Mustang Adoptions

[ratlummountain]

i got my mustang when he was 11 and had already been in captivity for 6 years. he's now 18 and to this day anyone coming onto the farm asks "who's that little guy!?!" he draws women (human and equine) to him like flies, he just has this ... prescense ... about him.

there's definitely something special about mustangs, you can't help but admire them.

you HAVE to have patience, time & patience.
and the one thing that surprises most people is how small they can be. my guy is only 12.5h, he's on the smaller side but it's still in the "normal" range.

i've heard the prison programs are great for training. and most of the prisoners love this program too.

 

[Crunchie]

I'll just add my $.02 in (mind you, it's often an unpopular opinion and it's gotten me in trouble a few times, but I stand by it), the same $.02 I throw out there when anyone is talking about obtaining any (regardless of breed) young, untrained horse and expecting to train it themselves. If you're not a professional or aren't highly experienced, or if you're not willing to pay good money to send said horse to a trusted professional-- Don't. Do. It.

Yeah, yeah, I know, we all had half-broke crazy ponies growing up, and we raced bareback with no helmets down dirt roads, and we didn't have lessons, and we all managed to survive somehow or another, so why can't love and patience fix any horse's problems? Sometimes, with the right combination, it guess it could, but I've seen far too many very unhappy endings to not at least attempt to be the voice of reason.

Of course, to the original poster, for all I know you are a professional and capable of dealing with a young untrained horse, so don't take this personally--I'm in no way insinuating that you don't have the capability to train a horse! I obviously can't know that, as I don't know you.

I spent some time on the farm of Monty Roberts several years ago. While there, I saw a lot of young, fresh-off-the-range, never touched by humans mustangs. I also saw a lot of them started on their new path in life--accepting human touch, being started to saddle/rider. I have had the chance to work with a horse recently after round-up, albeit in a limited capacity, on the ground. They are a whole 'nother creature altogether, which just adds another element to the equation I described above, down to the type of fencing/housing you have. They are wild animals. They do not always act the same way a domesticated (and yet still often unpredictable) horse will.

Though, all that said, I think that you can get a pretty cool little horse out of a Mustang adoption. They really are special. If I had the time and resources, I'd love to adopt a couple, but I don't--and even though I have a lot of experience, I don't trust as though I have enough to do right by one of these animals.

Good luck, whatever you decide to do. The BLM link that someone posted earlier does have a lot of info. I was just looking at the site a few days ago. There's some pretty little horses listed for adoption there!!

FloridaChick, your horses are gorgeous!

 

[Florida chick]

Quote:
I sadly live near a feedlot and 3 Strikers and or Sheldon mares are on their way to the slaughter houses. I can usually bale them for around $30.

I can also get a truckload of 40 mares, delivered FREE but You would need have a vet ref and plenty of room for them.

ALso adoption plans for them all. ITs a large undertaking and not for the faint of heart. PLEASE check out http://www.mustangrescue.org/available-mustangs.html LC is now there! She is available and IN MAINE so maybe she would work for you.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Sorry Florida chick if I offended you. I was just stating off my own experience with them. My own "mental image" of a show horse, is those world champ 16-17h leggy warmbloods. LOL You know what I'm talking about. Tall, lengthy, chiseled things.

I LOVE the way mustangs look myself. The mustangs I have dealt with personally were all compact and boxy, a look I LOVE. I love the old "cowhorse" look. The original cowboy horse..

I just knew a few people who bought young mustangs and they didn't fill out like their owners "envisioned", but that's the way it is in most situations.

Don't get me wrong. Mustangs are in my top 3 favorite breeds.

BTW, your horses are GORGEOUS!!

-Kim

 

[southernsibe]

My Renegade is of suspected mustang heritage. He fits all the descriptors, and sadly, I really don't have a way to research any more of his history then what I got word of mouth when I bought him. He is just over 15 hands and rock steady. Like I said, it is suspected that he either is or has mustang heritage, when I got him, all I was told was that he was a cowpony.
Rachel

Gorgeous horse pics!!!!

 

[BeardedChick]

I have one, he's a big boy. 15.2hh and about 1250#. He is usually as tall and more stout than the working QH's that my cowboy friends ride. He looks just like a remount horse - a mix of TB, morgan, and draft. Because I had never gentled a wild horse before, I got one from a prison training program. He was a 3 y.o. It cost more, but he was safe to be around and easy to work with. I have had him for 6 years and ridden him just about everywhere. When we move cows on the highway, I am usually the lead flagger out in front of the herd to get the semis to slow down. I can put his big butt in the middle of the road and get him to dance around and everyone slows down.

And he's OK with the semis air brakes coming on. He really is a great horse, though he's not for an inexperienced rider.

They are not all short horses, and I don't know that they are any less inbred than other pedigreed breeds in the US. Looking at my Arab and QH's pedigrees, there are a lot of crosses back to the same foundation bloodstock. This mustang is taller than any Arab or QH or Morgan that I've had (actually, I wish he was shorter 'cause 14.3 is a lot easier to mount).

