Horses are considered the most graceful and luxurious animals. But these qualities are more inherent in their wild varieties. The mustang horse is a rebellious, proud and freedom-loving representative of its subspecies.
The mustang horse is a rebellious, proud and freedom-loving representative of its subspecies.
How Mustangs Came to Be
These wild inhabitants come from North America, where they were first brought along with the first settlers in the 16th century. At first they were quite even domestic animals, but after the evil natives or Indians began to take them with them, the horses began to gradually run wild. This was due to the fact that people abandoned them, as the animals could not continue their journey due to fatigue. But the Indians could not take them back, because they were so dispersed that it was simply impossible to find them. In the nineteenth century The population of wild mustang horses has risen to 2 million.
These animals came from hereditary horses of French and Spanish blood. Before the mustangs came to America, there were no horses at all, because they died out long before that. The Indians at first destroyed and ate new animals, but then they learned to ride them. Having mastered riding lessons, the owners of the mustangs taught them to understand themselves from a whisper. People on horseback from afar looked like centaurs, so much they merged with each other while riding. The Indians improved the mustang breed.
How mustang horses live (video)
Texans with the natives began to catch free horses to create breeding plants and horse farms. Then the mustangs even participated in the Anglo-Boer War, of course, not of their own free will. And when the fleeing Spaniards left their horses on the battlefield, then some of them were caught by the natives. Then free horses began to cross with the same runaway cowboy heavyweights.
Everyone has heard of free, wild horses - mustangs. Everyone has heard about their temper, about their craving for freedom and about their strength and power. Mustang is a feral horse that was domesticated, a cross between all sorts of breeds, has all sorts of colors and conformations, everyone has always been interested in it.
Mustangs are wild horses
Mustang suits
Mustang horses come in different colors, as mentioned, but it is rare to find a black mustang horse. Also watch wild mustang horses video, because the mustang breed was often the main characters of different films.
Measurements: from 134 to 153 cm at the withers.
Usage: no.
Launch Location: North America. Spain.
Weight: about 400-570kg.
Suits: various.
Mustang History
Taura (eng. mustang, species of lat. Equus ferus caballus) - wild Horse. Mustangs were originally ordinary domestic horses that were brought to New World colonists from Europe in the sixteenth century, but different reasons these horses either got lost, or ran away, or lost their rider in battle, eventually being free - they became wild. Over time, the number of wild horses increased, they were common in the prairies of North America and were the object of hunting for both animals and people. The same Indians killed mustangs for meat and skin, they tamed some horses and even rode. But the limit of hunting exterminated the mustangs so much that 10-20 thousand mustangs remained from 2 million individuals.
The exterior of these horses is very different. This can be explained very easily: they interbreed absolutely different breeds horses, both domestic and wild horses, there is even a crossing with zebras. These horses may be short or medium in stature, but they are still mostly short horses, hardy, with long maned tails only because no one looks after them. The legs are dry and bony, large and rounded body shape. The suits are very diverse, but mostly they are shades of red and bay suits.
In fact, the Orlov trotter or the same Russian riding horse breed is much better than the world famous mustangs. So if you decide to buy a horse, you should not consider wild ones as superhorses, take simple but strong ones!
Everyone is used to thinking that mustangs are huge black stallions ready to fight back anyone who approaches them, but no, they are ordinary horses.
Mustang wild horse was once a domestic horse. Its weight reaches 400 kg, and the height at the withers is 150 cm and above. The colors are absolutely diverse: black, brown, red-brown. Mustang in wild environment can live 30 years. How mustang different from the other horses? Strong legs and shorter torso.
Where did mustangs come from?
In the 16th century, the Spaniards conquered the ancestors mustang and took them to the South and North America. Horses those who were unsuitable were released into the wild, others simply ran away. The Indians, at first, simply used the found horses as food, and only over time, they realized what an important purpose in their life the find mustang, which you can hunt and just move around. The Indians believed that if horses there is a spot on the body, which means that it is sacred and will bring glory and victory in any battle.
How mustangs live in the wild
The main thing for mustangs in the wild nature is to live in a pack, because, alone, they are defenseless against predators. First, horses choose myself appropriate place where they will graze. If they find other packs along the way, they most often unite, and all because they are well aware of the power of numbers. In a pack, as a rule, one or two stallions, the rest are females, young individuals and foals. There can be 20 or more in a flock horses, where the chief is always one stallion and one mare. The role of the mare is to protect the pack, where in danger, she takes them to safe place, and the stallion enters the fight. During the attack mustangs form a kind of ring in which the foals, and themselves, as best they can, fight off predators. communicate horses with the help of neighing, and give a sign of danger by snorting.
