Mustang
independent, watchful, enduring
Origin
Western USA
Withers height
132–155 cm
LeisureTrail ridingEnduranceWestern
Traits & strengths
- ✦exceptionally hard hooves — barefoot keeping is the norm
- ✦very frugal and resilient, shaped by natural selection over generations
- ✦high sure-footedness and confidence in the field
- ✦greater genetic diversity than closed studbooks
Breed-typical predispositions
Few breed-specific hereditary defects
the free population is subject to natural selection; individual isolated herds may nevertheless have a narrow genetic base
Adjustment stress after adoption
Disease →the move from the free herd into domestic conditions is the real health burden — stomach and mind need time
Insulin dysregulation on rich feed
Disease →adapted to sparse forage — on fertilised pasture there is a laminitis risk
Latest findings
Iberian roots of individual herds
ongoingPopulation genetic work documents a high proportion of Spanish colonial blood in individual herds, while others are strongly shaped by later escaped working horses.
Source · American mustang population genetics