mustang
Sign in to saveThe mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they are actually feral horses. The original mustangs were Colonial Spanish horses, but many other breeds and types of horses contributed to the modern mustang, now resulting in varying phenotypes. Some free-roaming horses are relatively unchanged from the original Spanish stock, most strongly represented in the most isolated populations.
AI overview
The mustang is a free-roaming horse found in the Western United States that descends from Spanish horses brought to the Americas centuries ago, making them technically feral rather than truly wild animals. Though mustangs vary in appearance due to mixed breeding over time, they matter as a distinctive part of American landscape and history, with some isolated populations still resembling their original Spanish ancestors.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Horse breed.name
- Mustang
- Horse breed.image
- Mustanggelding.jpg
- Horse breed.image_caption
- Mustang adopted from the Bureau of Land Management
- Horse breed.image2
- Arizona 2004 Mustangs.jpg
- Horse breed.image_caption2
- Free-roaming mustangs near Chinle, Arizona
- Horse breed.features
- Small, compact, good bone, very hardy
- Horse breed.country
- North America
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Etymology and usage
- Characteristics and ancestry
- History
- 1493–1600
- 17th- and 18th-century dispersal
- 19th century
- 20th century
- 21st century
- Land use controversies
- Prehistoric context
- Modern issues
- Management and adoption
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they are actually feral horses. The original mustangs were Colonial Spanish horses, but many other breeds and types of horses contributed to the modern mustang, now resulting in varying phenotypes. Some free-roaming horses are relatively unchanged from the original Spanish stock, most strongly represented in the most isolated populations.
In 1971, the United States Congress recognized that "wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people." The free-roaming horse population is managed and protected by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).