# Mustangs



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Oh my...

Someone posted the link to the BLM site on the paint horse thread. I should NOT have clicked.

I think I should move to America.

Can someone please buy these for me and ship them to AUS? Pretty please?

This lovely mare:




























And this dun mare:




























This CUUUUUTE little palomino filly:




























This handsome paint stud:




























This unique-looking mare:


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

And finally - I would be your slave for life if you could acquire me this guy. Major drool:




























Not fair. Why can't our brumbies be this calibre???


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## Azale1 (Jul 5, 2010)

Those are some beautiful horses. Mustangs can be amazing horses to have. Smart, loyal, and sturdy.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

They are talking about opening it up for international adoptions soon.


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## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

This is kind of off topic, but the blm does not sell studs. The horses have to be gelded before they can get adopted. At least that was how it was two years ago when my aunt got hers.


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## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

Gorgeous mustangs! I love the dun and the pally! There was a very blond girl and an equally blond mustang at a gymkana I went to and they were amazing! They can be such wonderful horses.


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## azarni (Aug 17, 2008)

Wow. I love the last one you posted! They're all beautiful.


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## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

So I have to ask - are these wild mustangs? Is catching wild mustangs for training / sale still something that goes on? It surprises me when there are horses being shipped out to auctions and slaughter that we'd be pulling horses from the wild. 

Or are they in danger in the wild and are being captured for their own safety?


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## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

I'm always thinking the same thing Wild_spot! 

I have been considering adopting a brumby for a while now but they just don't compare to the Mustangs!


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I don't know anything about the BLM, but they were listed as studs on the website. They were also over 10 so were being sold, not adopted.

Oh I would love one. Probably couldn't justify 10k + for a $700 horse though, lol!


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

^ The 10k would be for importing, lol, forgot that bit.

Ah I know Aztec - They make our brumbies just look like weedy little ponies with big heads! Lol!


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## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

I own a BLM mustang  their amazing. Sorry if the pictures are stupidly huge:-x.


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## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

Deerly said:


> So I have to ask - are these wild mustangs? Is catching wild mustangs for training / sale still something that goes on? It surprises me when there are horses being shipped out to auctions and slaughter that we'd be pulling horses from the wild.
> 
> Or are they in danger in the wild and are being captured for their own safety?


Nevermind, I answered my own question googling BLM mustang  

To keep wild horse populations in check and sustainable - makes sense!


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

Yay for internet search and answer! You've hit it on the nose Deerly. Overpopulation is something the BLM has been trying to control for a long time.

I'm the culprit of posting the link to that BLM internet adoption in the paint thread. ^_^ There are definitely some super gorgeous horses available through them. I have every intention of getting myself a few mustangs eventually when I've got the proper facilities for it. Until then I'll satisfy myself with being a mustang aficionado and trying to get OTHER people to adopt them. So many of these wonderful horses don't have anywhere to go.

Policies may have changed, but they *do* offer studs. They don't have to be gelded.

That dun mare was one that I was drooling over too. I love not only her conformation, but those white spots she has all over her! I think they're called birdcatcher's spots or something?


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## Icrazyaboutu (Jul 17, 2009)

wild_spot said:


> I don't know anything about the BLM, but they were listed as studs on the website. They were also over 10 so were being sold, not adopted.
> 
> Oh I would love one. Probably couldn't justify 10k + for a $700 horse though, lol!



Just read through the website and it said they were passed up at the last three auctions without any bids so they are for sale like you said


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

^ It said on the website that *any* horse over the age of 10 is offered for sale, not adoption.

We have huge overpopulation issues with brumbies but they aren't nearly as attractive for sale as the mustangs are.


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## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

Someone got this GORGEOUS perfect filly for $145?!!!?!?! *steals her* Wow!


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## armydogs (Apr 14, 2010)

my friend who is taking care of my horses for me has 7 blm mustangs. she just got through talking to a blm agent and the studs do not have to be gelded. it is up to the owner on that one. i would love one, but i havent seen to many over 15 hh, and i need a taller horse. im over 6 ft tall. and i dont know enough about training to feel comfortable working with something that is wild.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

armydogs said:


> i havent seen to many over 15 hh, and i need a taller horse. im over 6 ft tall. and i dont know enough about training to feel comfortable working with something that is wild.


The big guys are out there if you look hard enough. I've also found that the height of the horse doesn't matter as greatly as the breadth of the horse. If you get something stocky with a nice round barrel it'll usually fill out long legs pretty well. ^_^

Also, it's possible to adopt some of these mustangs already greenbroke from competitions nationwide known as the Extreme Mustang Makeover. The horses still go for very little typically, but they've got three months of training by professional trainers.

