The history of the appearance and what is the difference between mustang horses, is it possible to tame a horse
It is difficult to meet a person who would not admire wild horses, mustangs delight in appearance and temperament. The history of these proud animals, which occupied a huge territory for many years and became the hallmark of America, also hides a lot of interesting things. Once people learned to tame mustangs, but only a few succeeded.
The history of the emergence of the breed
The homeland of this breed is South and North America. Here, huge herds of proud animals rushed along the immense pampas. Scientists have established that the history of these horses plunges into antiquity, but, for unknown reasons, the breed became extinct about several millennia ago.
After the development of the continent, they started talking about animals again. Conflicts and combat skirmishes caused the appearance of wild horses on the prairie - frightened horses ran away, preferring to stay away from humans. The fugitives gathered in herds, actively multiplied, which led to an increase in the population.
Over time, wild horses turned into a valuable hunting object, the number of horses began to decline rapidly. Statistics say that about 30 thousand mustangs live in the vastness of America, the hunting of which is strictly prohibited and punishable by law.
Mustangs in culture
Mustangs left a bright mark in the culture of the people inhabiting the American continents. Horses symbolized a free spirit and an incredible thirst for freedom. There are many legends that tell that proud animals preferred to throw themselves off the rocks to certain death, than fall into the hands of man.
Proud horses are often seen in paintings and photos. Everywhere mustangs are depicted in a free gallop, with a developing mane, with a unique posture. This is another evidence of how these horses are perceived as rebellious, proud and freedom-loving handsome men.
Exterior
Adult horses are not large in size. The height at the withers rarely exceeds one and a half meters. Average weight - 350-380 kg. Thanks to their lightweight build, the horses are capable of developing incredible speed and covering 50 km in an hour.
The peculiarity of the breed is an incredibly strong skeleton. Mustang bones are often compared to granite.
Varieties and suits
Due to the mixing of blood, mustangs come in different colors. There are black, bay, piebald, savras horses. The most valuable are snow-white horses, which can be seen extremely rarely.
White mustangs
White horses are called plain ghosts, they are so elusive and invulnerable. In legends, snow-white horses are endowed with incredible abilities and even an almost human mind. White horses were respected by the Comanche Indians, due to their incredible color, they were considered worthy of great leaders.
Spanish Mustangs
Before Columbus discovered America, this population was small - up to 1,000 heads. Today Spanish horses are a great rarity, they are almost gone. Feature of the breed:
- straight head;
- short back;
- height - up to 1.2 m;
- proportional forms;
- small ears;
- strong legs.
Horses are distinguished by increased endurance and are able to overcome more than 200 km in one passage.
Russian
They live in the Rostov region of the Russian Federation. There are several versions of the history of the appearance of mustangs on the salt lake island located in the Rostovsky reserve. One of the versions is that the animals came from the horse breed popular among the Don Cossacks. The herd is not numerous - only 140-160 heads.
How are mustangs different from domestic horses?
The difference between wild horses and domestic horses is their increased endurance. The willful character is another distinguishing feature of proud handsome men. They also note increased immunity (animals are able to survive in difficult conditions and adapt to a harsh climate) and unpretentiousness.
Lifestyle and intraspecific relationships
Mustangs' lifestyle is quite interesting - proud "savages" are distinguished by incredible temperament, complex character and outstanding physical characteristics. Horses have been carefully studied over the years, but even now new facts are being discovered.
Temperament and disposition
The temperament of wild horses was formed in difficult conditions. Due to this, the horses are distinguished by increased energy and some aggressiveness. Not all experienced riders are able to curb handsome men - mustangs rarely recognize the leadership of a person.
Horses often openly display hostility towards humans. The owner is chosen independently, once and for all. Submitting, the horse turns into a faithful friend. In addition to the owner, the animal will not allow even a familiar person to approach.
