For generations, tribes like the Choctaw, Cherokee, and Chickasaw preserved the Colonial Spanish Mustang's bloodlines, valuing their strength, endurance, and cultural significance.

In the mid-20th century, conservationist Gilbert Jones dedicated himself to finding and preserving the purest remaining Colonial Spanish Mustangs. He founded the Spanish Mustang Registry and gathered many horses on Blackjack Mountain in southeastern Oklahoma, where they lived and bred naturally. Before his passing, Gilbert entrusted Bryant Rickman with continuing this work.

Neither could have foreseen what came next: in 2007, Blackjack Mountain changed hands, and the herd was forced off the land. Bryant took on the rescue and relocation effort himself—finding new homes, building facilities, and covering the costs to protect what Gilbert had spent a lifetime building.

Today, Bryant carries that promise forward, documenting each horse and using DNA testing to preserve bloodline integrity while providing lifelong care for one of the largest remaining herds of pure Colonial Spanish Mustangs.

Rickman Spanish Mustangs Sanctuary is more than a refuge—it's the continuation of a generations-long mission, with every horse a living link to America's past and a tribute to Gilbert Jones and Bryant Rickman's shared commitment.