Wild and proud, the American Mustang inhabits a huge landmass - an area that ranges from Mexico, and up through the western United States. Because the Mustang is feral and not inhibited by strict breeding regiments, breed characteristics vary significantly and will depend on whose talking. However, several breeders and Mustang enthusiasts agree that the horse is usually a bit smaller at 14 hands high, and has a short, low, and mid-sloping back.

Many conservationists seek to protect the breeds, while others engage in ongoing selective breeding programs that involve releasing stock into roaming herds. Some breeders focus on rooting out the Spanish Barb ancestry in the horse, while others are purely interested in promoting the American Mustang as a breed of its own. Mustangs that have been captured and removed from the wild will require experienced handlers and trainers. However, an already tamed Mustang can make a wonderful companion and family member.

The Mustangs are directly descended from the Spanish stock that came to the Americas with the Conquistadors in the sixteenth century. The word “mustang” comes from the Spanish “mestena,” meaning stray animal. The children of escaped horses, the feral Mustang once numbered over two million in the western United States. That number is now estimated to be between twenty and thirty thousand.

In the early part of the twentieth century, profiteers began to hunt the Mustang for meat intended for pet food and human consumption. It wasn't until 1971 when the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act declared the Mustang an endangered species and gave it a protected status. Today, many Mustangs are still captured, but in order to control the population and minimize competition with foraging cattle. These abducted Mustang are offered up for adoption, remain protected, and cannot be sold for meat.

There are many societies in the United States devoted to the protection and celebration of the American Mustang.

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