Not to mention that if you can go to a live adoption or one of the holding facilities to choose a horse, you may be surprised to find that a few of the horses are curious and brave enough to come right up to you and even let you touch them a little. They're usually much easier and willing to be trained. Of course there are still the ones that would prefer to have absolutely nothing to do with you and can be tough to train.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Tell me about it!!! When I moved here from Melbourne 7 months ago, the first thing I did was buy a Mustang! I have to say it is flashy, reliable and handles this Texas heat very well. Her name is Charlie, here she is at the last place she was owned before I brought her home...


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Sara, your mustang has lovely conformation. :wink:


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> Sara, your mustang has lovely conformation. :wink:


Why thankyou! Unfortunately I didn't have any photo's from behind but I assure you she isn't cow hocked :wink:

Her conformation certainly helps with her speed over short distances, she would be an excellent quarter mile sprinter!!


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

sarahver said:


> Tell me about it!!! When I moved here from Melbourne 7 months ago, the first thing I did was buy a Mustang! I have to say it is flashy, reliable and handles this Texas heat very well. Her name is Charlie, here she is at the last place she was owned before I brought her home...


I love your Charlie. I've always wanted a Charlie of my own.

Of course, I'd prefer one of the aged ones, born in 1967 or 1968. I'm willing to give it a good, forever home!


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

It is always better to adopt seniors, IMO.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

I love their height - Anythong over 15h is big! I wish Bundy would shrink a bit :]

OOOh your fellow is lovely, Sarahver. Just look at that powerful build :]


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Now you see why I love them so much. If you have the eye to pick a good one, they make **** nice horses that can go for days with no rest and less food (mine get fat just by breathing LOL). Have to agree that 6 feet isn't too tall for a mustang. My boy Koda is only 14.2 but he will make a tall person look short when riding because his barrel is so big. Not only that, but most of them don't have the feet problems that you see so often with domestic breeds, plus they have the bigger bones from drafts in their lines. W_S, that last boy you posted has to have some Belgian pretty close back in his lines. He's HUGE.

Pretty much every one of them has strong conformation (not necessarily pretty) that means they can withstand hard work better than your typical QH or TB. I am suprised that not more jumpers and eventers are interested in them because, let me tell you, they can jump like deer. That is why the BLM requires you have 6 foot fencing LOL. I watched an Auction that the BLM had a couple of months ago on TV. You want to talk about some super nice looking horses going for a pittance. There were some bay and brown mares that could put the best bred QH to shame for looks that went for like $150. Then the fugly buckskin went for $1500. OH, the injustice.

Hukassa, your boy looks like he could be from the same area as mine. Same gray with 2 hind socks .


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Wild Spot: You are so right, the Mustangs over here kick butt over our brumbies! Mustangs to me look like horses that would do a job, work all day and then take kids for rides at the end of it all! Our brumbies sometimes look like they were accidentally crossed with some of the wild camels in the outback somewhere.

Smrobs: Interesting point on Mustangs as jumpers, they certainly have a nice boxy conformation which would be ideally suited to jumping, I bet they are sound minded enough also.

SpeedRacer: As always, you have impeccable taste. There is also a 1968 Mustang in my family, it is brilliant blue with a white convertible top *drool* As for me, I have always been a sucker for a grey with dark points...


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## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Mhhm, they look very much alike, was he rounded up in Nevada? My boy has alot of draft in him though, he's 15.2 pushing 15.3 and when the farrier first came out he almost had a heart attach because his feet are as big as a percheron's and the clippers will barely cut them they're so hard.:shock:


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Haha, maybe they are distantly related. Dobe is from Wyoming and though he isn't as tall (14.3), his feet are the same way. It is quite a workout for my brother to trim him or put shoes on.


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## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

Haha I'm honestly glad he's done growing. We bought him from the colorado prison program as a 3 year old and 14 hands shot up to 15.2 in about 2 years. He's 6 now so I'm pretty sure he's done. Mustang are absolute hell to keep weight off of though, I swear he eats about half as much as my quarter horses, gets ridden almost everyday and still has a hay belly.:lol:


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I need to get a pic of Koda, he has been turned out to pasture for a little over a year with no riding and he looks pregnant. LOL.


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## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

LOL I have no idea how anybody can keep a mustang the perfect weight. Their has to be some kind of secret no ones telling me.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

It's funny because Shay-la owns a half-Mustang mare (other half Appaloosa) and it's always a joke about how it's good she's so docile and sweet because she's so "ugly". And yet the more I look at her, the more I realize how much more correct she is then the crap we breed. She's so solid and stout, with such excellent bone density she has NEVER had lameness problems despite her big pie plate flaring feet.

And also surprising? The offspring she throws. One glance would have most people saying NEVER BREED HER, and yet the strength, conformation AND stamina she stamps each of her foals with is amazing. Also, a perfect temperment.

She's such a laidback trail horse, we were VERY surprised to find out she's not only the second fastest horse we have (and only tails the fastest by a margin), she also pulled 1st place on a 15 mile endurance ride! 

