Mustang
Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005)
Distinguishing features:	Small, compact, good bone, very hardy
Country of origin:	North America
Breed standards

A Mustang is a free-roaming feral horse of the North American west. It first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish.^[1] The name "Mustang" is also popular for high-performance products and sports mascots. Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. ... The Western United States, also referred to as the American West or simply The West, traditionally refers to the region constituting the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further discussion of these terms). ... A mustang is a feral horse living on the western or southwestern plains of the US. The word mustang comes from the Spanish mesteño, and ultimately from the Latin animalia mixta, meaning animals without a known owner (see article on the Spanish Mesta). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 146 KB) Summary Author: Jaime Jackson Subject: Free-roaming mustangs, Utah, 2005. ... Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... The cowboy, the quintessential symbol of the American Old West, circa 1887. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ...

In 1971, the United States Congress recognized Mustangs as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people.” Today, Mustang herds vary in the degree to which they can be traced to original Iberian horses. Some contain a greater genetic mixture of ranch stock and more recent breed releases, others are relatively unchanged from the original Iberian stock, most strongly represented in the most isolated populations. Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... The Iberian horse is native to the Iberian peninsula. ...

Terminology

Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center

Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses but, since all free-roaming horses in America descended from horses that were originally domesticated, the more correct term is feral horses. ^[2] Today, the only true wild horse is the Przewalski's Horse, native to Mongolia. Image File history File links Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center, near Reno, Nevada. ... Image File history File links Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center, near Reno, Nevada. ... Wild horses were indigenous to North America, populating the continent before the Ice Age. ... Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. ... Binomial name Boddaert, 1785 Subspecies †Equus ferus ferus Equus ferus przewalskii Bred back Tarpan in Haselünne, Germany (2004) The Wild Horse (Equus ferus or Equus ferus caballus) is a member of the Horse genus which currently is native only in Asia. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus przewalskii (Poliakov, 1881) Range map Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus caballus przewalskii, classification is debated), pronounced in English as //, also known as the Asian Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living wild relative of the domestic Horse. ...

Word origin

The English word "mustang" comes from the Mexican Spanish word mestengo, derived from Spanish mesteño, meaning "stray" or "feral animal". The Spanish word in turn may possibly originate from the Latin expression animalia mixta (mixed beasts), referring to beasts of uncertain ownership, which were distributed in shepherd councils, known as mestas in medieval Spain.^[3] A mestengo was any animal distributed in those councils, and by extension any feral animal. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Mesta is a river in Bulgaria and Greece, see Mesta (river). ... After the disorders of the passage of the Vandals and Alans down the Mediterranean coast of Hispania from 409, the history of Medieval Spain begins with the Iberian kingdom of the Arian Visigoths (507 – 711), who were converted to Catholicism with their king Reccared in 587. ...

History

Prehistoric North-American Horses

Horses lived in North America in prehistoric times; dying out at the end of the last ice age around 10-12,000 years ago, possibly due to climate change or the impact of newly-arrived human hunters.^[4] They were re-introduced by the Conquistadors, beginning with horses brought from Spain to the West Indies by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493,^[5] and to the mainland by Cortez in 1519.^[6] North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Conquistador (Spanish: kōn-kÄ“-stŏ-dōr) (meaning Conqueror in the Spanish language) is the term used to refer to the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas and Asia Pacific under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 17th centuries, starting with the 1492 settlement... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Look up columbus in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The name Cortez may refer to: // Josepeh Cortez, a revolutionary. ...

Origin of Mustangs

The first Mustangs descended from Iberian horses brought to Mexico and Florida. Most of these horses were of Andalusian, Arabian and Barb ancestry. Some of these horses escaped or were stolen by Native Americans, and rapidly spread throughout western North America. The Iberian horse is native to the Iberian peninsula. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... The Andalusian horse or Spanish horse is one of the oldest breeds of horses in the world today. ... The Arabian horse is a breed of horse with a reputation for intelligence, high spirit, and outstanding stamina. ... Developed on the Barbary Coast of North Africa, the Barb is a desert horse, with great hardiness and stamina. ... Native Americans redirects here. ...

