Mustang (horse)

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Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005)

Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center

A mustang is a hardy, free-roaming horse of the North American west, descended primarily from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadores. Because of the image of the wild horse of the west as possessing hardiness, grace, speed, and independence, the name "Mustang" is popular for high-performance products and for sports mascots. The English word mustang comes from the Mexican Spanish word mestengo, which was derived from the Spanish mesteño, meaning cattle raised under the extensive system of the Mesta and strayed.

In 1971, the United States Congress recognized Mustangs as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West [...] that [...] contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people.”

Mustangs are often referred to as "wild horses" in the press and in daily usage. However, because all free-roaming horses in America descended from horses that were originally domesticated, the proper term is feral horses. ^[1] Today, the only true wild horse is the Przewalski's Horse, native to Asia.

Because horses lived in North America in prehistoric times, some scientists argue that the Mustang could also be considered a reintroduced wildlife species.^[2] However, the horses that once were native to the North American continent died off at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago, possibly due to either climate change or the impact of newly-arrived human hunters. ^[3] Because horses were extinct in North America until the arrival of the Conquistadors in the late 1400s and early 1500s, it is difficult to make a claim for strayed, feral horses being a reintroduced wild species. On the other hand, there is also some evidence that American Indian tribes may have possessed prehistoric myths about horses, as many Indian stories about the arrival of horses claimed that "the grass remembered" them.

1 The earliest mustangs
2 Mustangs in the 20th century and the 21st century
3 Mustang controversies
4 See also

[edit] The earliest mustangs

The first mustangs descended from Iberian horses brought to Mexico in the 1500s by the Conquistadors. 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.

Native Americans quickly adopted the horse as a primary means of transportation. It 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.

[edit] Mustangs in the 20th century and the 21st century

By 1900 North America had an estimated two million free-roaming horses.^[4] 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.^[5] Protection was increased further by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Protection Act of 1971^[6]. However, a recent amendment to this act called the Burns Amendment effectively removed protection for these horses by legalizing the slaughter of unadopted animals^[7].

[edit] Mustang 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. Those who support 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. Essentially, the argument goes, mustangs have at least as much right to be on public lands as do cattle, another "non-native" species.

On the other side is the cattle ranching industry, which argues essentially that feral horses are a non-native species that degrades rangeland and competes with private livestock for public land forage.

There are also some horse enthusiasts who consider the mustang herds of the west to be inbred and of inferior quality. Supporters of the Mustang argue that the animals are merely small due to their harsh living conditions but that natural selection has eliminated many traits that lead to weakness or inferiority. Some Mustang supporters also maintain that some "inbreeding" actually concentrates the traits of hardiness and durability, making the Mustang a valuable genetic resource.

No matter which side is correct, 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.

There is also some debate as to what degree Mustangs and cattle compete for forage. Most current Mustang herds are in arid areas which cattle may have difficulty fully utilizing due to the lack of water sources. Horses are able to go longer without water than cattle, which allows them to graze areas too remote from water to be grazed by cattle. On the other hand, horses have a less efficient digestive system than ruminants such as cattle, so a horse consumes more forage than an equivalent sized cow.

In either case, since 1900 the mustang population has been reduced drastically. Today, free-roaming horses have disappeared from 6 states and, according to the Bureau of Land Management, their remaining population is fewer than 25,000, with more than half of them in Nevada, with another significant population in Montana. ^[8] A few hundred free-roaming horses survive in Alberta and British Columbia.

The Bureau of Land Management protects, manages, and controls 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. The BLM manages these living symbols of the Western spirit as part of its multiple-use mission under the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

One of the BLM’s key responsibilities under the 1971 law is to determine the “appropriate management level” (AML) of wild horses and burros on the public rangelands. These animals have virtually no natural predators and their herd sizes can double about every four years. As a result, about 31,000 wild horses and burros roam BLM-managed lands in 10 Western states, a population that exceeds by about 3,500 the number that can exist in balance with other public rangeland resources and uses.

To help restore the balance, the BLM gathers some wild horses and burros and offers them for adoption or sale to those individuals and groups willing and able to provide humane, long-term care.