Some of the mustang lines look very Spanish, some look like warmbloods because they have draft in their ancestry, some look like QH's because locals let QH stallions loose to breed the mustangs... There are many types and many temperaments. If you can just go look at the horses in a prison training program - do it. It's fascinating & is a day well spent.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Haviris]

We have two, I agree they aren't for everyone, they take alot of time and patients and I'd say if you aren't an experienced horseman get a pro to work with it. Ours were both 3 year olds when we got them.

This one is around 13.3-14 hands (I actually wish she was abit shorter). She's not a "pretty" built horse, but she's a nice little horse!

This one is around 15 hands, she's alot prettier in person. Her temperment is not as nice as the other one.

 

[lizardz]

I have two which I adopted as 2-year olds. They were somewhat of a challenge to gentle, but not as much as I thought they might be. The mare (the sorrel) is about 14.2 and very spanish barb looking; the gelding is about 15.3 and looks more quarter horse (or draft - huge butt!). They are the sweetest, most loveable horses I've ever had. They constantly want kisses, will follow you around, come quickly when called. The gelding was a handful (and still can be at times). I sent him for 3 months of professional training with a woman who used John Lyons methods, and it worked very well with him. The only problem I've had with them is that I have to be very careful they don't founder. They are such easy keepers it seems like they can almost live on air, so watching their wieght is always an issue.

You will find all types and sizes of mustangs, so look around for what you want. There was even one mustang (I forget his name now) that was being used at one of the higher levels of dressage. If you have something specific you want, take your time and look around. If you just want a good riding horse and buddy, it will be easy to find one (or ten). I would, however, as many others have, recommend professional training unless you've had lots of experience in working with/training horses. They can be quite challengeing.

Here's a couple of pictures of my babies (not very good pictures I'm afraid - somehow I lost most of my stored photos and these were all I had).

Floridachick - your babies are certainly beautiful! Thank you for rescuing them and giving them a second chance.
Liz

 

[Florida chick]

Wow its so cool to see others Mustangs! Your Stangs are all gorgeous, I love to see the pics. I just love them can you tell? LOL

I see Stangs as having the capablities any other breed can, it all depends on what band they are round up from. I can say our lil black can keep up with my hubbies 1-D barrel mare anyday. Our Bay Cassie may be an amazing jumper someday. She is young so not trained to jump, but show a ton of potential. I have not had any issues with Mustang help. Our farrier actually took some of their hooves to show and compare to locals AQHA and APHA's. Our Paints were half as thick as the Mustangs hoof walls. These 2 Mustangs came from Neveda off the Mtn range,they are sure footed and braver than I want them to be. LOL
I will say Mustangs take a TON of time and knowledge and patience. I refer them as Wild Cougars with hooves when they come in. The 1st time some are unloaded and 1 gets the idea to clear a 6 ft fence, LOOKOUT is all I can say and get ready for chase and rounding up time. One of the biggest problems some of the older mares we get in isn't touch, its OTHER RIDERS> Some of the mares we last had in were over 11 yrs old and had been round up horseback. THey FREAKED anytime anyone rode within their site. Its suprised us even after being gentled they still blew a gasket. Some NEVER are meant to be domesticated. SO far 1 Mare out of a bunch we have pulled and rehomed. has been returned to a sancutary, they would fret and sweat and stress so badly. I could touch her etc, but she HATED IT! I knew her history, she had been roped to have her foal stolen by the cowboys and she had MAJOR issues. Just be careful if you do adopt and the younger the better most times. I will say LC a Pinto blue eyes mare we had was 12 but was easier than some younger ones. I guess it just depends on the horse.
I would say a 7 ft wood or solid covered small training area is ver neccessary. We have a 7.5 ft roundpen attached to a loading and unloading chute. Its built from Telephone poles.

 

[patandchickens]

Mustangs are great, and one of my few (but big) regrets about moving to Canada is that now that I finally have a place of my own I can no longer easily *get* a BLM horse to work with

That said, can I politely inquire as to your horse training background, chicks-for-better-health? While a few novices with excellent instincts and excellent luck do have good experiences with mustangs, in general it is a recipe for disaster (for the horse especially) to enter into a project like this without EXTENSIVE experience working with difficult green horses from other circumstances. And my observation of other peoples' slow-motion disasters indicates that it is not always POSSIBLE to find a suitable professional to help or to do the training for you - in some areas you are lucky, in others, not so much. This seems to be even more true of working with BLM horses than with any others, and you CANNOT figure that just 'cuz someone has extensive show successes or has worked well with X life-stage of X breed that they will necessarily not screw your BLM horse up mightily. So it would be a good idea to get an in-depth idea of what you might expect from the local scene before getting too into the mustang thing.

Also you need VAST QUANTITIES OF TIME. If you work full-time, it may be a bit of a problem - if you work full-time and have any other commitments as well, then I dunno.

They do make wonderful horses when properly educated, though - small and compact, but for those of us who know that small horses live longer and stay sounder, and don't need the ego thing of sitting on a 17 h mountaintop <g>, they are great. (I come from a h/j/eventing/dressage background, btw, and have two TBs and a half-Lipizzaner in the backyard at present).

Good luck whatever you decide to do,

Pat