Native Americans quickly adopted the horse as a primary means of transportation. Interestingly, in light of the horse's prehistoric existence in the Americas, many Indian myths and stories about the arrival of horses claimed that "the grass remembered" them.^[7] Horses replaced the dog as a travois puller and greatly improved success in battles, trade, and hunts, particularly buffalo hunts. Many tribes bred their horses carefully to improve them for their purposes. Among the most capable horse-breeding people of North America were the Comanche, the Shoshoni, and the Nez Perce. The latter in particular became master horse breeders, and developed one of the first truly American breeds: the Appaloosa. Most other tribes did not practice extensive amounts of selective breeding, though they sought out desirable horses through capture, trade and theft; plus quickly traded away or otherwise eliminated those with undesirable traits. Native Americans redirects here. ... Cheyenne family using a horse-drawn travois, 1890 A travois (from the French travail, a frame for restraining horses) is a frame used by Native Americans, notably the Plains Indians of North America, to drag loads over land. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Subspecies B. b. ... For other uses, see Comanche (disambiguation). ... Shoshone is a Native American language. ... The Nez Perce (IPA: ) are a tribe of Native Americans who live in the Pacific Northwest region (Columbia River Plateau) of the United States. ... // Horse breeds (1). ... For other uses, see Appaloosa (disambiguation). ...

Mustangs in the 19th century

Starting in the colonial era and continuing with the westward expansion of the 1800s, horses belonging to explorers, traders and settlers that escaped or were purposely released joined the gene pool of Spanish-descended herds. It was also common practice for western ranchers to release their horses to locate forage for themselves in the winter and then recapture them, as well as any additional mustangs, in the spring. Some ranchers also attempted to "improve" wild herds by shooting the dominant stallions and replacing them with pedigreed animals. Ranching is the raising of cattle or sheep on rangeland, although one might also speak of ranching with regard to less common livestock such as elk, bison or emu. ... Forage is the herbaceous plant material (mainly grasses and legumes) eaten by grazing animals. ...

In some modern mustang herds there is still clear influence of other domesticated horses being added to feral herds. Some herds show clear influence of Thoroughbred or other light racehorse-type stallions being turned into the wild herds, a process that also led in part to the creation of the American Quarter Horse. Others show the addition of heavy draft horse breeding, where farm horses were turned into wild herds in the wake of the Dawes Act, in a misguided attempt to create workhorses and force Indian people to become farmers. Other, more isolated herds, retain a strong influence of original Spanish stock. For the processor with the same codename , see Athlon. ... A palomino Quarter Horse shown at halter. ... Two pairs of Shire horses and a pair of Suffolk Punches A draft horse, draught horse, or harness horse is a large, strong horse bred for heavy work rather than speed. ... The General Allotment Act of 1887 (also known as the Dawes Act or the Dawes Severalty Act) authorized the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal lands and divide the areas into allotments for individual Native American families. ...

Mustangs Today

By 1900 North America had an estimated two million free-roaming horses.^[1] Since 1900, the mustang population has been reduced drastically. Mustangs were viewed as a resource that could be captured and used or sold (especially for military use) or slaughtered for food, especially pet food. The controversial practice of mustanging was dramatized in the John Huston film The Misfits, and abuses, including hunting from airplanes and poisoning, led to the first federal wild free-roaming horse protection law in 1959.^[8] Protection was increased further by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971^[9]. Look up Slaughter in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Misfits is a 1961 American film, written by Arthur Miller, directed by John Huston, and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, and Thelma Ritter. ...

The Bureau of Land Management is tasked with protecting, managing, and controlling wild horses and burros under the authority of the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act to ensure that healthy herds thrive on healthy rangelands and as multiple-use mission under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

Today, free-roaming horses have disappeared from 6 states and, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), their remaining population is fewer than 25,000, with more than half of them in Nevada, with other significant populations in Montana, and Oregon. ^[10] A few hundred free-roaming horses survive in Alberta and British Columbia. US BLM logo The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers Americas public lands, totaling approximately 261 million surface acres (1,056,229. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44° 21′ N to 49° N  - Longitude 104° 2′ W to 116° 3′ W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944...

