What does a mustang horse look like? Mustang - an animal known to all
Igor Nikolaev
Reading time: 4 minutes
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Many people associate the name of this beautiful animal with an unbridled craving for freedom and a wild, indomitable temper.
Mustangs live mainly in the vast expanses of North and South America, although they also exist in Eurasia. It is very hardy and beautiful horses which originated from feral horses of thoroughbred Spanish and French breeds.
Mustangs were often used in cinema (horses of Indians and cowboys) and in literature as a symbol of absolute freedom and indomitability. Unfortunately, the modern population of these beautiful animals is steadily declining.
More than ten thousand years ago, truly wild horses completely disappeared from the territory of the American continent.
Then the first (domestic) horses appeared here along with the Spanish colonialists, who opened this part of the world to Europe. Behind them, other Europeans reached out to these fertile lands and, naturally, brought their horses with them. At that turbulent time, America was sparsely populated, and animals often ran wild, fighting off the herd, losing their owners, or running away from the battlefields. Almost ideal climatic conditions for them contributed to rapid adaptation to wild life. Mustangs owe their name to the Spanish word "mesteno", which means "no one's" or "wild".
Thus, the beginning of a new variety of wild horses was laid by ordinary pets. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of their livestock reached several million, which could not but attract the attention of numerous hunters. Mustangs began to be actively exterminated for skins and meat. In addition, they began to actively “domesticate”, since these strong, hardy and beautiful animals were valued in any household.
As a result of many years of extermination and domestication - on this moment this species of wild horses is on the verge of extinction. The surviving wild horses - mustangs are concentrated mainly in the territories of national reserves and are under state protection.
Since the ancestors of these horses were ordinary domestic horses, outwardly they are very similar to modern ones. racehorses. As a result of natural evolution, blood flows in the veins of these animals, both riding horses, heavy draft breeds and even ponies. However, according to the laws of natural selection, an equine variety of riding type was formed, since the high speed qualities of such animals made it easy to get away from predators and other threats that awaited horses in the wild. However, draft breeds also left their mark on mustangs, endowing them with remarkable strength and endurance.
Main quality benefits of these wild horses compared to domestic ones are:
- great muscle strength;
- higher speed;
- increased endurance;
- high level of unpretentiousness;
- a stronger immune system.
All these qualities could be formed only in the wild, where the life of the animal directly depends on them.
The main disadvantage of such horses is their character.
Mustang is a very freedom-loving and hot horse, which is very difficult to train. Only a very strong physically and spiritually person can earn the respect of this proud horse. But if the rider managed to subjugate a hot handsome man, he is unlikely to be able to find a more faithful and devoted friend. As a riding horse, the mustang is one of the best animals.
Appearance and lifestyle
Mustangs are small horses. Their average weight rarely exceeds four hundred kilograms, and growth at the withers is usually about one and a half meters. These horses are distinguished by a lightweight constitution, which makes it easy to gain high speed. Color can be almost any, but most often there are bay, red and piebald individuals. Although a black or light gray mustang is also not uncommon.
Like other types of wild horses, mustangs stray into herds called herds. Each herd-family has a leader (the strongest sexually mature stallion) and a main mare (the most experienced and intelligent female).
The main function of the leader stallion is to protect his family and fertilize females. The alpha male has to constantly prove his right to leadership in fights with other stallions. Mostly experienced males about six years old (or older) who already have a certain life experience become leaders. Young males under the age of three obey him implicitly, and then he expels them from the herd.
The main mare takes the place of the leader during his absence. The main task of this "mother of the family" is to lead young horses and other females from the danger that has arisen. The main female becomes not at all due to her physical condition, since mares do not sort things out by force. Here the main criterion is the experience and ingenuity of the animal, as well as its reproductive qualities (fertility).
If it is not possible to escape from the threat, the herd lines up in a living circle, inside which small foals and the main female hide. The leader and young stallions subordinate to him hold the main defense. Females participate in defense as needed. Most often, mustangs turn their backs to the enemy in order to, if necessary, activate their “deadly weapon” - a powerful blow with their hind hooves.
In food, these horses are quite unpretentious. Their main food is grasses and shrubs growing in the steppes. Their usual habitat is areas with sparse vegetation and few water sources.
It is precisely because of this that the herds of these horses have to make long transitions in order to drink enough and provide themselves required amount stern. The leader or the main female, following her memory and experience, leads the herd to the best grazing lands and watering places. However, during long transitions, these animals can easily do without food and drink for several days.