I'd LOVE to own a Mustang someday!


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

THey are conformationally not always the most elegant mounts, but they are correct. Form should always follow function. They have tough feet, strong legs, are usually close coupled, short bodied and stout. 

They have an innate intelligence and survival instinct. They are sure footed, hardy, and quite disease resistant and parasite resistant. They thrive on the coarsest pasture that would make most "domestic" pampered horses starve to death. I can't imagine a better horse than one that has been shaped by a very harsh environment.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

^^It's funny that you should mention surviving on coarse pasture draft. I was just going to chime in and say that the probable reason they are such easy keepers is that they have had to absorb every nutrient and gram of fat and protien from every single bite for so many generations that it is hard for their bodies to know when enough is enough. I don't know about anyone else's but mine will eat anything like it is the best tasting thing on earth. Dobe will stand there and eat a yucca plant down to the roots and if you pull a cocklebur out of his tail, he will eat that too just like you were feeding him a treat LOL. I swear he has a stomach of solid steel.


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## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

^^Tumble weeds..my mustang is quite fond of eating tumble weeds.:lol:


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

i miss my mustang. He disliked everyone but me ..of course i was only 2 when i met him and finally made him mine when my aunt gave him to me for my 7th birthday as a 15 yr old had him till he was about 19 when he injured his hip and we sent him to a nice retirement home for horses with his buddy angel(my 29yr old mare who had arthritis in both fronts but was an amazing horse none the less)
If i got the chance i would deffinately own a mustang before a quarter horse or thoroughbred


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

Hukassa said:


> Mustang are absolute hell to keep weight off of though, I swear he eats about half as much as my quarter horses, gets ridden almost everyday and still has a hay belly.:lol:


This! I have a 9 year old half mustang - half appaloosa and i swear he can look at air and gain weight. it's been a battle this year to firstly get weight off him then keep it off.

Everyone always says what nice feet he has, never had problems there. We've had lameness problems; but that was more due to human interference than anything to do with him i think.

Oh and he's big, 16.1 and stocky. His mother was from nevada but he was born in captivity.









I wouldn't change him for anything, i love his ploddy gaits and his lazyness and the stupid faces he pulls pretty much all the time.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

Well I prefer my horses fat, so thats just fine with me!

Buck loves to eat the garbage plants in the pasture- he will fight the goats for them!


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

That said... I think I am part mustang. I eat anything and get fat. I could eat nothing but celery and water for a year and gain 10 lbs.


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## Gidji (Dec 19, 2008)

That first mare is gorgeous WS! Can I say lower level dressage mount. That trot looks amazing. The brumbies we have around this area are pretty decent, but I think we have a whole lot of ASH in ours when some studs got let loose, a couple of years back.


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## A knack for horses (Jun 17, 2010)

Mustangs can be awesome horses...and those horses are really pretty!


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## PeruvianEquine (Aug 1, 2010)

I am definitely going to get some mustangs someday. Beautiful, sturdy, versatile horses and they're being sold for so little. I'd take a wild mustang to train over a 10k show horse any day.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Once again posted after reading the first page of posts, not realizing there were 4 more. Yarrgggh!


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Let me start by saying that I am not a mustang hater. I have been around and ridden some very nice ones. Mustangs are not wild horses. They are feral like barn cats and stray dogs. They don't live in the "wild". They live on peoples property and on fragile and sensitive public ground in the arid western part of the country. The BLM does a very poor job of managing the numbers and many starve every year. About 36,000 "wild" horses are kept in captivity by the BLM because they cannot be sold to slaughter. Half of the budget for the BLM (the agency charged with managing the immense public lands in the west) goes to feeding these unwanted feral animals. There is a crisis in the making regarding mustangs and it's going to come toa head sooner or later regarding available land and the overpopulation of these animals. Before the Free roaming horse and burro act of 1960 there were no "wild" horses. They were all owned by someone and when the population got too great they were gathered and culled. The good ones were broke and sold or used and the poor ones were shipped to slaughter to make room for better ones. Stallions were routinely gelded and replaced to prevent inbreeding and increase the quality of the horses. The BLM does very little of that now and like like every government agency is incapable of seeing past the mountains of red tape and effecting meaningful change.

