American Original

American Original

　

Mustangs and humans have always had a rich history together, and we still share the same land. The Conquistadors brought fast and strong workhorses, from Spain and Portugal to the New World, which carried the explorers through all types of terrain in search of gold. In the 1600’s, Spanish settlers raised their horses on cattle and sheep ranches in New Mexico. Some of these ranch horses escaped to live in the wild. These free-running horses came to be called "mustangs," probably from the Spanish word "mesteno," which means "stray or free-running animal."

Most of the escaped Spanish horses grazed freely on the open plains. Later on, when other settlers came across the land, other types of horses and ponies such as Morgans and draft horse breeds including Percheron, Belgians, and Clydesdales escaped or were turned loose to join the wild herds. This is why we see influences of other breeds in the wild herds. Some mustangs resemble thoroughbreds; some resemble the draft breeds.

However, there are have always been some issues with the wild herds. Problems with the mustangs date back to 1950’s with the Wild Horse Annie Act. Velma B. Johnston, a rancher-turned-animal-rights-activist, learned of the ruthless manner that the Rangers, Hunters, and Mustangers used to round up wild horses off of the rangelands. Velma B. Johnston started a grassroots campaign mostly involving school children. This exposed how the wild horses were being treated, which outraged the public and got more people involved with fixing the issue. The people even involved the newspapers to report the injustice happening to the wild horses.

The bill became Public Law 86-234 on Sept. 8, 1959. However, it did not include Velma’s suggestion that Congress initiate a program to protect and control the wild horses. Public interest and concern increased until the decision that Federal protection was to be essential was realized. The role that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plays with the wild horses is very important. Following up the Wild Horse Annie act, was the Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burro’s Act of 1971.

The Act reads:
"Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands."

To help carry this out, the BLM founded the Wild Horse and Burro Program. The agency protects, manages, and controls wild horses and burros on the range and in captivity, while maintaining rangeland health.

Other current issues with the mustangs include the public’s perception of wild horses as compared to domestic horses. The general public seems to have the opinion that mustangs cannot compare to domestic horses, such as the American Quarter Horse. There are many that claim that mustangs are not superior working horses or show horses. Many still view them as a wild, scared breed and have dubbed mustangs "untamable."

Contrary to that opinion, there are many trainers and other supporters of the breed that feel that mustangs are superior, dependable, hardworking horses that can accomplish as much as—and more than--domestic horses. For example, Diane Ward, a representative for the Mustang Heritage Foundation in 2009, owns a mustang that, after she adopted the horse succeeding winning the Extreme Mustang Makeover Yearling Edition in 2009, won Junior Hi-Point Champion in the Dixie National Palomino Show in 2012. This particular mustang, Docs Golden Allegro, also won Youth 13-And-Under English Equitation Circuit Champion, and placed second in two Showmanship classes. There are and have been many other mustangs by other trainers that have accomplished this much and more. Though the issue remains unresolved in some people’s minds, a possible solution to the public’s negative opinion could perhaps be advertising the accomplishments of the breed more widely to show people the mustangs’ true talent and potential. The Extreme Mustang Makeover has already contributed greatly to this cause, and new events are always underway.

If a solution is not found for this, however, the adoptions for mustangs could either fail to increase at the rate needed or could even drop dramatically. Without adoptions, mustangs would either be forced to stay on the range and deal with natural predators, starvation, and dehydration, or be rounded up to be put in holding facilities. If there were to be more shows to showcase the trained mustangs and their potential, the public’s perception might begin to change. The public’s perception of wild horses is definitely an issue that needs more attention brought to it, and more effort put towards solving it.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation and the BLM have already taken some steps towards solving this issue. The BLM and Mustang Heritage Foundation have established multiple programs to help the mustangs’ natural habitat, and to adopt the horses out to homes once in captivity. The BLM and Mustang Heritage Foundation both work towards adopting out mustangs and burros out to good homes and raising awareness to the issues with the wild horses. There are many ways to adopt a wild horse or burro: one can adopt gentled mustangs through the BLM, the Extreme Mustang Makeover competition, or the Trainer Incentive Program.

The Mustang Heritage Foundation created the Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions to raise awareness and showcase mustangs through a national training competition. In the Extreme Mustang Makeover, trainers spend 100 days working with mustangs that were completely untouched at the beginning of the 100 days with the end goal of turning out a well-mannered working horse to compete with. These competitions give the public the opportunity to see a wild horse convert to a family-friendly working horse. The purpose of the Extreme Mustang Makeover is to showcase the versatility and trainability of the wild horses that are held in BLM facilities. At the end of the Extreme Mustang Makeover, the mustangs are available for adoption by auction. These events offer the public a special opportunity to adopt an American legend. Adopters and trainers must meet BLM requirements and be approved by BLM. The Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions give adopters a direct way link to the trainers and the people involved with the mustangs so that they may find the horse that is right for them.

Through the Mustang Heritage Foundation’s Trainer Incentive Program, horse lovers can adopt mustangs that have been gentled as part of the trainer’s regular program. Mustangs gentled through the Trainer Incentive Program are 3 to 6 years old. Mustangs are available for adoption across the United States. Adopting a mustang this way is very affordable--the adoption fee for TIP trained horses is $125. Mustangs in the TIP program are halter broke, allow farrier work, and load and unload from a trailer. Adopters may personally create a contract with a TIP trainer for further training, such as undersaddle training and performance training.

Furthermore, there is always the option of adopting a horse out of the wild with no training through the BLM or with a trainer. Interested people adopt online or review the adoption schedule and adopt their own wild horse.

Bringing home one of these living legends that we have spent so many years with is always exciting. Whether you trained the horse yourself, or someone else gentled it, either way you’ll have your own journey with your horse and a story to tell.