The mating season for mustangs begins in spring and continues until early summer. The leader must prove the right to mate with females in a fierce duel, because only the strongest of the males will be "admitted to the body." It is such cruel rules of natural selection that allowed these animals to become so strong and hardy.
The offspring of the mare bears for eleven months. As a rule, there is only one foal in the offspring.
Mustang as delusion? January 19th, 2013
When we hear the word MUSTANG, many probably imagine something like the one in the photo above, or at least various modifications of the Ford Mustang. or even a P-51 Mustang fighter. In general, in the usual sense, Mustangs are beautiful and graceful horses.
Let's find out how mustangs appeared in general and what they are.
Let's start from afar. A long time ago - I think 50 million years ago, horses lived in North America - more precisely, the ancestors of the horse. They were about the size of a cat and instead of hooves on their feet they had five fingers (such handsome ones). A lot of work and time was spent by paleontologists to prove to skeptics that this is the ancestor of the horse. The animal was named - eogippus.
Approximately 30 million years ago, some unknown catastrophe occurred in North America, due to which all eogippus died out there.
Fortunately, some of them managed to move to Eurasia, where life forced them to become ... (almost wrote: people) - horses.
It is hard to believe that the ancestors of all mustangs were only 70 horses that survived in 1539 after
unsuccessful expedition to the Mississippi by conquistador Hernando de Soto. The height of the mustangs ranges from 134 to 153 cm. Any color. Due to mixed ancestors, the structure of the body is very heterogeneous. Best Representatives have a powerful physique with strong dry limbs and hooves. Many mustangs have a Spanish-type head with a convex profile, as a rule, a short neck, straight shoulders, slightly pronounced withers, and a short back.
The word "mustang" comes from the Spanish words mesteno or monstenco, meaning "wild" or "no man's". (another version claims that the word "mustang" comes from the Spanish "mesteth", which means "herd of horses") This term accurately describes the wild horses of the United States. The modern horse evolved three million years ago and disappeared from this hemisphere 10,000 years ago. The horses returned to North America when the explorers Cortés and De Soto appeared riding magnificent Barbary and Andalusian horses. These were the horses that changed the lives of the American Indians who lived on or near the Great Plains. The Pueblo Indians learned to ride and passed this skill on to other tribes.
Spaniards in South America
In 1680 the Indians rebelled against Spanish rule and the Spaniards left thousands of horses in a hasty retreat. The Indians caught these horses, but some of them escaped. It turned out to be much easier to raid the Spanish settlers and steal their horses. Trying to stop the Indian raids, the Spanish government sent a ship with reinforcements to the New World. It was hoped that the Indians would catch the "wild" horses and leave the Spaniards alone. Tens of thousands of Spanish horses, turned into free animals, grazed on the Rio Grande for about 200 years. These horses soon met with draft horses and cowboy ponies that had escaped from ranches and farms owned by settlers from the east. Others were driven off by wild stallions, who destroyed corral fences to add domestic mares to their herd. In addition, the Indians exchanged or captured horses from other tribes.
The Indians, of course, sought to adapt the mustangs to their goals, so they were engaged in improving the breed. Especially in horse breeding, the Comanche tribe distinguished itself. Other tribes, even if they did not specifically improve the mustangs, still sought to catch, steal or buy a better horse, so willy-nilly they took part in the selection.
After all the tribes of the Indians were destroyed, many horses were again left without owners.
Indian horses, as mustangs used to be called, having got to their historical homeland, apparently felt much better there than in harsh Eurasia, and successfully bred. A hundred years ago there were, according to various sources, two or three million.
Wild horse herds from the eastern United States were driven west by civilization, crossed the Mississippi River, and mingled with the western herds. French blood was represented by herds driven out of the territory in the Detroit area and fled from the French settlers from the South, from the New Orleans area. Another breed whose blood is probably present in Mustangs is the old type East Friesian.
The US government purchased about 150 stallions each year from the German government over a period of more than 10 years from the late 1880s to the early 1900s. East Friesian horses at that time were massive warm-blooded or draft animals and were sold for the needs of heavy artillery or for transporting large wagons. Thus, the horses that fled from the battlefields conducted by the American cavalry could pour their blood into the mustangs.
Numerous herds of wild horses did not pose much of a problem until the western states became densely populated. and cattle and other herbivores did not graze on the once desert plains. The badlands of the west could not support large populations of herbivores, and mustangs began to be shot on some ranches. The mustang population at the beginning of the twentieth century numbered two million. By 1926 this number had halved. Currently, the number of mustangs is about 30,000 heads. In 1970, less than 17,000 heads remained.
