Student assignment. (requirement for course by Peter Kabai)

The origin of the mustangs, and why has the number of mustangs decreased?

By: G.Sjoqvist

Ever sense my childhood always contact with horses and still I have a burning interest for these animals. Even the most difficult tasks regarding to horses has interest me. That is probably USAs wild mustangs have fascinated me. Through the years I have been told difference stories about this fine wild horses. But it was not until a year ago I read a article about the mustangs. And now I decided to dig a little bit deeper in the matter of their, history as a rase, and the upcom of the rase, their situation to day, and the time there between.

The mustangs in the USA is no rase that have been around for many thousands of years. For 10000 years the horse spp has been out dead on the American continent. It wasnt until 1600-century, when the Spanish explorers Cortes and Desoto came to American continent that the horses were introduced again. The horses they brought from Europe were of Ibirisk heritage. But not of those types that the lusitano and andalusier of to day show. Even ponies and berb and arabian horses were brought. At firs no breeding took place. The horses brought were only stallions. But after time amount of these horses were reduce, And the word from Europe was that it was to high costs to ship stallions across the seas all the time. So instead they shipped over female horses so that breeding could take place on the spot. And also on to a much lesser cost.

Many of these animals escaped during fights with local populations. Many were also stolen by horse thieves and Indians, which had learned that it was easier to steel the Spaniards large dogs than to tame wild horses by the selves. They took those horse they needed and let the rest run loose. The free horse had good possibilities to breed and increase in population sizes in the southern parts, there green arrears were to there advantages.

At a certain point the horses were lost at a so large extent that breeding no longer was suggested by the Spain. Which instead answered by sending a continuos stream of horses the following 200 years. During these period with war, conquest and exploring. The pure mustang came.

The Spanish mustang has its origin in the old Ibirian horses with a pinch of Berber and Arabian blood. The Spanish mustang is a relatively small horse with a height of 140-150cm.

With its round forms it similarity to the Berber horse is larger than the Andalusian horse.

A speciality with the mustang is their different types of walks, such as tölt (Swedish word couldnt find a English word for it),stepping, pace, running walk, paso and rack. They also come in large variation of different collocations, some which are not known to other rases. These strange colorations can some times draw a mans mind to the some of Pablo Picasos paintings.

Kieger mustang shows a great heritage with its Iberian ancestors. Possible also with Portuguese Sorraiahores . they are all paints (several coloured) and the dominant colours are white, black, and brown. And their height is about 140-150cm.

For about 100 years ago there was an estimation of up to 2 million wild mustangs in the states. Who ever wanted could go out and get them self a wield horse. But the thing was just to make the wield horse tame, but it was nor problem to get your on horse. There are many stories about the wilde horses, and those who have tamed them, often pretty sad stories.

The mustangs were seen by farmers and other as a plague. They destroyed harvests, drank the waterholes empty and eat the grass that were meant for the beef cattle.

In the 50 ties they started to hunt down the mustangs and shout large parts of the different populations of mustangs from helicopter. These was for many animals a very painful death because often they were not killed directly just shoot and injured and it could take some time before they eventually died. And foals starved to death besides their injured mothers. (This was a crude way.) The best that could happen was to be captured and to be shown some rodeo-shows.

In the early 1970ties the populations of mustangs had decreased from millions to approximately 15000 animals. And it was close to an ending for these animals if the hunts would have continued. The 15^th of December 1971 came a protective law, the mustangs was not to be hunted and killed, and they are considered as living symbols of the historic pioneer of the west. To day it is forbidden to kill, burnmarking, or harm these animal in any way.

To day have BLM (Bureau of land management) reservoirs in several satiates. In these reservoirs lives to day approximately 40000 wild mustangs. BLM controls and registrates all wild horses, which also is marked and is provided with a horse pass.

Every 3-4^th year some of the horses are captured . some of the is taken care of and also adopted to persons to persons that wants to take care of an mustang . the conditions to adopt a mustang is not so easy. First of all you have for fill all the requirements that BLM demands. And even if all requirements are fulfilled and you get your adopted mustang, continues veterinary visits and reports to BLM must be done continuously.

Should you not follow all the regulations required or if the reports and visits from the vet not is of satisfactory BLM you will loose your adopted mustang.

Wouldnt it have been for people like Velma B Jonston. More known as wild horse Annie which sense that day she saw a foal steeped to death in a truck packed with mustangs, has dedicated here life to improve the brutal destiny of these wild horses. Then we wouldnt known how the situation for these wild horses would have become.

Thus the laws for protecting these animals, there are continuos reports of animals that have been shoot, not only to death, but also just harmed. The law is that hard so there is a prison to wait if you harm a mustang in any way. Even that the law is quite hard there is found dead mustangs along road sides caused by shoot.

I dont think that there is so many that knows that <='font-size: 12.0pt;'>USA was a continent with out horses until about 400 years ago. And that during that time a new rase has new developed . The mustangs which has increased in population size all time, have with periods of drying, little water and poor grass not all ways have had the best living conditions to develop as a new rase. But I think they have done it pretty well.

In the middle 1900, when the shooting of the mustangs started, there were no control of how many that were shoot. The consequences could have been that all of the mustangs could have been wiped out. (tragic thought).

I would say that man now is the controlling factor of this breed.

But thanks to private persons notations of bad treated mustangs and other observations. A struggle for the started. And finely the laws protecting these animas.

To days DNA-tecnique shows that the mustangs are rellated to other horse populations in other parts of the world. With this tecnique, it`s possible to lollow not only the mustangs, but even other breeds back to the time of domestication of the horse.