The diet
Wild horses are undemanding to food. Mustangs feed on leaves of trees and shrubs, grass, thin branches of trees. Tamed horses are transferred to a special diet - a mixture of grass, hay, and cereals. The animal eats up to 3 kg of feed per day. Mustang's favorite treats are crispy carrots and sugar. Horses also happily eat a slice of bread or an apple.
Reproduction
The mating season for wild horses begins in late spring and lasts until early summer. The male conquers the female in a tough duel. The winner mates with the coveted beauty, and after 11 months a foal appears. Double offspring are extremely rare in mustangs. For about six months, the baby feeds on breast milk, then switches to pasture.
Natural enemies of the animal
In the wild, the population has many enemies. Pumas, which live in natural conditions, are dangerous for horses, which are not much inferior in speed to mustangs. Wolves and coyotes also often try to turn horses into prey, but often sick horses or young animals are taken by predators.
Is it possible to tame a mustang?
Taming a wild horse is extremely difficult. Due to the proud disposition, complex temperament, you will have to spend a lot of effort to turn the horse into a friend. It has been noticed that animals raised in captivity are easily tamed, but even in this case there is no guarantee that the proud handsome man will submit to man.
As practice shows, only a few manage to win the trust of a wild adult horse.If it is relatively easy to lasso a savage and take him to the stable in a special vehicle, then one has to face incredible difficulties. A horse accustomed to freedom does not recognize a saddle, the taming process will take a lot of energy and require an incredible amount of patience.
Even if you manage to drive around the mustang, the result will be a mongrel horse with modest characteristics. For the sake of justice, it should be noted that the horse has high speed, endurance and unpretentious care. The disadvantages of a tamed horse are bad temperament that rarely changes and average athletic performance.
Interesting facts about wild horses
There are many facts associated with these animals. The study of legends, myths and fairy tales, confirmed by the research of scientists, will bring you many pleasant minutes. Rarely does any animal compare to a mustang in lifestyle and will to freedom.
The most interesting facts:
- The mustang's fearsome enemy is man. For decades, round-ups were organized on animals, horses were pursued in all types of transport, including helicopters. Horses were destroyed by the hundreds - the skin, which has increased strength, and a large amount of meat made wild beauties a valuable hunting object. The mass destruction of mustangs ceased after the adoption of the ban and the introduction of criminal liability.
- Mustangs gather in large herds, in which there is always a leader and a main female. The male's duty is to guard the herd and defend against enemies. The female is the main "deputy" who has to take away sick animals, young animals and other mares from the battle.
- At increased danger, the herd creates a "circle of death". Foals, sick and old horses are in the center, adult horses turn their croup towards the enemy in order to use the terrible deadly weapon - the hind hooves.
- Young horses live with a herd up to three years of age. After reaching "adulthood", the foal is expelled so that it can join the smaller family. Usually a herd of mustangs consists of 15-25 heads.
- Survival in natural conditions for mustangs is extremely difficult - in territories where wild horses live, it is not easy to find food. In search of food and water, horses travel considerable distances, often having to conquer "grain" places in fierce battles with other herds.
- To grow a mustang in captivity, you will need a huge area - at least two hectares of pasture for one horse. If the plot is smaller, the land will quickly deplete, the greenery will completely disappear.
- In the wild, mustangs have learned to switch to a mode of saving energy and strength, which often happens in winter. There is less feed, horses have to get roots and fallen leaves, shrubs under the snow, to avoid losing weight is obtained only by reducing the waste of energy and the ability to accumulate nutrients.
Another interesting fact is that after reaching the age of three, not all stallions leave the herd. Brave and strong horses grapple with the leader. If they manage to win, they take his place and become the new leader.
Mustangs are the most beautiful animals that delight in character, appearance, posture. These rebellious beauties can be safely called the standard of nobility and grace, a symbol of freedom. As practice shows, a horse is also capable of becoming a best friend, although not every rider has enough patience and strength to gain the respect and recognition of a wild horse.