Gradually, pastoralists increasingly began to oust the mustangs from their pastures. When they did not leave voluntarily, they were killed. Then people decided that in general it would be useful to destroy wild horses, and then they began to round up them. After the Second World War, the real beating of the mustangs began.
Moreover, with the full connivance of the government, they exterminated them in the most barbaric and painful ways. With the help of cars and planes, they drove the herds to dead ends, then they stuffed wagons with horses, and so tightly that half of the animals came to the knacker in a crushed state. Of course, no one fed the horses either on the road or in the knackerel, so in the future they were distributed as follows: the dead were allowed for fertilizer, the still alive - for canned food for dogs.
In 1971, under public pressure, the US Wildlife Conservation Act was passed. Today, the BLM (Bureau of Land Manegement) organization monitors the mustang population. Under this protection, the number of wild horses began to grow rapidly, and in the 70s of the twentieth century, the question arose of controlling their population. The act ordered the destruction of all animals in excess of the established number of livestock "to restore the natural ecological balance of the region, and protect the region from damage associated with an increase in population."
The Adopt a Horse program began in 1973 in the Pryor Mountains of Montana, and was the sale of extra animals. Under this program, surplus animals were put up for auction at prices ranging from $125 per horse to $75 per wild donkey. Buyers must meet certain requirements for the proper transport and handling of animals. The horses remain the property of the government for one year after the sale. At the end of the year, the new owner must provide confirmation from the veterinarian and local authority certifying that the animal has been properly cared for. After approval, he is issued a certificate that he is the full owner of the animal.
Mustangs, in the hands of an experienced rider, usually become as obedient as horses born and raised on a farm. General Crook said: “Hardy Indian ponies can run 90 miles without needing food or water. They surpass in endurance all the cavalry horses we have on the frontier.” In addition to incredible endurance, Frank Hopkins noted the intelligence and economy of this horse breed. But there was another opinion. John Richard Young, a famous trainer, said of the mustangs: “Not only must we let the mustangs disappear, we must do everything possible to exterminate them, because we simply cannot best horses than purebred mustangs. Now a good horse after special training and grain feed is capable of showing miracles of endurance, but any good mustang will easily surpass it.
Largely the result of natural selection, most mustangs are lightweight or riding horses. In some areas there are horses of a heavy draft type. Mustangs can be of any height, type, color and build. On average, the height at the withers is about 147 cm, but individuals below 135 cm or above 164 cm are not unusual. The most common are bay and red suit, but any is possible. Piebald, palomino, appaloosa, buckwheat suits are also not uncommon. As a result of the influx of Spanish horse blood, many mustangs still show similarities with their Iberian ancestors. Recently, several small herds have been found in isolated areas, the horses of which, after blood testing, were found to be direct descendants of the Spanish horses. These are the Kiger Mustang and the Serat Mustang.
Domesticated mustangs are often very good riding horses. Due to their innate endurance, they are great for long rides. Currently, there are about 60 thousand mustangs. They live in only a few states, half of them are in Nevada.
So carefree guys (cowboys), prancing along the saloons on horses of elite breeds, are an invention of writers and directors. The Indians almost did not ride mustangs at all. They ate them.
sources
The Mustang (horse), whose photo is in front of you, is a very beautiful and freedom-loving animal. In the sixteenth century, the Spaniards, who arrived on the North American continent, brought with them the ancestors of this breed.
At first they were domestic animals, but then some of them escaped and found refuge in the wild. This is how wild mustang horses appeared. This name comes from the Spanish word mesteño, which translates as "untamed animal". During for long years the blood of Spanish horses was mixed with different breeds, resulting in a wonderful horse - the mustang.
Mustang (horse): description
Mustangs are strong animals, the blood of Indian ponies, Spanish, French, German horses. As a result, their suit is very diverse. Most often found red, piebald and bay color. There is also buckwheat, palomino, appaloosa mustang (horse), the photo confirms this wonderful variety of colors.
So we can say that these beauties can look very interesting outwardly, not like ordinary horses. I would also like to note one suit, this is a black mustang, a horse with such a color displays all the wild beauty of animals of this species. Once it was brought to Mexico and Florida, and its roots are from Iberian ancestors.
The weight of the mustang reaches 500 kg, the withers are 130-150 cm high. The structure of the body is differently expressed due to different ancestors, the neck and back are short, the withers are mild.
