservancy. The Florida Cracker Cattle breed is
still quite rare, with fewer than 1,000 animals alive today. The
Florida Agricultural Museum is pleased to assist with the
conservation of this unusual heritage livestock breed.
For more information on Florida Crackers visit:
http://www.florida-agriculture.com/livestock/cracker_cattle.htm |
 |
|
