[EPMhorse]

PaintedBrat,
My avatar is from my Mustang mare. I would not trade her for an $80,000 warmblood performance horse. Her hooves are like steel, she is very healthy, and she has very fine gaits.

Challis came from the Challis, ID herd, and has either cavalry or draft horse in her background. She is larger and bigger boned than the Utah horses.

There is a trainer incentive program from the Mustang Heritage Foundation. Trainers will gentle the horse, and you can get them for the same adoption fee. You can also attend one of the Extreme Mustang Makeover events, and bid on one of the horses that have competed.

There is a definate difference in the psychology of a domestic and a feral born horse. You need to know and understand the difference before you go this route. The Mustangs are very strongly driven by herd behavior. Talk to a trainer, and observe the horses before signing on the bottom line. It's just different. If you have patience, and are flexible, they make a great partner.

Go to the Extreme Mustang Makeover site, look up the trainers near you, and go talk to them. You will need to find a trainer that understands the Mustang. If a person believes they are trash, they will treat and train them like trash. Pick the trainer carefully.

 

[EPMhorse]

I have it on good authority that the reason some of the mustangs in Idaho are bigger and of higher quality is that some of the ranchers would (or still do) go out and shoot the stallions and put thier own higher quality stallions out with them. The same things happened in Oregon and Northern Nevada.

Kevinshorses,
I think that historically the NW timber industry turned draft horses out with the herd, and then collected the offspring to work. Draft MARES would work better in this fashion than stallions. This would date to the 1880's to the 1930's.

The Challis, ID herd is down to about 240 horses. That is too few to not be inbred. What you said about local ranchers inserting their own stallions into the herds makes sense. Otherwise, in the 20 generations since the timber industry used horses, they would not be sustainable as a herd.

 

[EPMhorse]

I do understand that they are alot of work, and that is exactly what i want. I'd rather have to spend hours working hard to get a horse to trust me then be able to jump on a horse that i just purchesed and have no connection with it.

Breeding isnt realy an issue with me, i dont care if a horse is purebred or wildbred. i just like a sturdy horse with alot of heart.

PaintedBrat,
Don't enter into this to save the horse. Go into this as with any horse purchase. Look at the horse in front of you. Regardless of breed, does the horse have the personality that you are looking for? Does the horse's conformation fit the intended use? Is the horse healthy? What do the hooves tell you about the previous year of the horses life?

There is an excellent series of articles by Dr. Deb Bennett in Equus during the past few months. It talks about proportion, breed, bone structure, and use.