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Spanish Mustang
The Spanish Mustang is born
The Spanish Mustang horse is a special horse that were descendants of the horses brought by the Spaniards. When Columbus took his second voyage to the new land. He was ordered by the crown to carry breeding animals which included Horses. Breeding farms were set up in the Caribbeans and Mexico. The produced stock was placed with Christian Indians. The Apache Indians who were not Christianized, would steal the horses and trade them up northward with other tribes. They were responsible for spreading them all over the West. As time passed, horses escaped, were lost and stolen resulting in feral horses roaming the West. Numbers of roaming horses climbed into the hundreds of thousands. The Spanish Mustang is considered the finest of horses. The feral horse survived and thrived in the New Lands environmental conditions. Mother Nature produced a hardy, sturdy, powerful horse.
Characteristics
Height- 13.2- 15 hands (54”-60”)
Weight- 650-1,100lbs
M round and hard with thick walls. They have wide foreheads and crested necks which are more prominent with the stallions. Some are gaited and come in many colors.
The Spanish Mustang is a horse of many colors. The most common colors are Bay, Chestnut, Black and Grey.
The Mustang Horse has a different mentality than other domesticated horses. They are highly intelligent and retain their natural instinct for self- preservation. You can't tell a Mustang Horse what to do but once you have their friendship they are very loyal and willing to please.
They are great endurance sport horses and are also used in English and Western events.
“You can’t beat Mustang intelligence in the entire equine race. These animals have had to shift for themselves for generations. They had to work out their own destiny or be destroyed. Those that survived were animals of superior intelligence.”
Tom Hopkins
Frank Hopkins and the Spanish Mustang
You may have heard of Frank Hopkins. He was an endurance rider in the 1800’s. His life achievements inspired the movie “Hidalgo” Frank Hopkins traveled from Galveston Texas to Rutland Vermont in 31 days. It is said that he arrived 2 weeks earlier than the next competitor!
Frank Hopkins also entered a 3,000 mile race against the finest desert Arabian horses in Arabia. His horse of choice was a Mustang Horse and WON!
How are the Spanish Mustang horses Managed?
The Bureau of Land Management manages and protects wild horses and burros on 26.9 million acres of public lands across 10 Western states as part of its mission to administer public lands for a variety of uses.
As of March 1, 2020, there were an estimated 95,000 wild horses and burros roaming public lands capable of sustaining about 27,000 with enough forage and water. This overpopulation threatens the health of the herds and other wildlife as resources are over-used and degraded over time.
The BLM maintains a large network of permanent off-range corral adoption and purchase centers to facilitate the placement of wild horses and burros into private care through the Adoption and Sales Programs. To learn more click here.