Mustang

The Mustang is a free-roaming horse found across the western regions of the United States. Its name is derived from the Spanish word mesteno, denoting a stray or feral animal. Mustangs are descended from horses brought to the Americas by Spanish colonists, and over successive centuries they dispersed across open rangeland, gradually adapting to harsh and arid terrain.

It would be inaccurate to describe the Mustang as a breed in the closed-studbook sense familiar to enthusiasts of, for instance, the Marwari or the Kathiawari. Rather, it is a population shaped by its environment, with bloodlines drawing upon Spanish stock, ranch horses and former cavalry remounts, a lineage that will resonate with readers familiar with India's own remount tradition. Decades of survival on open range have produced an animal that is compact, resilient and economical to maintain. A significant proportion of feral herds are today managed by federal agencies in the United States, and Mustangs taken up through adoption serve creditably as trail, ranch and endurance mounts.

A typical Mustang stands between 14 and 15 hands and possesses hard, dense hooves that frequently require minimal shoeing. Its temperament inclines toward independence and vigilance, a trait developed over generations that depended on reading their surroundings correctly in order to survive.

Who the Mustang Suits

The Mustang is best suited to an owner possessing time, patience and a degree of prior equestrian experience. Animals adopted directly from the range require careful and unhurried gentling before they will accept regular handling. Once settled, however, the Mustang proves a sound and low-maintenance partner for trail riding, ranch duties and endurance work. First-time owners are generally better advised to acquire a Mustang that has already been started under saddle.

The history of the Mustang begins with horses transported by the Spanish to the Americas from the early sixteenth century onward. A number of these animals escaped captivity, or were traded, lost or captured, giving rise to free-roaming herds across the southern plains and the American Southwest.

Native peoples of the plains took up horsemanship through the 1600s and 1700s, and equestrian culture spread progressively northward and westward. Herds expanded as escaped and released animals joined the wild population, later augmented by ranch horses and, subsequently, cavalry stock, a parallel not unfamiliar to students of India's own Remount and Veterinary Corps. By the 1800s, considerable numbers of free-roaming horses inhabited the western United States.

Through the latter part of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, the population declined sharply. Horses were rounded up for slaughter, for sale, and to clear grazing land for domestic livestock. Public concern regarding these practices grew steadily through the mid-twentieth century.

In 1971, the United States enacted the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, according free-roaming Mustangs on designated public land federal protection and management. The Bureau of Land Management presently oversees a substantial number of these herds, employing gathers and an adoption programme to regulate herd size upon the range.

The Mustang is a compact and well-muscled horse, built for endurance rather than stature. Its chest and hindquarters are solid, the back is short, and the legs are clean and strong. The hooves are typically hard and dense, an adaptation well suited to rocky, arid terrain, and many Mustangs are worked without shoes.

As the population is not bred to a single closed standard, conformation varies considerably between herds. Horses originating from different ranges may differ appreciably in head shape, height and colour, reflecting the mixed Spanish and domestic ancestry from which they descend.

Coat and Colours

Mustangs occur in nearly every recognised horse colour. Bay, dun, black and chestnut are common, while patterns such as pinto and roan appear with regularity. Dun and grullo coats, distinguished by a dark dorsal stripe and occasionally by leg barring, indicate the Spanish ancestry present in many herds. The coat remains short during warmer months and thickens considerably for winter on the open range.

The Mustang is, by nature, independent and alert. Generations spent upon the range have rendered these horses quick to notice changes in their surroundings and cautious of anything unfamiliar. A horse born free reads people in much the same manner as it once read the land, meaning that trust must be earned progressively rather than granted at the outset.

Once a Mustang accepts a handler, it tends to prove loyal and steady thereafter. Many who have adopted Mustangs report a strong bond, together with a horse that is calm and willing under saddle. In the company of other horses, Mustangs are sociable and settle readily into herd life, this being their natural condition.

In the presence of strangers, a Mustang generally remains watchful until it has formed an assessment of the individual concerned. A confident and consistent approach on the part of the handler assists the horse in relaxing. These are not horses that respond favourably to haste or to rough handling.