Habitat
A wonderful breed of a noble family of horses are wild mustang horses. Unfortunately, in some states, these animals have disappeared. Now their number is only about thirty thousand heads. Most of these beauties live in Nevada. It is believed that they are the historical heritage of the American West.
Despite the honorary title, some farmers do not want mustang horses near their lands, believing that they are grazing grass intended for livestock. To such a negative attitude against wild horses, scientists give their answer: “Mustangs live in places with an extremely dry climate, such an area is completely unsuitable for domestic animals.” It follows from this that free horses do not interfere with farmers at all.
Lifestyle in the natural environment
The Mustang is a horse that most people are familiar with only from films, cartoons, photographs and books. But even from this one can understand how wild, proud and unbridled this breed is! In the natural environment, mustangs can live 20-25 years. They live in herds of 15-20 heads, each such horse family is headed by one stallion leader, his age must be at least six years old. Only a herd will follow an experienced male.
In the submission of the leader are females with foals and young males. The herd controls its territory, it grazes on it and protects it from uninvited guests. If danger arises, the guide mare takes the whole family to a quiet place, and the leader stallion remains to fight the enemy. If a large number of enemies attack on the territory of several herds, then the mustangs of all families unite to fight together for their lands.
Diet of wild beauties
Mustang is a horse that can be safely attributed to vegetarians, as it eats plant foods. The basis of their diet is grass, shrubs, tree leaves. Wild horses communicate with each other by neighing and snorting, understanding each other perfectly even at a distance. If the mustang finds food at a distance from the herd, then with a loud neighing it calls the whole family for “lunch”. Without water, these hardy horses are able to do for many days, but if there is no water for too long, then this becomes a problem, and the herd directs all its forces in search of a reservoir.
Mustang (horse): breeding
The mating season lasts from April to July. For the right to mate with the chosen one, young males fiercely fight among themselves, as is customary in the wild - the strongest wins!
The foals of the female bear 11 months, when the pregnant mare feels that the time has come to give birth, she leaves the herd for a calm, safe place. In such a natural "maternity hospital" a small mustang is born. Very rarely, two babies are born at once, usually a female mustang becomes the mother of only one foal.
A newborn foal is weak and helpless, with great difficulty he stands on trembling legs in order to reach his mother's milk. A baby can become an easy prey for any predator if left without protection, but at first the mother carefully monitors the safety of her cub, its color helps the newborn hide in the tall grass. For several days, the mother and child are together in the “maternity hospital”, but it is impossible to lag behind the herd for a long time, so the mare hurries to return to the family together with the little horse.
The female mustang feeds her cubs with milk for seven to eight months. After this time, the foals noticeably grow up, their legs become strong and strong. Until the age of three, young people live in a herd with their mothers, but after three years, the leader male drives the strong young males out of the family, thereby preventing competition. Sometimes the mother leaves with the mature foal, but in most cases the female stays with her herd.
What enemies threaten the life of wild horses
Mustang (horse) is the very soul of the prairies! Why has their number been decreasing lately, what enemies are reducing their numbers? It is very disappointing to realize that the main and most dangerous enemy of mustangs is a person. People have been destroying wild horses for a very long time. They were slaughtered for meat, often it went to animal feed. Wild beauties were considered an inexhaustible resource, because in 1900 there were about two million of them in North America, now the number of horses has greatly decreased. People came to their senses and in 1959 adopted a law on the protection of mustangs, to this day they are heavily guarded.
As for natural enemies, for adult horse the most dangerous enemy among predators is the cougar. Wolves and coyotes are also a threat, but their victims are mostly young and unintelligent or sick animals.
In the 1800s, a severe drought hit California, during which farmers found it unacceptable to keep mustangs. As a result, they killed 40,000 wild horses.
In the 1920s, mustang meat was added to pet and chicken feed. As a result, about thirty million pounds of horsemeat were mothballed.
In 1971, the US Congress awarded the mustang the title of a living symbol of the historical and pioneering spirit of the West.
In 1971, a law was passed that prohibits harming, capturing, or killing mustangs roaming freely on public lands.
Mustangs are considered very persistent and hardy, they can overcome up to eighty kilometers in one day.
Mustangs are very intelligent and independent, with their own mindset and their own desires.
What is known about the Mustang horse is that they are wild and free, unbridled, very strong, hardy and beautiful animals. Many believe that they are some kind of descendants of the French and Spanish thoroughbred horses. They are found in Eurasia and America. There are legends and stories about them. Unfortunately, the number of these animals is decreasing.
