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Mustang Physiology |
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I first saw my yearling on a muddy, windy, and gloriously sunny morning in January. I looked at about 50 horses left over from a December auction. On first inspection I could say one thing about my colt. He was not any color, and not any color that I wanted.
I had first decided to buy a wild mustang in December. My family had just completed a drive from Boise to Seattle. Along the trip I watched freezing cattle huddle together over bales of fresh green hay. I wondered, "How do wild horses live here? They must be powerful and smart, smarter than humans maybe?"
My horse was the epitome of mother nature's natural selection - small eyes, no color, long, lean, and solid. I liked him. I did look at other yearlings in Burns, Oregon, but I already knew that Destino was everything I was looking for in a WILD MUSTANG! |
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The mustang head serves as an excellent filter - long with small nostrils. The eye is small, and unlike many domestics set to the side. This enables the horse to see further to the hind and side of its body. In pictures of wild mustangs mares will stand at a right angle to the stallion, or two horses will stand at right angles to each other. Mares and foals and fighting stallions will often take moments away from watching the environment. They will often be seen touching face to face, or face to shoulder with a forward focus. Hence ignoring the environment. |
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Once I was able to lead Des from the stall, I was astounded to discover his spook involved taking off at a dead gallop and running as far as a quarter of a mile. He was literally lightning fast. Fortunately he is also smart. After a few days he did not spook very often. After a few months, he has started to look to me for direction when he sees new gobblins. Here he transitions from stand to gallop as part of his play time. |
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While this photo does not do justice in displaying the full flexibility of the mustang, It does show how the horses neck and body are equally as flexible and light from side to side as from the previous photos of the spine rounding. The horse has complete control of his movements. One day I took Des in a round pen that had recently had new sand dumped in large piles around the pen. Normally I would ask Des to walk trot and canter. Today I wasn't so sure that we should even start. Des took the lead and successfully navigated around the dangerous leg jarring obstacles at all three gates. He moved with such ease that, after I got a rope on him I had to go look closely at the piles of sand to confirm they really were quite dangerous. |
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The mustang body, at full gallop is like a bellows. In this picture Des lungs are compressed his back is fully flexed and rounded. From infancy the mustang colt is developing bone, expanding lung copacity, and gaining strength in lengthened strides and a flexible spine. |
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This is the fully extended gallop position. Note the extreme flexibility of Des' back and fully inflated lungs. Many photos of mustangs show a hyper extended leading leg. I know of a study regarding the wear pattern in mustang feet. Note the position of the heel and toe as they lightly contact the ground. It may shed some light on why many domestic horses suffer from torn ligaments and laminitis. |
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Born to run. I didn't ask him to do this. Really he just loves to run, and he is built for it! |
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While I'm not seeking to pursue any sport that encourages these fast stops, this picture speaks volumes about the durability of the mustang body. Centuries of Mother Nature's breeding for survival - for success in controlled movement shine through in this photo. |
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The end result of converting a wild horse to a domestic. Des' flexibility -side to side, rounding, up and down, and his lightness result in a look that can only be trained in domestic horses. This is a great starting point for a yearling. Now a word of caution. Do not untrain what nature provides. Let the mustang's mind be free. Let his legs take you where his heart leaps. Provide him with the care that melts away the frozen tundra, fills the parched spring, and allows inner beauty to bloom. Enjoy the mustang. |
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