Wild Mustang Adoption-Pros/Cons, and opinions of others who've adopted

[Tinted]

I do not have much “Mustang” experience but here is my personal experience with the breed:

I have only been stupid enough to get on a mustang once in my life, and I learned my lesson well and good. I was cleaning tack at a friend’s barn and she asked me to ride out with her for a break, and of course as any honest horse loving American girl would do I jumped at the opportunity to ride a different horse than the ones I rode at home. So she brings out her horse a lovely walker and a bay mare with a freeze brand on the left side of her neck AKA the Mustang. So we saddle the horses up and start riding toward the lake. The mare is riding fine and clam yet responsive, and we go on like that for about 20 min. So we get close to the lake and we pass this clear spot where you can see the neighbors pasture about ¼ a mile away or so and all of a sudden this mare goes bonkers. She goes nuts! Chomping the bit, shaking her head…and then she bucks. So I am on this crazy butt mare going nuts for no apparent reason, trying to calm her down and she has her head thrashing up and down, doing to looney dance, she is simply having a fit. And my friend is talking about something trying to tell me something when this mare bolts. Just grabs that bit and runs with it. She covered nearly 15 acres of pasture before I finally got that mare to stop. I tried circles, sea sawing, popping, everything but something in that mare told her to run like hell and let me tell you she did all right. I later learned once my friend caught up that there had been a dog loose in the NEIGHBORS pasture ½ a mile away and that’s what the mare had a fit about.

I like to think myself a decent rider; I have ridden all my life and taken lessons for years. I have been on bolting horses, buckers, barn sour, and a few nut cases but nothing like the mustang mare that bolted 15 acres over a loose dog half a mile away.

I consider Mustangs in general to be more unpredictable than the everyday horse, the fight or flight instinct in Mustangs is much more acute and sensitive than in the average horse. A survival technique that has kept them alive in the wild, but in my opinion is a horrible trait in a riding animal. I would not adopt a mustang if given the choice, especially when there are so many perfectly good riding animals sold in kill pens daily.

 

[IcarusSomnio]

Way back when I was a naive 11 year old...

I've never owned a Mustang PERSONALLY, but I have had the chance to meet and ride one. The gelding in question was named Thunder, he was a stout 14hh bay, broke to ride. He was one tough cookie, smart and safe. I believe he was ridden in a hackamore, but don't pin me on it

When I DID ride him, I thought it was the equivalent of riding a jackhammer with a brick for a head. Mind you, I was spoiled on my smooth, neck-reining, babysitting TWH and this was a ranch-type Mustang who wasn't all that interested in having a Super Novice aboard. He was patient and gentle...just not all that comfortable!


My mom wanted to buy him so badly, but they didn't want to sell.

 

[txredneckmedic]

My brothers both have "mustangs" they adopted from the BLM. Both have some sort of draft horse in them as the taller of the 2 is 16.2, other is 16.1. Both are used to work on ranches and are about the best horses you will ever find. The bigger has bucked only once and that was due to rider error(hair cought in cinch) the other hasnt at all. My wife and kids have been on them and I have no problem letting them on. they are both trained to ride without a saddle and without reins...completely leg trained. Heck...2 years ago the bigger of the two was ridden in the rodeo parade bareback and without reins....and its about a 3 mile route. No problems what so ever. Both were also home trained. Were currently thinking bout adopting several more.

 

[chickenzoo]

Quote:
Bad training could result in that with any breed of horse, have several horse friends with poorly trained domestic horses that could kill you in a min over silly stuff. A good trained horse is a good trained horse, no matter what the breed.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
The term 'wild' is incorrect and the word 'feral' should be used. The same as with pack of dogs and cats that people let loose, these horses were introduced a LONG time ago to this land that they were not native to.

Over the years they have multiplied and become too many. Because it's a horse and not a cow, people get offended when they need to be thinned out and rather than shooting them and donating the meat to dog shelters, the BLM captures them and sells them to people as adoptions. Lots of times it doesn't work out and the horse is put down anyways, to the same result - after a ton of money is spent.

Hope that helps

 

[chixie]

I have a mustang. i didn't adopt her . I got her from the person who bought her from the adoptee. so I dont have experiene with one not already broke. I an tell you this when my mare spooks she can run and run . when we first got her she busted out of the fene and ran a ouple of miles before she stopped.(she doesnt do that now) she can be tempermental at times. and she spooks in confined areas. she an also be a big sweetheart. and I love her . we no longer ride her. but as for an older stallion that is wild . I would be afraid to mess with. but I am no expert. I an just imagine how hard it would be to gentle down. good luck with what ever you choose.

