Before the western United States was settled, the mustang roamed free in greater numbers than any other wild horse on earth, banding together in herds to protect itself from wolves, coyotes, and other predators.  The mustang is descended from horses first brought to North America by the Spanish in the sixteenth century.  The horses eventually broke free to run wild and breed on the open prairies.

Facts and Knowledge:

Habits:  Mustangs form small herds that provide companionship and defense against predators.  A herd consists of one stallion and his harem of two to eight mares, their foals, and various young mustangs.  A heard will wander and graze in a specific territory.  It will tolerate the presence of other herds on the outskirts of its range, and will some times join them in warding off attacks from predators.  When the herd is confronted by an attacker, an older female, called a lead mare, will lead the herd away from danger while the stallion remains to challenge the aggressor.  It will snort wildly while pawing the ground with his front hoofs to raise a cloud of dust.

Breeding The mating season is from April to July.  the foals are born the following spring.  When it is time to give birth, the mares leave the herd and bear their foals alone in well hidden locations.  Although adult mustangs have a have a wide variety of coat colors, new born foals have coats that blend in with the dusty ground of their habit.  The Foals are able to stand within several hours of birth.  After 2 to 3 days, mother nd foal join the herd and remain with it for a year or more.  When the male colts reach about 3 years of age, they are driven from the herd by the stallion.  The colts are too young to attract females, so they form a herd of their own with which they roam for several years.  they occasionally challenge the leaders of the other herds, until they are successful in establishing a heard of their own.

Food & Feeding:  Like all horses, the mustang is an herbivore, eating nothing but vegetation.  But, because of the scarcity and low nutritional value of the course grass, sagebrush, and juniper which it eats, it has adapted to survive on a diet that would not sustain domesticated horses.  Centuries of living in such harsh conditions have enabled the mustang to go without food or water for several days if necessary.  The mustang has also learned how to break open frozen springs and to clear sediment clogged water holes by splashing and digging to dislodge the debris.  It will even chew prickly pear cactus to obtain moisture from the plants juices.

Przewalski's Horse and Man: By the late eighteenth century, mustangs were well established in nine western states and numbered between two and five million.  Then, as settlers moved west and began to cultivate the land, the mustangs were driven off and killed by the thousands.  The greatest destruction of the mustangs has accrued in this century; huge numbers were captured and used in both the Boer War and World War 1.  Others were caught and used as cow ponies, and many more were shot to be used as pet food and fertilizer.  By the mid 1960's, their numbers were estimated at between 18,000 and 34,000, and by the early 1970's, there were less than 10.000.

Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species
Height: From about 14 hands high (1 hand = 4 in.).

Breeding:
Sexual Maturity: 3 years. Stallions do not usual head herds until they are about 6 years old.
Mating Season: April or July.
Gestation: 1 1 months
No of Young: Usually 1, occasionally twins

Lifestyle:
Habit: Social, live and wander together in small herds
Diet:  Grass and foliage
Life span: At least 20 years.
Call: Soft whinnying and whickering to one another; loud snorting to warn of danger.
Related Species: The Mustang is related to every other breed of horse.
Distribution: Sparsely distributed in remote areas in nine states in the northwestern United States.
Conservation: After it had been brought nearly to extinction, laws passed in 1971 made it a federal offense to harass or kill mustangs. But they are still being killed by farmers and ranchers.

Features of Mustang:
Originally, mustangs were much finer looking than they are today, having descended from beautiful Spanish Bars and Andalusian horses.  Occasionally, a purer breed will be found.
Average Height to withers is 14 hands.
Because mustangs have interbred with so many different types of horses, they have no uniform body type of coat color. But in order to withstand the hardship of their environment, They remain small no more than 14 hands, with a sturdy and a wiry frame.

Did you know?
The name mustang comes from he Spanish word Mesteno meaning owner less, belonging to la mesto that is to everyone and no one.
To fight off an attacks from wolves, mustangs group into a tight circle with the foals inside.  As the wolves try to penetrate the circle, the mustangs stamp their hooves and snap their teeth viciously.
Mustangs were often ridden by the Plains Indians.  The Cheyenne thought that mustangs spotted on the head and chest were sacred and would bring them victory in battle.

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