{"id":45816,"date":"2025-01-22T10:37:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ehorses.com\/magazine\/?post_type=horse-breed&p=45816"},"modified":"2025-01-22T10:37:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:37:46","slug":"mustang-horse","status":"publish","type":"horse-breed","link":"https:\/\/www.ehorses.com\/magazine\/horse-breed\/mustang-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"Mustang Horse – Breed Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

The Mustang Horse living wild and free is part of the romance of the American West. Read on to discover the background of this legendary breed.<\/strong><\/p>

<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Mustang Horse – Key Facts<\/h2>
  • Species<\/strong>: Equus caballus<\/li>
  • Name<\/strong>: The Mustang Horse, or simply the Mustang.<\/li>
  • Height<\/strong>: Generally between 14 hands (56 inches\/142 cm) and 15 hands (60 inches\/152 cm)<\/li>
  • Weight<\/strong>: Usually about 800 pounds (360 kg), sometimes more.<\/li>
  • Appearance<\/strong>: The Mustang Horse is categorized as a light horse. Coat colors can be any, including solid colors, such as bay, brown and black. Many are sorrel, some dun, grulla, buckskin and palomino. Dorsal stripes are common. There are also spotted and paint Mustangs.<\/li>
  • Conformation<\/strong>: Variable. Many still show their Spanish horse ancestry.<\/li>
  • Special features<\/strong>: Mustang Horses are free-roaming animals. Every wild Mustang lives in a herd. These herds vary in size, and some are family groups. Because they are the feral descendants of once-domesticated horses, they have become very hardy over the centuries.<\/li>
  • Qualities<\/strong>: Mustang Horses have strong hooves. They survive and thrive on very basic grazing.<\/li>
  • Character<\/strong>: Having lived as wild horses needing to avoid predators, Mustangs are fast and intelligent. They adapt and learn quickly.<\/li>
  • Home<\/strong>: Mainly the Western United States, with small herds elsewhere on the continent of North America. They are also found in Central America.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Mustang Background<\/h2>

    Thousands of years ago, the ancestors of modern horses roamed freely across what is now America. This was their original homeland<\/b>, but they became extinct here about 8,000 years ago. The horse was reintroduced into the continent by the Conquistadors from Spain in the sixteenth century. Some of their domestic horses inevitably escaped and began to live wild again<\/b>. These were given the name “meste\u00f1o” or mestengo, meaning stray in Spanish.\u00a0<\/p>

    As other people began to settle in America, from Britain, Ireland, Europe, and Scandinavia, they brought horses, too, and some of these animals also escaped. The modern Mustang Horse descended from many of these original horse breeds<\/b>, making it a feral animal rather than a wild one. Nature, too, has played a part in creating these wonderful horses. Living wild on the land over the centuries, the animals became very hardy, wily, and tough<\/b>. They also became a symbol of the American West and an important part of its history. Mustang Horses have featured in plenty of movies, TV series, and books.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\t\tMustang horses for sale<\/strong>\r\n\r\n