The Mustang is a wild horse living in the Great Plains of North America. The term Mustang comes from Spanish and means "stray animal". Indeed, they were reintroduced by the conquistadors in the sixteenth century during their conquest of the New World. Massacred during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, its population has drastically decreased but it is now part of the American heritage.
History and origins of the Mustang
The Mustang is originally a horse domesticated by the Spanish. The conquest of Spain by the Arabs in the eighth century allowed the arrival of bearded and Arab horses in Spain. The Spanish broom comes from the cross between the horses present in Andalusia and the horses of the Arabs, it is this horse that was taken a few centuries later to America by the conquistadors. We, therefore, find origins of the Mustang in bearded and Arabian horses.
As history says, the conquistadors explored North America during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, it was during this period that Spanish horses, the Spanish Broom, arrived on the American continent. Initially, these horses were already small, resistant, and dry. Natural selection has only accentuated these traits, such as its robustness.
Native American tribes have captured and developed their own race, we find here the Appaloosa or the Chickasaw pony. Many have returned to the wild. The fact that some lines were captured, selected, and then released into the wild explains the diversity of Mustang. The Mustang thrived until the mid-nineteenth century, reaching one to two million individuals.
However, in the following century, they were hunted down for eating their meat, which reduced their numbers to a few thousand. They were re-tamed on ranches and were trained to work on ranches.
From now on, American law protects the Mustang, allowing it to live freely on land that belongs to the American state (and not Canada).
Morphological characteristics of the Mustang
- Waist
The mustang is a small horse, its size varies between 1.42 m and 1.52 m. We can even accept smaller sizes.
- Weight
Depending on its size, its weight varies between 400 and 500 kg.
- Dress
Almost all dresses can be found in Mustangs, due to their great genetic diversity. We can find in particular the white, the alezan, the black, the bai, the Isabelle, the mouse, the gray, the aubère, the wolf, the roan, or the magpie. However, the most frequent dresses are the bai, the bai-brun, the alezan, and the Isabelle.
- Morphology
The morphology is very variable, it has no fixed type. However, some associations for the protection of the Mustang are trying to find an Iberian type.
Forehand:
Its head is small with a straight chamfer
Its neckline is small and hollow
Body:
Small and stocky
Withers is not very apparent
- Short back
Backhand:
Low and inclined croup
Plumb:
Black and strong hooves
Mustangs' feet are known to be resistant and not very sensitive to laminitis.
Physical description and peculiarities of the breed
The characteristic feature of the Mustang is its phenotypic diversity and lifestyle.
- Lifestyle:
Mustangs live in herds of about fifteen individuals. For each horde, there is a single dominant stallion ensuring its protection and a dominant mare (the oldest) deciding their movements. The stallions are excluded at 3 years of age from the hordes and live alone until recovering groups of females, after fighting against the dominant stallion.
The organization of these cohorts makes it possible to limit inbreeding through the presence of a single male.
- Marking:
Mustangs are most commonly marked with a symbol indicating the registration body, two digits indicating the date of birth, and the individual identification number on the left side of the neckline.
For those living in shrines, they are also marked on the left hip of the last four digits of the mark on the neckline.
Mustang Abilities
- Behavior / Character
The Mustang is independent, vigorous, and very vigilant. They are in the wild prey and are therefore able to prevent an attack from several hundred meters.
- Sports to which he is predisposed
The Mustang is a fast and enduring horse.
- It has long been used for the rodeo in the "bronco riding" event which consists of staying 8 seconds on a wild horse.
- Domesticated horses, they are often used as part of hiking or western riding.
- On ranches, he adapted to working with livestock.
- The Mustang has become a true symbol of Native Americans, the world of cowboys and westerns and finally the territories of the great American West.
Mustang's Health
- Life expectancy
- Feeding
- General Health
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