Mustang

The Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the western United States. Its name comes from the Spanish word mesteno, meaning a stray or feral animal. Mustangs descend from horses that Spanish colonists brought to the Americas, and across several centuries they spread over the open range and adapted to hard, dry country.

In the closed-studbook sense, the Mustang is not really a breed. It is a population shaped by the land it lives on, carrying bloodlines that blend Spanish stock, ranch horses, and cavalry remounts. Long generations on the range have produced a compact, tough animal that costs little to keep. Today many feral herds are managed by government agencies, and adopted Mustangs go on to trail, ranch, and endurance work.

A typical Mustang stands somewhere between 14 and 15 hands and carries hard, dense hooves that often need little shoeing. Temperament leans toward independence and caution, the legacy of generations that had to read their surroundings in order to survive.

Who the Mustang suits

A Mustang fits an owner who has time, patience, and a fair bit of horse experience. Animals adopted straight off the range need careful gentling before they will accept handling. Once settled, a Mustang makes a sound, low-upkeep partner for trail riding, ranch chores, and distance work. Anyone new to horses is usually better off with a Mustang that has already been started under saddle.

Mustangs trace back to horses the Spanish brought to the Americas from the early 1500s onward. Some escaped, and others were traded, lost, or captured, and free-roaming herds took shape across the southern plains and the Southwest.

Through the 1600s and 1700s the Native peoples of the plains took up the horse, and horse culture spread north and west. Herds grew as escaped and released animals joined the range population, drawing in ranch horses and, later, cavalry stock. By the 1800s free-roaming horses lived in large numbers across the western United States.

From the late 1800s into the 1900s the population dropped sharply. Horses were rounded up for slaughter, for sale, and to clear grazing land for livestock. Public unease over these practices built through the middle of the 1900s.

In 1971 the United States passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, placing free-roaming Mustangs on designated public land under federal protection and management. The Bureau of Land Management now oversees many of these herds, using gathers and an adoption program to hold herd numbers on the range.

The Mustang is a compact, well-muscled horse built for endurance rather than size. It is solid through the chest and hindquarters, the back is short, and the legs are clean and strong. The hooves are usually hard and dense, an adaptation to rocky, dry ground, and a good many Mustangs work barefoot.

Since the population is not bred to a single closed standard, conformation shifts from one herd to the next. Horses off different ranges can vary in head shape, height, and colour, a reflection of the mixed Spanish and domestic stock behind them.

Coat and colours

Mustangs turn up in almost every horse colour. Bay, dun, black, and chestnut are common, and patterns such as pinto and roan show up regularly. Dun and grullo coats, with their dark dorsal stripe and sometimes leg barring, point to the Spanish background of many herds. The coat runs short through the warm months and thickens for winter out on the open range.

Mustangs are independent and alert. Generations on the range have made them quick to notice a change around them and wary of anything unfamiliar. A horse born free reads people the way it once read the land, so trust is earned over time rather than handed over.

Once a Mustang accepts a handler, it tends to be loyal and steady. Many adopters describe a firm bond and a horse that stays calm and willing under saddle. Around other horses Mustangs are sociable and settle into herd life with ease, since herd living is their natural state.

With strangers a Mustang usually stays watchful until it has taken the measure of the person. Confidence and a clear, consistent manner from the handler help the horse relax. These are not horses that take well to rushing or rough treatment.

Grooming

• Brush regularly to lift dirt and check the skin and coat
• Pick out the hooves daily and watch for stones or cracks
• Book farrier checks every 6 to 8 weeks even if the horse goes barefoot
• Keep the mane and tail clear of tangles and burrs
• Step up grooming during seasonal shedding

Exercise

• Provide daily turnout in a paddock or pasture
• Ride or work the horse several times a week to keep it fit
• Mix trail, ring, and groundwork to keep the routine varied
• Allow room to move, since Mustangs are used to covering ground

Environment

Mustangs cope with a wide swing of weather and ask for less pampering than many breeds. Even so, they need clean water, a dry place to stand, and shelter from wind, hard sun, and storms. A field with a run-in shed suits them well. Fencing should be safe and secure, above all for a recently gentled horse that may test the limits.

Mustangs evolved on sparse range forage and hold condition on less feed than many domestic breeds. The base of the diet should be good grass and hay, fed in amounts matched to the horse's size, age, and workload. Steady access to clean water and a salt or mineral source rounds out the basics.

Because Mustangs put on weight easily, owners need to watch for over-feeding. Too much grain or rich pasture can lead to obesity and to laminitis, a painful hoof condition. Many Mustangs in light work need little or no concentrated feed.

Treats and supplements

Most Mustangs on quality forage need few extras. A salt block and a balanced mineral supplement cover common gaps where local grass or hay falls short on nutrients. Treats such as carrots or apples are fine in small amounts. Check with a veterinarian before adding supplements, since over-supplementing can do more harm than good.

Mustangs are known for their hardiness. Natural selection on the range favoured sound, disease-resistant animals, and the result is a horse that often stays healthy on basic care. Many live 25 to 30 years, and their dense hooves and tough build help them dodge problems that trouble more delicate breeds.

Good health still rests on routine care. The main risks for a Mustang tend to be diet-related, such as weight gain and laminitis from rich feed, rather than inherited disease.

Preventive care

• Yearly veterinary exam and vaccinations
• Dental check at least once a year
• Regular farrier visits
• A deworming program based on fecal testing
• Steady, forage-based feeding to control weight

Mustangs learn quickly and hold on to what they are taught, but they think for themselves and will not be bullied into work. Training rests on trust. A horse straight off the range has had little or no contact with people and must be gentled before any saddle work can begin. Once that trust is in place, many Mustangs turn into calm, willing, dependable mounts.

Consistency counts for more than force. A handler who is clear, fair, and unhurried draws the best out of a Mustang. Pushing too fast or punishing fear tends to set training back.

Basics

1. Spend time near the horse so it grows used to your presence
2. Build acceptance of touch, the halter, and being led
3. Add groundwork such as yielding, leading, and standing tied
4. Introduce tack and saddle pressure in small steps
5. Start under saddle once the horse is calm and responsive on the ground
6. Expand to trail, ring, and task work as confidence grows

On the range Mustangs breed naturally in herd bands, where a stallion runs with a group of mares. Mares usually reach breeding maturity by two to three years of age, though many are not bred until they are older and fully grown. Breeding follows the seasons, with most foals dropped in spring when grass is plentiful.

Gestation runs about 11 months and produces a single foal. Twins are rare and risky in horses. Range-born foals are up and moving within hours of birth, an adaptation that helps them keep pace with the herd and stay clear of predators.

Mares raise their foals within the band, and the young nurse for several months before weaning at around six months. Colts and fillies stay with the herd until they mature, after which young stallions often leave to form bachelor groups or to win mares of their own. Mustangs raised for adoption are usually gentled and weaned under managed conditions.