 

[CityChicker]

To be honest, I am kind of surprised at the stories I am reading here and like another person, I really question whether some of these horses are true mustangs or horses that had only recently become feral. I have only known a few people over the years first hand that have dealt with mustangs and the stories have been awful. I have never heard even one first hand positive story (in real life, not the internet). My hat is off to anyone that has adopted one and had success. I will leave it at that. I, personally, would never do it. It is just not worth my time and energy when there are so many good horses that need homes right now. Good horses that are *already* human friendly and welcome human contact. I am not convinced now, nor have I ever been, that adopting these horses out is even what is good for the horse. I think it is simply playing to human sentiment, not necessarily doing what is really best and most compassionate for these animals. Sorry if that offends. I really think, however, that perhaps their best interests (and that of the herds) is served by culling. It is certainly more compassionate, IMHO, than keeping an animal that is essentially wild kept captive by humans. Again, this is MY OPINION. Feel free to disagree. I won't feel less of you, LOL.

Does anyone else remember that series of articles done by the girl I believe from Horse Illustrated that had adopted the mustang? This was gosh, probably 20-25 years ago. I remember following that series of articles intently and then after several months of seemingly excellent progress, the horse nearly killed her. I just wonder if any other old-timers remember that. Every time I hear the word "mustang", I think of that poor girl. The last story I remember reading she had a colostomy bag and had undergone several surgeries. I don't know why anyone would bother with adopting one of these animals when so many of them clearly do not want human contact, while so many other animals that do go unadopted. I think before you do it you really should ask yourself- Is this really, honestly what this animal wants or is it only what I want?

 

[sandy sea]

We adopted a very nice BLM mustang about 5 months ago from a neighbor that had her for 2 years. When we got her she had never been riden. The horse had never had a saddle on or a bit in her mouth. My daughter started with the bit and saddle and just took the horse for walks on the trail. She than got a trainer that trained my daughter how to train the horse. Went very slow with each step of training . Everything worked out great, we now have a very sweet broke horse. I am planning to look for another B L M mustang within a year so, we can have two to ride.

 

[chickenzoo]

I have been to many BLM adoptions and talked with people who adopt these horses and their are many, many good outcomes. These horses are very smart, very loyal, and less investment in upkeep as they have survived by having good feet and health. As far as the comment about culling and using them for dog food in shelters.... well why don't we just take all those dogs in the shelters and send them overseas to feed hungry people who eat dogs? Why is that different? If people would be responsible and care for their animals in the first place, we would not have these problems with overpopulation with companion animals. Need not greed is what people should breed for. As for the Feral horses, they have been feral for a long time. they are thinned down, one because of lack of predators and 2 because of lack of range... both are problems we created. So some are auctioned off to cut down on the population. These can be wonderful horses at their purest, no spoiling or souring done by people. To build trust up with one of these horses is like no other, especially after all the torture they have endured from us. When I hear bad stories about them it is often that they were trying to be trained in a harsh manner or by those with poor horse training skills... not all but many. All horses have these ingrained traits in them, perhaps less then a feral horse, but it is there.

 

[booker81]

I've heard good Internet stories on BLMs mustangs.

I've personally not had good experiences. I've cared for more horses than I have braincells left, and the ones I could definately do without are the BLMs. Might be because the folks that owned them had no clue what they were getting into and though it was nifty, but my god, they were aloof at best, and dangerous at worst. I generally charged more to farm care for people with mustangs because of the extra difficulty the horses had with anyone they didn't know, on top of the fact many folks just did not train them. I can think of one mustang that I've cared for that was trained, and looking back, he wasn't too bad, but the rest, man. Hooligans.

Most of my experience with them was farm sitting (running small farms while the owners were away), so I didn't get close to the horses generally, but yeah. I think part of it is that once gentle, they are one person horses many times. When I showed up for a week, I wasn't that one person, and it took a lot of patience, gentleness and cool moves to handle them....I prefer standard breeds that you could just walk out and halter and lead in without wondering if you would have the lead ripped out or you would be run down every.single.time.

Sounds like you have a good background, so not saying to not do it, but they are a challenge, and not for everyone. At least you aren't getting them to breed because they are "pretty" (those ones were HORRIBLE to care for.)

ETA: It's like Off the Track Thoroughbreds - they are not for everyone, but I personally LOVE them. They can be nutjobs, but if I had the space and time, I'd totally take them on for projects/rescues.

Edited because I can't spell....