Grooming

• Brush the coat regularly to remove dirt and inspect the skin and coat
• Pick out the hooves daily, checking for stones or cracks
• Arrange farrier visits every 6 to 8 weeks, even where the horse remains unshod
• Keep the mane and tail free of tangles and burrs
• Increase grooming frequency during seasonal shedding

Exercise

• Provide daily turnout in a paddock or pasture
• Ride or work the horse several times weekly to maintain fitness
• Vary the routine through trail work, arena schooling and groundwork
• Allow sufficient space for movement, as Mustangs are accustomed to covering considerable ground

Environment

Mustangs tolerate a wide range of weather conditions and require considerably less pampering than many breeds. They nonetheless require clean water, a dry standing area, and shelter from wind, strong sun and storms. A field fitted with a run-in shed serves them well. Fencing ought to be safe and secure, particularly in the case of a recently gentled horse inclined to test boundaries.

Mustangs evolved upon sparse range forage and maintain condition on considerably less feed than many domestic breeds. The foundation of the diet ought to be good-quality grass and hay, provided in quantities matched to the horse's size, age and workload. Constant access to clean water, together with a salt or mineral source, completes the basic requirements.

As Mustangs retain weight with relative ease, owners must guard against over-feeding. Excessive grain or rich pasture may result in obesity and in laminitis, a painful condition of the hoof. Many Mustangs in light work require little or no concentrated feed whatsoever.

Treats and Supplements

Most Mustangs maintained on quality forage require few additional inputs. A salt block together with a balanced mineral supplement addresses common deficiencies where local grass or hay is lacking in nutrients. Treats such as carrots or apples are acceptable in modest quantities. Veterinary advice ought to be sought before introducing supplements, as over-supplementation may prove more harmful than beneficial.

The Mustang is noted for its hardiness. Natural selection upon the range favoured sound, disease-resistant animals, with the result that these horses generally remain healthy given basic care. Many live 25 to 30 years, their dense hooves and robust constitution assisting them in avoiding ailments that trouble more delicate breeds.

Sound health nonetheless depends upon routine care. The principal risks facing a Mustang are typically related to diet, such as weight gain and laminitis arising from rich feed, rather than inherited disease.

Preventive Care

• Annual veterinary examination and vaccinations
• Dental check at least once yearly
• Regular farrier visits
• A worming programme informed by faecal testing
• Steady, forage-based feeding to regulate weight

Mustangs learn quickly and retain what they are taught, though they think independently and will not be compelled into work through force. Training is founded upon trust. A horse taken directly from the range will have had little or no prior contact with people, and must be gentled before any work under saddle commences. Once such trust has been established, many Mustangs prove calm, willing and dependable mounts.

Consistency matters considerably more than force. A handler who remains clear, fair and unhurried obtains the best results from a Mustang. Proceeding too rapidly, or punishing fear, tends to set training back.

Basics

1. Spend time in the horse's company so that it grows accustomed to your presence
2. Build acceptance of touch, the halter, and being led
3. Introduce groundwork such as yielding, leading and standing tied
4. Introduce tack and saddle pressure in gradual steps
5. Commence work under saddle once the horse is calm and responsive on the ground
6. Progress to trail, arena and task-based work as confidence increases

Upon the range, Mustangs breed naturally within herd bands, a stallion running with a group of mares. Mares typically reach breeding maturity by two to three years of age, though many are not bred until fully mature. Breeding generally follows seasonal patterns, with the majority of foals born in spring, when grass is plentiful.

Gestation lasts approximately 11 months and results in a single foal; twins are rare, and hazardous, in horses. Range-born foals are able to stand and move within hours of birth, an adaptation enabling them to keep pace with the herd and evade predators.

Mares raise their foals within the band, the young nursing for several months prior to weaning at approximately six months of age. Colts and fillies remain with the herd until maturity, following which young stallions frequently depart to form bachelor groups or to establish bands of their own. Mustangs raised for adoption are typically gentled and weaned under managed conditions.