breed's history. The ancestors of the Galiceno were among sixteen horses landed by Cortes during his Mexican invasion in 1519 for use in the mines and as transport. During the rest of the 16th century, conquistadors continued to bring horses into what is now Mexico, including many small-framed, smooth-gaited horses. Many of these horses eventually escaped or were released and formed feral bands in Mexico's mountainous interior. Over the next few centuries, local inhabitants began to catch and use horses from the increasing populations; the type that eventually became the Galiceno was especially prized in coastal regions. Galicenos were used by Spaniards in silver mines and as pack horses; in the latter role they moved further northward with the Spanish missions and were sometimes lost in battle or stolen by Indians. These horses eventually became part of the Mustang herds of the American West, as well as playing a role in the ancestry of the American Indian Horse. The first Galicenos intentionally imported to the United States came in 1958 as part of a herd of 135 horses, many or all of them previously feral Mexican horses. In 1959, the Galiceño Horse Breeders Association was formed in the United States to maintain the breed; and by 2005 had registered about 7,000 horses throughout North America, with around 20 new foals registered each year. Some Galicenos are also registered with the American Indian Horse registry, which is dedicated to preserving the lines of horses bred by the Native Americans of the United States. DNA testing carried out on Galiceno horses in the United States, including one of the original horses brought out of Mexico, has found markers similar to those in other known Spanish populations. Recent studies at Texas A&M have shown that the Galicenos are closest to the Garranos of Portugal and Spain. In 2015, the breed was added to The Livestock Conservancy's (TLC) Conservation Priority List as "Critical", TLC estimates the US population to stand at between 200 and 300 animals, with a very low population of active breeding stock. References Horse breeds originating in Mexico Horse breeds Conservation Priority Breeds of the Livestock Conservancy