[5] It is hypothesized that the animal is descended from Colonial Spanish horses brought to New Spain – today's Southwestern United States – in the 16th century.

In 1971, numbers dropped dramatically during a drought when livestock ranchers shot many free-roaming horses, believing that they were competing with cattle for scarce water resources.

In 1990, another remnant feral population was discovered by the Bureau of Land Management and blood testing determined that they were related to the animals that had been preserved in private herds.

[5][8] Cerbat stallions in captivity have been bred to mares of other Spanish-ancestry mustangs to keep the bloodline alive without inbreeding.

[7] Cerbat Mustangs are used in many ways, including endurance riding, eventing, trail classes, ranch and cattle work, team penning, roping, and other western competition.