Controversies

Free-roaming horses have benefited dramatically from the romance surrounding the horse in the American West. However, there are multiple viewpoints on the issue. Supporters of the preservation of wild horses point out that feral or wild herds of horses pre-date modern ranching practices and are part of the ecology and history of the Western United States.^{[citation needed]} Essentially, the argument goes, Mustangs have at least as much right to be on public lands as do cattle, another "non-native" species. ^[11] Ranching is the raising of cattle or sheep on rangeland, although one might also speak of ranching with regard to less common livestock such as elk, bison or emu. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ...

On the other side are cattle ranchers and others who depend on the cattle industry, who argue essentially that feral horses are a non-native species that degrades rangeland and competes with private livestock for public land forage.^[12] This article is about a type of land use and method of raising livestock. ... Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. ... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ...

Some breeders of domestic horses^{[attribution needed]} consider the Mustang herds of the west to be inbred and of inferior quality. However, supporters of the Mustang argue that the animals are merely small due to their harsh living conditions and that natural selection has eliminated many traits that lead to weakness or inferiority. Some mustang supporters^{[attribution needed]} also maintain that some "inbreeding" actually concentrates the traits of hardiness and durability, making the mustang a valuable genetic resource.

Regardless of these debates, the Mustang of the modern west has several different breeding populations today which are genetically isolated from one another and thus have distinct traits traceable to particular herds.

Land use controversies

There is also debate as to what degree Mustangs and cattle compete for forage.^[13] Most current Mustang herds live in arid areas which cattle cannot fully utilize due to the lack of water sources. Horses are better adapted by evolutionary biology to such climates^[14]; they may range nine times as far from water sources as cattle, traveling as much as 50 miles a day.^[15] This allows them to utilize areas not grazed by cattle. In addition, horses are "hindgut fermenters," meaning that they digest nutrients by means of the cecum rather than by a multi-chambered stomach. In practical effect, although horses may eat more pounds of forage per day than cattle, horses can obtain adequate nutrition from poorer forage than can cattle, surviving in areas where cattle will starve.^[15] For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ... The cecum or caecum (from the Latin caecus meaning blind) is a pouch connected to the ascending colon of the large intestine and the ileum. ... Forage is the herbaceous plant material (mainly grasses and legumes) eaten by grazing animals. ... Grass is a natural source of nutrition for a horse Equine nutrition refers to the feeding of horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other equids. ...

Related to the debate is the question of whether Mustangs have a natural role in the ecosystem of the American west. Because horses lived in North America in prehistoric times, some scientists argue that the mustang could also be considered a reintroduced wildlife species. Yet, they were extinct in North America for around 10,000 years until their reintroduction from Europe.^[16] Therefore, there is debate over the question of whether feral horses such as Mustangs are an introduced species, or a reintroduced wild species. A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. ... IT is a new species. ...

Adoption controversies

The Bureau of Land Management controls the mustang population through a capture program, intended to control competition with cattle. Most horses that are captured are offered for "adoption" to individuals willing to pay a small fee to cover paperwork and a few basic costs. In order to prevent the later sale of mustangs as horse meat, adopted mustangs are still protected under the Act, and cannot be sold in the first year except when certain very specific criteria are met. However, there usually is a much larger pool of captured horses than of prospective adoptive owners, which in part gave rise to the controversial "Burns rider," noted below^[17] US BLM logo The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers Americas public lands, totaling approximately 261 million surface acres (1,056,229. ... Competition is the act of striving against others for the purpose of achieving gain, such as income, pride, amusement, or dominance. ... For general information about the genus, including other species of cattle, see Bos. ...