WHERE THEY LIVE, WHAT THEY FEED AND HOW WILD HORSES MUSTANGS BREED
What do mustangs eat in the wild?
Mustangs herbivores and eat exclusively greenery: leaves of shrubs and fresh grass. America does not have high vegetation, for this reason, horses You have to walk many miles to get food. Also, in hot weather alone horse drinks about 60 liters of water, in cold weather, half less.
Where do wild mustangs live?
Meet a wild horse possible in the North and South America where the Spaniards brought them. But on this moment, almost all mustangs exterminated. But to this day, the Indians are looking for and using these horses. They learned not only to move and hunt them, but also to care for and truly appreciate these animals. It turns out, thanks to the Indians horses are still alive!
How wild mustangs breed
breed mustangs they start from April to July, so that by winter the offspring will grow and gain strength. A mare can give birth to one or two foals. For seven months, the foal feeds on mother's milk, then moves on to the general diet. Interestingly, the mare does not give birth in a pack, but goes to a secluded place. Since, after a couple of hours from birth, the foal can walk, the mare returns to the herd. And after 3 years, the stallion is expelled from the pack so that he matures on his own, and then returns to the pack, and possibly leads it.
VIDEO: WILD MUSTANGS
IN THIS VIDEO, YOU CAN SEE IN DETAILS HOW AND WHERE WILD MUSTANG HORSES LIVE
Back in the 16th century, the Spanish conquerors who arrived on the North American continent brought domestic horses with them. Some of them subsequently fled from their owners and were able to adapt to life in wild nature. This is how wild mustang horses appeared, which at one time were very numerous.
What is the difference between a mustang and a domestic horse
Mustangs are the descendants of the begging horses that the Spanish conquerors once brought to America.Beautiful and free as the wind, the mustang can be of various colors, but most often it is the piebald, bay and red color of the horse. The mustang weighs up to 500 kg, while its height (height at the withers) can reach up to 1.5 meters. This strong and very hardy animal lives in the western United States and leads a herd life, straying into a herd. It differs from the mustang in its unbridled disposition, endurance and size.
Lifestyle of wild mustang horses
Any herd of mustangs is headed by one male. But before that, he must reach the age of at least 6 years in order to have experience, so that the herd, obeying, follow him.
In his submission, as a rule, there are several females with their foals and young males. Each herd lives on its own territory, where it not only grazes, but also controls it, and protects it in case of danger. As for the latter, during its discovery, the guide mare takes everyone to a safe place, and the leader of the herd remains and takes the fight from the enemy. In addition, protecting against a large number external enemies, herds can conclude an unspoken agreement on a temporary truce and act against predators together.
What do mustangs eat
The basis of the diet of mustangs is plant foods, because mustangs, so to speak, are exclusively vegetarians.
The lack of food is a problem for them, as well as the lack of water, without which mustangs can do for many days.
Leading a herd life, horses learned to communicate with each other using signals - snorting and neighing.
Mustang breeding
The mating season for mustangs lasts from April to July. At this time, young males are unusually fierce battles for the right to mate with one or another female.
Pregnancy lasts 11 months and when the time comes to give birth, the pregnant female separates from the general herd and goes to a safe place, where she gives birth to one foal. The birth of two foals is an exception and a rarity.
A newly born Mustang foal is very weak and helpless. Rising to his feet with difficulty, he reaches for his mother's milk. The color of the newborn reliably hides him in the tall grass, but the young mother cannot afford to fight off the herd and after a few days, together with the foal, she returns to the herd.
For 6 - 8 months, the female feeds the cub with her milk, and during this time he manages to noticeably grow up and get stronger.
After he reaches the 3rd age, the young stallion is expelled from the herd, so the dominant male does not need competition. And the mother-female can either leave with her grown foal, or stay in the herd.
In nature, the most beautiful animals are horses, especially wild ones. Mustangs are the most attractive among them. Many stories have been written and films made about these freedom-loving, beautiful and strong animals.
What are they, mustangs - wild horses? How do they live in the wild? All this and their habits can be found in this article.
