The Choctaw Horse, a special breed of Oklahoma's Heritage Horse
Critically Endangered, "surviving by a thin thread... perilously close to extinction." - Dr. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD, Professor
family, the McKenney - Locke family of Antlers, Oklahoma. John McKenney owned a stand on the Robinson Road in Mississippi and was Captain of a group that emigrated in 1832. In 1836 he was elected Chief of the Mush District. The National Archives has a letter John wrote discussing the stock held by himself and his neighbors. In addition, in the 1835 claim filed by the Choctaws against the government for lost horses, John is listed as having lost several horses on that emigration. All told, over 2300 horses are listed in this document as “lost,” worth approximately $80,000.
John’s son, Thomson McKenney, attended the Choctaw Academy in Kentucky and went on to become a school trustee and delegate to Washington D.C. in 1854. In the mid 1840s he wrote a “History of my life” in a notebook which he also used as a ledger, recording the selling and trading of horses.
In 1871, Susan, Thomson’s daughter, married Victor M. Locke from Ten Mile Stand, TN. They raised a large family in the Pushmataha County area and founded Antlers, OK. We have traced their land holdings throughout the county, specifically in the Blackjack Mountain area. This was a very large family, including Victor’s two brothers who followed him to the Territory and married Choctaw women. Most family members had extensive land and stock holdings, many original allotments.
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In 1871, Susan, Thomson’s daughter, married Victor M. Locke from Ten Mile Stand, TN. They raised a large family in the Pushmataha County area and founded Antlers, OK. We have traced their land holdings throughout the county, specifically in the Blackjack Mountain area. This was a very large family, including Victor’s two brothers who followed him to the Territory and married Choctaw women. Most family members had extensive land and stock holdings, many original allotments.
2015 National Cavalry Competition Champion John Brownrigg on Socks,
Photo by Dori Luzbetak
Choctaw Horses
Photo by Maila Coleman
Choctaw Indian foal whose ancestors were selectively bred for their gentleness and gait, as well as beauty