Mustangs by Vivian Vallarsa
Mustangs have a rich history here in the United States. They originated from both Spanish and English horses which either escaped or were abandoned in the western part of the country.
These escaped horses formed herds and became accustomed to their new life in the wild. As they settled in, their population skyrocketed and reached almost 2 million in the early 1900’s. This became a problem for ranchers' demand for land to graze cattle on. Over the years, wild mustangs were hunted, poisoned, and captured which led their population to its current 30,000. This concerningly large number of killings resulted in The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. This act led to population growth once again, so The Bureau of Land Management began rounding up and adopting out Mustangs to help manage population size.
Because of their lives in the harsh and dry conditions of the western United States, Mustangs have adapted to survive on very low nutritional foods. Perennial grasses are the main food source for these equines. The dry climate leads the grass to have little nutritional value; still, Mustangs are able to maintain their hearty stature. Dry season is a hard few months for most animals which leads them to discover neat tricks in order to stay hydrated. Mustangs use their hooves to dig around six feet deep to reach groundwater, and skilfully chew through cactus in order to withdraw its moisture.
Mustangs have very diverse colourings because of their mixed bloodlines. This results in Mustangs appearing in virtually every color and having pretty much every marking possible, making them the most diversely coloured horse breed. The most common coat colors are bay and chestnut, but black, gray, pinto, roan, and palomino are also fairly common. Because of their tendency to stick with their herds, many herds have predominantly similar coat colors and markings.
These escaped horses formed herds and became accustomed to their new life in the wild. As they settled in, their population skyrocketed and reached almost 2 million in the early 1900’s. This became a problem for ranchers' demand for land to graze cattle on. Over the years, wild mustangs were hunted, poisoned, and captured which led their population to its current 30,000. This concerningly large number of killings resulted in The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. This act led to population growth once again, so The Bureau of Land Management began rounding up and adopting out Mustangs to help manage population size.
Because of their lives in the harsh and dry conditions of the western United States, Mustangs have adapted to survive on very low nutritional foods. Perennial grasses are the main food source for these equines. The dry climate leads the grass to have little nutritional value; still, Mustangs are able to maintain their hearty stature. Dry season is a hard few months for most animals which leads them to discover neat tricks in order to stay hydrated. Mustangs use their hooves to dig around six feet deep to reach groundwater, and skilfully chew through cactus in order to withdraw its moisture.
Mustangs have very diverse colourings because of their mixed bloodlines. This results in Mustangs appearing in virtually every color and having pretty much every marking possible, making them the most diversely coloured horse breed. The most common coat colors are bay and chestnut, but black, gray, pinto, roan, and palomino are also fairly common. Because of their tendency to stick with their herds, many herds have predominantly similar coat colors and markings.