How did the history of mustangs begin?
Mustangs are wild horses, whose fate has evolved for a long time and is not so simple. There are many sad and tragic moments in their history. Once in America, about 10 thousand years ago, all horses died out.
Then, in the 16th century, new horses were brought to America by the Spanish conquistadors. At first, the Indians did not want to recognize strange animals unknown to them: they killed and ate all the horses that came to them. But soon there was an awareness of the value of such an animal as a fast and powerful tool movement and a great helper in battle and hunting.
The Indians, unlike the Europeans, rode horses without saddles, and the horses were trained to obey even the whisper of the rider, as well as a clear response to every movement of the owner. The Indian practically merged with his irreplaceable friend into a single whole.
Thus, passing from one tribe to another, spread almost throughout the United States. But there were cases when horses ran away from a person and broke free. And the Indians themselves often abandoned sick, tired and lame animals to their fate.
Over time, herds of wild mustangs began to appear on the vast expanses of the prairies. The word "mustang" most likely comes from mestenos (Spanish). That was the name of the sheep that had strayed from the flock. This is how free and amazingly beautiful horses appeared in nature.
About the further free life of mustangs
Due to the fact that there were no dangerous predators, nothing interfered with the peaceful and free life large herds of wild mustangs. Their numbers grew so rapidly that in the middle of the 19th century there were already about 2 million mustangs roaming the expanses of America.
At the very beginning, the blood of Arabian and Andalusian horses flowed in their veins, but gradually noble horses more and more often interbred with other breeds. Survived in the wild only the most hardy horses with excellent health.
The height at the withers of the mustang is from 135 to 155 centimeters.
Due to the mixed origin (Andalusian and Arabian blood, local horses) in mustangs appearance can be completely different. The best representatives of this breed have strong hooves, strong legs and a foldable muscular physique.
The weight of the mustang reaches 500 kg. The following colors differ among them: piebald, red, bay, appaloosa and others.
Differences between mustangs and domestic horses
Mustang is an animal that, as it turned out above, amazing story origin.
It is generally accepted that it all began with the fact that domestic horses, for certain reasons, became wild. There is a version that this is why they got the name "mustang" (translated as "wild" or "stray"). Whatever it was, many features of that domestic horse have been preserved in the wild today.
The merging of different suits by crossing them occurred in connection with the movement. So, the migrations of Spanish and French horses led to the appearance of completely new offspring with an admixture of the blood of Frisians, ponies and heavy trucks. In the selection process, only the strongest and hardiest survived, used later for riding and carrying heavy loads.
Mustang is an animal, the main difference of which from its ancestor (domestic horse) is its high speed, endurance, great strength and unpretentiousness in content. Of course, there is also a negative difference - the domestic horse, unlike the freedom-loving mustang, is more malleable in training. The Mustang is characterized by unbridled and rebellious, he can perceive a person as a master, but only as a person that he will respect. And outwardly, the mustang differs from it in size, it is smaller.
The Mustang is an animal that has numerous features that cannot be described in one short article. Here are some of the interesting, in addition to the above, facts:
If earlier there were about 2 million heads, then after the merciless hunting of horses by people for meat and skins, their number has greatly decreased and is about 20 thousand.
There is a coin in Nevada with the image of a mustang (a face value of 25 cents).
The US government has taken mustangs under protection at the legislative level.
A mustang mare, a few days before giving birth, usually separates from her herd and seeks temporary shelter. A newborn baby begins to walk within a few hours after birth, and after a few days they return to the herd together.
Mustangs can be black. A beautiful horse is a black horse, which is always valuable. Usually, purposeful and domineering people by nature prefer this suit. Such a horse has a black color with a bluish tint.
It is believed that the horse of A. Macedonian is a representative of this particular suit. This black horse combined a beautiful and powerful physique, royal appearance and formidable character.
Mustangs have only four fundamental colors: gray, bay, black and red. Other types arose from the black suit, for example, smoky black.
Conclusion
The Mustang is a very strong animal. Such horses successfully participate in sports competitions, they become winners of many international competitions.
It should be noted that in Russia there is Vodny Island, which is located in the middle of the Turkmen Island. It is surprising that this territory was occupied by a large herd of mustang horses. They live there for about 50 years. This phenomenon is inexplicable, although scientists are trying to determine how they got to this island. There are various versions...
