Wild Horses from the Murder's Creek herd, grazing in a meadow in the Murderer's Creek HMA, inside of Malhuer National Forest. The lineage of the Murderer's Creek horses is diverse and quite debatable. Although it is likely that horses found in the area by early explorers (probably escaped from Indian herds) left their mark in the area, there can be no dispute that many of the Murderer's Creek horses are descendants of animals lost or turned loose by settlers and ranchers. Dr. Gus Cothran performed genetic analysis of this herd in 2000-2001. Dr. Cothran found that this herd -- which is physically isolated from other herd areas -- is the most unique, bearing the least similarity to the other Oregon herds studied. Dr. Cothran found that this herd bears closest genetic resemblance to the American light racing and saddle breeds as well as to the New World Iberian breeds.