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/16/10905

Sources:

www.ne.se

www.University of Oklahoma.com

www.bereauoflandmanagment.com

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/16/10905

Western pferde journal nr 3

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The origin of the mustangs, and why has the number of mustangs decreased? By: G.Sjoqvist Ever sense my childhood always contact with horses and still I have a burning interest for these animals. Even the most difficult tasks regarding to horses has interest me. That is probably USAs wild mustangs have fascinated me. Through the years I have been told difference stories about this fine wild horses. But it was not until a year ago I read a article about the mustangs. And now I decided to dig a little bit deeper in the matter of their, history as a rase, and the upcom of the rase, their situation to day, and the time there between. The mustangs in the USA is no rase that have been around for many thousands of years. For 10000 years the horse spp has been out dead on the American continent. It wasnt until 1600-century, when the Spanish explorers Cortes and Desoto came to American continent that the horses were introduced again. The horses they brought from Europe were of Ibirisk heritage. But not of those types that the lusitano and andalusier of to day show. Even ponies and berb and arabian horses were brought. At firs no breeding took place. The horses brought were only stallions. But after time amount of these horses were reduce, And the word from Europe was that it was to high costs to ship stallions across the seas all the time. So instead they shipped over female horses so that breeding could take place on the spot. And also on to a much lesser cost. Many of these animals escaped during fights with local populations. Many were also stolen by horse thieves and Indians, which had learned that it was easier to steel the Spaniards large dogs than to tame wild horses by the selves. They took those horse they needed and let the rest run loose. The free horse had good possibilities to breed and increase in population sizes in the southern parts, there green arrears were to there advantages. At a certain point the horses were lost at a so large extent that breeding no longer was suggested by the Spain. Which instead answered by sending a continuos stream of horses the following 200 years. During these period with war, conquest and exploring. The pure mustang came. The Spanish mustang has its origin in the old Ibirian horses with a pinch of Berber and Arabian blood. The Spanish mustang is a relatively small horse with a height of 140-150cm. With its round forms it similarity to the Berber horse is larger than the Andalusian horse. A speciality with the mustang is their different types of walks, such as tölt (Swedish word couldnt find a English word for it),stepping, pace, running walk, paso and rack. They also come in large variation of different collocations, some which are not known to other rases. These strange colorations can some times draw a mans mind to the some of Pablo Picasos paintings. Kieger mustang shows a great heritage with its Iberian ancestors. Possible also with Portuguese Sorraiahores . they are all paints (several coloured) and the dominant colours are white, black, and brown. And their height is about 140-150cm. For about 100 years ago there was an estimation of up to 2 million wild mustangs in the states. Who ever wanted could go out and get them self a wield horse. But the thing was just to make the wield horse tame, but it was nor problem to get your on horse. There are many stories about the wilde horses, and those who have tamed them, often pretty sad stories. The mustangs were seen by farmers and other as a plague. They destroyed harvests, drank the waterholes empty and eat the grass that were meant for the beef cattle. In the 50 ties they started to hunt down the mustangs and shout large parts of the different populations of mustangs from helicopter. These was for many animals a very painful death because often they were not killed directly just shoot and injured and it could take some time before they eventually died. And foals starved to death besides their injured mothers. (This was a crude way.) The best that could happen was to be captured and to be shown some rodeo-shows. In the early 1970ties the populations of mustangs had decreased from millions to approximately 15000 animals. And it was close to an ending for these animals if the hunts would have continued. The 15^th of December 1971 came a protective law, the mustangs was not to be hunted and killed, and they are considered as living symbols of the historic pioneer of the west. To day it is forbidden to kill, burnmarking, or harm these animal in any way. To day have BLM (Bureau of land management) reservoirs in several satiates. In these reservoirs lives to day approximately 40000 wild mustangs. BLM controls and registrates all wild horses, which also is marked and is provided with a horse pass. Every 3-4^th year some of the horses are captured . some of the is taken care of and also adopted to persons to persons that wants to take care of an mustang . the conditions to adopt a mustang is not so easy. First of all you have for fill all the requirements that BLM demands. And even if all requirements are fulfilled and you get your adopted mustang, continues veterinary visits and reports to BLM must be done continuously. Should you not follow all the regulations required or if the reports and visits from the vet not is of satisfactory BLM you will loose your adopted mustang. Wouldnt it have been for people like Velma B Jonston. More known as wild horse Annie which sense that day she saw a foal steeped to death in a truck packed with mustangs, has dedicated here life to improve the brutal destiny of these wild horses. Then we wouldnt known how the situation for these wild horses would have become. Thus the laws for protecting these animals, there are continuos reports of animals that have been shoot, not only to death, but also just harmed. The law is that hard so there is a prison to wait if you harm a mustang in any way. Even that the law is quite hard there is found dead mustangs along road sides caused by shoot. I dont think that there is so many that knows that <='font-size: 12.0pt;'>USA was a continent with out horses until about 400 years ago. And that during that time a new rase has new developed . The mustangs which has increased in population size all time, have with periods of drying, little water and poor grass not all ways have had the best living conditions to develop as a new rase. But I think they have done it pretty well. In the middle 1900, when the shooting of the mustangs started, there were no control of how many that were shoot. The consequences could have been that all of the mustangs could have been wiped out. (tragic thought). I would say that man now is the controlling factor of this breed. But thanks to private persons notations of bad treated mustangs and other observations. A struggle for the started. And finely the laws protecting these animas. To days DNA-tecnique shows that the mustangs are rellated to other horse populations in other parts of the world. With this tecnique, it`s possible to lollow not only the mustangs, but even other breeds back to the time of domestication of the horse. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/16/10905 Sources: www.ne.se www.University of Oklahoma.com www.bereauoflandmanagment.com http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/16/10905 Western pferde journal nr 3

Notes (if any) by Peter Kabai: