Here's a breakdown of how horses arrived:
* Pre-Columbian Era: There were no horses in North America, including California, before the arrival of European explorers. The last horses died out in North America around 10,000 years ago.
* Spanish Colonization: Spanish conquistadors introduced horses to California in the late 16th century. The first documented arrival was in 1542 with Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo.
* Wild Horses: Over time, horses escaped or were intentionally released, forming wild herds that thrived in the Californian landscape. These wild horses, known as Mustangs, are descendants of those first Spanish horses.
Therefore, while the first horses arrived in California with the Spanish in the 16th century, the establishment of wild horse populations, the Mustangs, began shortly after.