How the breed originated
Wild horses disappeared from the north and South America even 10 thousand years ago. The Spaniards brought them to the Continent of North America, which they discovered, later the Europeans, who explored the New World, brought this breed horses. As a result of the fact that it was not always possible to carefully look after the animals, some of them ran away from the corral or from the battlefield. The favorable climate allowed them to get used to the natural conditions of life in the wild. Later, these horses got their name from the Spanish "mesteno", which means wild or not owned by anyone.
It was these wild progenitors that allowed the emergence new breed. Until recently, the number of mustangs was several million heads. And it was at this moment that they became popular trophies with hunters. Hunting was carried out to obtain meat from the skin. People tried to domesticate these wild horses, as they were hardy and beautiful. Today, Mustangs are on the verge of extinction. Animals are kept in national parks and reserves and protected by law.
Difference from domestic horses
Oddly enough, but the wild horse is descended from the domestic one. According to them appearance you can see the resemblance to their ancestors. They mated with heavy trucks, Frisians, ponies and other breeds. As a result of natural selection, horses received a riding type, which allowed them to develop greater speed in order to hide from the enemy. And from heavy trucks they received efficiency, survivability and strength. If we compare them with domestic horses, then wild representatives are unpretentious, have good health, can develop high speed, and have strong muscles.
All these advantages animals received in the wild. Their main drawback is uncontrollability, violence, unrestraint. In addition, the Mustang horse will treat well only the rider whom he considers worthy. But from the same side, devotion to the owner can be added to these animals. Therefore there are so many beautiful stories and legends associated with these horses.
Appearance
The Mustang horse has an average body size, weight is about 400 kg and below. Height at the withers 150 cm, lightweight body type, which allows animals to gain more speed when running. The coat color is bay, red, piebald, and there are also black mustangs. These horses live in herds, they have their own families, where there is a male leader and the main female. The leader of the herd protects the animals from the attack of enemies. He is generally the strongest, which he proves in combat. The main male is 6 years old, experienced, he is trusted by animals. Other males obey him. The main female accompanies her herd during the absence of the male. She takes young animals and females away from danger during the attack of the enemy.
Such a female is not the strongest, not conflict. She must be prolific and experienced. In case of danger, the herd can become in a special circular formation, in the center of which are the young and females. There are males around the perimeter, they turn to the enemy with their croup. In this position, they can fight back with their hooves to the enemy. The diet of mustangs consists of green grass and shrubs, animals are not picky about the diet. The place where they live does not have much vegetation and water bodies. This causes them to travel long distances to find food and water. The main male leads his herd to a watering hole and pasture. Without food, these wild animals can be only a few days.
Mustang breeding
Mating season takes place in spring and early summer. Males must compete for the opportunity to breed with the best female. Therefore, fights take place, and the strongest gets the right to offspring. Thanks to such selection, only the strongest and strongest offspring are born, the gene pool improves.
The duration of pregnancy is 11 months. They get 1 foal, the appearance of two is not the norm.
During lambing, the female leaves the herd in search of a safe place. At the moment of appearance, the foal is weak, so the main task is to put him on his feet so that he can feed on mother's milk. Such feeding lasts up to 6 months or more. Today, experts are trying to increase the population of these animals and save them. Therefore, the rapid disappearance of this breed is stopped. Hunting is prohibited on their territory. Mustangs began to be appreciated by people, as this is a beautiful and strong animal that combines all the most best qualities horses and worthy of preservation.
Horses are considered the most graceful and luxurious animals. But these qualities are more inherent in their wild varieties. The mustang horse is a rebellious, proud and freedom-loving representative of its subspecies.
The mustang horse is a rebellious, proud and freedom-loving representative of its subspecies.
How Mustangs Came to Be
These wild inhabitants come from North America, where they were first brought along with the first settlers in the 16th century. At first they were quite even domestic animals, but after the evil natives or Indians began to take them with them, the horses began to gradually run wild. This was due to the fact that people abandoned them, as the animals could not continue their journey due to fatigue. But the Indians could not take them back, because they were so dispersed that it was simply impossible to find them. In the nineteenth century The population of wild mustang horses has risen to 2 million.
These animals came from hereditary horses of French and Spanish blood. Before the mustangs came to America, there were no horses at all, because they died out long before that. The Indians at first destroyed and ate new animals, but then they learned to ride them. Having mastered riding lessons, the owners of the mustangs taught them to understand themselves from a whisper. People on horseback from afar looked like centaurs, so much they merged with each other while riding. The Indians improved the mustang breed.
