Gilbert H. Jones & Bryant Rickman
Gilbert Jones, founder of SSMA, was one of several
individuals,
who began the preservation efforts of the Spanish Mustang.
He was born in 1906, on his father's homestead in Indian
Territory, now Oklahoma. He began acquiring Spanish
Mustangs,
at the age of 17, when he realized that the breed was
slowly disappearing. Overtime, he came in contact
with
others who had similiar goals, including Mr. Ilo Belsky and
Mr. Bob Brislawn. He devoted most of his life
to preserving
and perpetuating this rare breed.
Gilbert was chairman of SSMA for many years.
In 1998,
he realized that for health reasons he would not be able to
continue in this capacity. He resigned and
appointed Bryant
Rickman as chairman. Gilbert passed away on July
10, 2000,
at the age of 93.
Bryant was born in McKinney, Texas and raised
in Oklahoma.
He is a graduate of Texas A & M College, in Commerce, Texas,
with a degree in Agricultural Education. He retired in 2002,
after 31 years
of being an FFA advisor and teaching Vocational
Ag, in Hugo, Oklahoma.
Bryant became involved with Gilbert and the Southwest
Spanish
Mustang Association in the early 1980's. They traveled many miles
together and shared great experiences. Bryant spend countless
hours listening to, and learning from, Gilbert's knowledge of the
greatest horse he thought ever existed.
This web site is dedicated
to "Gilbert H. Jones" in memory of his
love and dedication to SSMA
and The Colonial Spanish Horse.