One of the BLM’s key responsibilities under the 1971 law is to determine the “appropriate management level” (AML) of wild horses and burros in areas of public rangelands dedicated specifically for them... Healthy adult Mustangs have few natural predators aside from mountain lions, and their herd sizes can multiply rapidly. Binomial name Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) The puma (Puma concolor) is a type of large cat found in North, Central and South America. ...

To help restore the balance, (or, some argue, to make room for cattle^[18]), the BLM gathers some Mustangs and burros, then offers them for adoption or sale to individuals and groups willing and able to provide humane, long-term care.^[19] The adoption fees vary from $25 to $125. Shooting or poisoning Mustangs in the wild is illegal, and doing so can be prosecuted as a criminal felony under the Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Protection Act. This does not prevent theft, nor does it stop captured horses that are "adopted" from eventually being slaughtered. However, slaughter of old or infirm animals is a common fate even for domesticated horses.

In January 2005, a controversial amendment known as the "Burns rider" was attached to an appropriations bill in the Congress and modified this program to allow the sale (with the result usually being slaughter) of captured horses that are "more than 10 years of age" or have been "offered unsuccessfully for adoption at least 3 times." Due to the controversy provoked by this rider, there is also a considerable political movement to have it repealed and the original language restored.^[20] Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... For other uses, see Adoption (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Feral horse
• Spanish Mustang
• Kiger Mustang
• Wild horse, including
  • Przewalski's Horse
  • Tarpan

Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. ... Spanish Mustangs, also called Colonial Spanish Horses, are of great historic importance. ... Kiger Mustangs are a type of horse which were discovered in the 1970s during a routing roundup by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) in Beattys Butte, southeastern Oregon. ... Binomial name Boddaert, 1785 Subspecies †Equus ferus ferus Equus ferus przewalskii Bred back Tarpan in Haselünne, Germany (2004) The Wild Horse (Equus ferus or Equus ferus caballus) is a member of the Horse genus which currently is native only in Asia. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus przewalskii (Poliakov, 1881) Range map Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus caballus przewalskii, classification is debated), pronounced in English as //, also known as the Asian Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living wild relative of the domestic Horse. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus ferus Boddaert, 1785 The Tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} J. Frank Dobie, The Mustangs, Boston:Little, Brown and Company, seventh printing, 1952. LC no. 52-6802
2. ^ The American Museum of Natural History When Is a Wild Horse Actually a Feral Horse?
3. ^ Websters Third International Dictionary Unabridged
4. ^ "Ice Age Horses May Have Been Killed Off by Humans" National Geographic News, May 1, 2006.
5. ^ Bennett, Deb. Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship.Amigo Publications, 1998, pp. 150 ISBN 0-9658533-0-6
6. ^ Henry, Marguerite and Wesley Dennis. All About Horses. Random House, 1962. ASIN: B000MAJIB0
7. ^ "Seeds of Change." Corpus Christi Museum, Science and History educational resources. Accessed June 1, 2007 at http://www.ccmuseumedres.com/tour.php?action=details&record=37
8. ^ Wild Horse Annie Act
9. ^ Text of Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971
10. ^ http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/pdf/National.pdf
11. ^ http://www.wildhorsepreservation.org The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
12. ^ Bellisle, Martha. "Legislative battle brews over Nevada's wild horses" Associated press reprinted at I.G.H.A. / HorseAid's Bureau of Land Management News. Web site accessed May 11, 2007
13. ^ On the controversy - National Academy of Sciences Report, 1982; General Accounting Office Report, 1991
14. ^ Wild Horses and the Ecosystem
15. ^ ^{a b} Budiansky, Stephen. The Nature of Horses. Free Press, 1997. ISBN 0-684-82768-9
16. ^ Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Ph.D. and Patricia M. Fazio
17. ^ The Story Behind the Burns Amendment
18. ^ On BLM's wild horse management practices
19. ^ Round-up testimonials
20. ^ Burns amendment. Incidentally, Senator Conrad Burns was defeated in his bid for re-election in 2006 and is now out of office.

Conrad Ray Burns (born January 25, 1935) is a former United States Senator from Montana. ...

External Links

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