How mustang horses live (video)
Texans with the natives began to catch free horses to create breeding plants and horse farms. Then the mustangs even participated in the Anglo-Boer War, of course, not of their own free will. And when the fleeing Spaniards left their horses on the battlefield, then some of them were caught by the natives. Then free horses began to cross with the same runaway cowboy heavyweights.
Poisonous black widow spider
Today, wild mustang horses are protected by law, as their population is declining. Their skins and meat were very fond of hunters. They were shot by ranchers so that numerous horses would not deprive their own animals of food. Especially many mustangs were destroyed after the Second World War. Trains and planes were crammed with them, which is why already crushed remains of animals arrived at the slaughterhouses. The survivors were starved to die faster. Then horse corpses were put into canned food for animals or fertilizer.
Wild horses now live on the Texas and Mexican prairies. Broken mustangs can be found in Europe and America.
Gallery: mustang horses (41 photos)
Description of the species
Wild mustangs still gather in herds, where the main ones are the male leader with the alpha female. The male all the time demonstrates his superiority in front of the young, in which his competitors are growing up. When danger comes, the alpha female leads the herd away, and the leader remains to fight the enemy. The Mustang breed is hardy, quick-witted, swift and strong horses, they are wayward and freedom-loving, but at the same time they can respect the rider and be his devoted comrades if they like him. A wild mustang, having a height of 1.5 m at the withers, weighs from 320 to 400 kg. This animal can be white with dark spots, red, bay or piebald. The withers of the mustangs are weakly expressed, and the neck is short, so they are very fast. A wild horse has a constantly clean body, as if someone is taking care of him all the time.
The ancestors of the subspecies were also heavy trucks, ponies and East Frisians, from which they inherited speed, endurance and strength. Some individuals are similar to their Iberian ancestors. And the serat and kiger mustangs are descendants of purebred Spanish horses. Feral horses have strong immunity and are unpretentious in food, but they are very difficult to train. Domesticated mustangs can be successfully used for long riding. Today, 60 thousand wild horses live only in some states, and half of them live in Nevada. The Mustang is even depicted on the Nevada 25 cent coin.
Noble Don horse: a perishing treasure
The mustang was also called an animal that had strayed from the herd. At present, uncontrollable and wild horses bear the same name. Wild relatives differ from domestic horses in weight and height, incredible speed, strong health, unpretentiousness and endurance. The negative features of mustangs are their rebellious disposition and love of freedom.
Distinctive features of the breed
Mustangs have very strong limbs and a short torso. In times of danger, all the horses in the herd must listen to their mare. The most fertile female always becomes the main one. Mares never quarrel among themselves. Sensing danger, the herd stops moving and lines up in the form of a square: males are grouped in front, their croups turned outward, their hind legs with hooves become their weapons, and females with foals remain behind. But it happens that conflicting horses band together to resist predators. As soon as victory is won, the allies will again disperse along different sides their barricades.
Wild horses just love to frolic and play on fresh air. At the same time, they have fun, neigh and throw back their heads. Mustangs communicate with each other by snorting and neighing. To become the main one in its territory, a wild horse must have sufficient strength.
Feeding wild horses
The mustang is considered a herbivore. It feeds on leaves, small shrubs and herbs. But since the prairies are not rich in vegetation, the herd often travels many hundreds of kilometers in search of food.
In stud farms, they feed on fodder. They need 3 kg of food per day in the form of hay, compound feed and fresh grass. Tamed mustangs, like domestic horses, love sugar and carrots. In summer, the daily need of an individual for water is 60 liters, and in winter - 20 liters.
Brown horse: description of the suit, its features
In order to get such an animal, the owner will need a fairly large plot of land with extensive vegetation - up to 2 hectares per 1 individual, otherwise the pasture will quickly become poor.
Reproduction in nature
Conquering the female, the male fights with rivals. Thanks to such mating games, the breed will never be exhausted, as only the strongest individuals survive. The mating season runs from April to mid-July. A pregnant mare is looking for a safe place to stay there until the very birth. Female foals carry 11 months. They usually give birth in mid-spring. Thanks to this, the young have time to get stronger.
The foal is born weak and barely standing on thin legs. But after a few hours, he already knows how to move normally. And after 2 days, having gained strength, he returns with his mother to the herd. Mares feed their young with milk for up to 7 months. Then the young begin to eat vegetation. And upon reaching the age of 3, the young horse will be expelled by the leader from the herd in order to exclude unwanted competition. Mom can go on a trip with her cub or stay in the herd.
