Florida History in the Making

Riders retrace the Hernando DeSoto Trail from Tampa Bay to Tallahassee on a mission to designate an official state horse: The Florida Cracker Horse

By Georgia Brown

Two horsemen riding Florida Cracker horses along highways and through state parks completed a 281-mile ride from Tampa Bay to Tallahassee in 10 days to show their support of a bill in the legislature to make the breed the state’s Heritage Horse.

“The horses were essential to Florida’s homesteaders who came from all over the South. They pulled plows and wagons and also herded cattle,” said James Levy, a historian and the executive director of the Florida Cracker Horse Association.

The breed traces its lineage to horses brought to Florida by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. After the Spanish left, the toughest horses and cattle survived in the wilderness. The wild herds were used by the Indians and became starter stock for first settlers.

The native horses were used as early as the 1600s by America’s first cowboys. Florida’s cattle ranchers got the name “Crackers” for the way they cracked their whips over their heads as they herded their cattle.

“They nearly became extinct during the 20th century. In 1989 only 141 could be located on family farms. Today there are about 800 horses in the registry,” said Levy.

The two riders, Billy Ray Hunter, 42, a retired law enforcement officer from Alachua, and Carlton Dudley, 58, a retired firefighter from Newberry, both rode stallions. The ride was sponsored by the Florida Cracker Horse Association and Seminole Feed. “I fed more than I usually do of Seminole’s soy hull-based pellet with a high fat content. When you’re working a horse that hard, you’ve got to feed him. I knew he would burn that energy up each day,” said Carlton Dudley who fed Seminole Wellness Perform Safe Pellet for the duration of the ride. Hunter chose to feed Gold Chance High-Efficiency, a traditional oat-based pellet with added fat.

The Journey

“Anybody who wants to ride along with us is welcome,” said Hunter. Kevin Webb of Parrish, who had just completed the 120-mile Cracker Trail ride from Bradenton to Ft. Pierce, rode with them most of the day on his Appaloosa mare.

The Cracker Horse is a small saddle horse, standing 13.2 to 15.2 hands. They have a flat-footed walk, a running walk and some exhibit a smooth, lateral gait.

News of the ride was reported on television and in newspapers as they headed north and camped at state parks. As the days went by, more people honked and waved their support as they drove by the pair.

In Plant City they stopped at the cow cavalry memorial at the historical 1914 Plant City High School Community Center. Hunter found the name of one of his ancestors carved on the memorial. After a discussion on how pioneers used the wild herds as starter stock, they mounted their horses and walked quickly down Wheeler Street toward their next stop.

Volunteers handled logistics and moved the horse trailers loaded with feed, water and camping gear. “At night we set up panels between the trailers on soft ground or grass and gave the horses free choice water, coastal hay and a little alfalfa,” said Dudley. 

“We’ve always had a great interest in history and these horses are part of that,” said John Howard. His family has lived in Levy County since the 1850s. His wife, Frances, can trace her Minorcan family tree back to the Spanish occupation.

“We are interested in the Cracker heritage and think the breed deserves the state recognition. We just wanted to do something to help,” said John Arnow. He and his wife, Andrea, volunteered to help organize the barbecue. They run a riding stable in Wisconsin and spend winters in Levy County.

As the sun faded in the west, the fire light made the surrounding oaks look like the arches of a cathedral. No one wanted the evening to end.

Riding Along

More people rode with them as they got farther north. Terry Putnal, a competitive trail rider, joined them in O’Leno State Park. He was conditioning his Cracker horse for an endurance race and rode 111 miles during the last five days.

“The finish couldn’t have been better,” said Ellison Hardee, president of the FCHA. On March 6th, more than a dozen Cracker horses surprised morning commuters along Apalachee Parkway and Lafayette Street on the final leg to De Soto State Park. The park is the only site in Florida where archeological evidence, armor, chain mail and coins, prove it was one of De Soto’s encampments.

“I strongly feel that the Cracker Horse will be Florida's official State Horse by the end of this legislative session,” said Levy. “It is a winning situation all the way around for our Cracker Horses.”

The pending legislation designating the Cracker Horse as Florida's official Heritage Horse is Senate Bill 230 (by Senator Carey Baker) and House Bill 121 (by Representative Frank Attkisson).