From the animals I have seen at adoptions the pictures posted here are of animals of better than average looks. There are many BLM horses that fit Wild Spot's description of the aussie brumbie.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

kevinshorses said:


> Let me start by saying that I am not a mustang hater. I have been around and ridden some very nice ones. Mustangs are not wild horses. They are feral like barn cats and stray dogs. They don't live in the "wild". They live on peoples property and on fragile and sensitive public ground in the arid western part of the country. The BLM does a very poor job of managing the numbers and many starve every year. About 36,000 "wild" horses are kept in captivity by the BLM because they cannot be sold to slaughter. Half of the budget for the BLM (the agency charged with managing the immense public lands in the west) goes to feeding these unwanted feral animals. There is a crisis in the making regarding mustangs and it's going to come toa head sooner or later regarding available land and the overpopulation of these animals. Before the Free roaming horse and burro act of 1960 there were no "wild" horses. They were all owned by someone and when the population got too great they were gathered and culled. The good ones were broke and sold or used and the poor ones were shipped to slaughter to make room for better ones. Stallions were routinely gelded and replaced to prevent inbreeding and increase the quality of the horses. The BLM does very little of that now and like like every government agency is incapable of seeing past the mountains of red tape and effecting meaningful change.
> 
> From the animals I have seen at adoptions the pictures posted here are of animals of better than average looks. There are many BLM horses that fit Wild Spot's description of the aussie brumbie.


We have the same problem keeping the brumbies under control back in Australia also. The land simply isn't designed for any hooved animal, much less horses so it is ruined by them running en masse through the mountains. Although it seems romantic, the notion of horses running wild in the Snowy mountains (we've all seen the Man from Snowy River right?) the harsh reality is that they suffer a slow death when there is not enough vegetation to sustain them, no matter how hardy the breed is. There are NO native animals in Australia that have hooves, they are mainly marsupials with padded feet and even they will cause damage when they overpopulate an area. I have often wondered if the situation with the Mustangs is comparable.

The methods back home aren't savoury. They are rounded up and sent off to slaughter or sometimes culled from helicopters. I doubt that will happen here in the States any time soon. Unfortunately with rescues now becoming overpopulated and so many broken and semi trained horses needing to be re-homed, I fear the future of the Mustangs will be bleak as they will be the last in line. Guess we should send a few over to WildSpot after all.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

You have valid points, kevinshorses. The BLM has found itself with its hands effectively tied behind its back. The overpopulation is a huge problem for the environment in which they live and the horses themselves. Even so, there are those who feel passionately that the horses should not be touched because they are wild and beautiful. These organizations fight the BLM every step of the way. For example, The Cloud Foundation: www.thecloudfoundation.org - www.thecloudfoundation.org

I do know that the BLM is still removing horses from the herds to prevent inbreeding and to improve the quality of the horses, though I am not sure that they geld the stallions and turn them back out.

I will also add that there are few of the horses living on private property as you have indicated. The vast majority are on public land and only wander into private property on occasion.

This problem is not so very different from what we face with domestic horses. There are far more horses that have been bred domestically that few people want, but have we figured out what to do with them? Nope. The blind lovers of horses stopped most slaughter, but there are still horses without anywhere to go. Why should we blame the government and the BLM for failing to do the same thing that we can't even do? It's a deadly circle of morality. We don't want to have to kill the "extras" that are "sub-par" quality, but we don't know what else to do with them either.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

I for one would rather have wild horses running on public land than have huge multi millionaire beef cattle farmers leasing public land for pennies and blocking off water supplies.

And you say the BLM doesn't sell into slaughter? Thats not true really. If a horse is over 8 years old or has failed to be adopted after 3 adoption events, then they are eligible to be sold to anyone with the cash, no one year waiting period before getting title to the horse, and no limit on how many you can buy (there is a limit of 4 per year of adoption horses). You don't think slaughter buyers are going to pass up the chance to buy nicely fattened horses for 125$ each? 

As for your suggestion that the BLM doesn't geld stallions- this isn't true. They just finished castrating every single last stallion and colt that were from the Calico range.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Draft, the water supplies are man made water supplies made by the cattle farmers that would not be there at all if it was not for them having grazing rights. So I suppose them not existing at all is OK with you?

The cattle farmer's use of the land is very much regulated.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

draftrider said:


> I for one would rather have wild horses running on public land than have huge multi millionaire beef cattle farmers leasing public land for pennies and blocking off water supplies.
> 
> And you say the BLM doesn't sell into slaughter? Thats not true really. If a horse is over 8 years old or has failed to be adopted after 3 adoption events, then they are eligible to be sold to anyone with the cash, no one year waiting period before getting title to the horse, and no limit on how many you can buy (there is a limit of 4 per year of adoption horses). You don't think slaughter buyers are going to pass up the chance to buy nicely fattened horses for 125$ each?
> 
> As for your suggestion that the BLM doesn't geld stallions- this isn't true. They just finished castrating every single last stallion and colt that were from the Calico range.


Do you have sources that we can review?


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

Here's a myth/fact thing provided by the BLM

Myths and Facts

It does state that they DO NOT sell directly to slaughter regardless of being permitted to do so.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

They don't sell DIRECTLY to slaughter.

But, they don't have a problem selling to brokers, who sell to slaughter. 

So every water whole in the entire western range is man made? There is no natural source of water anywhere?


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)




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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

That's exactly the stuff that makes it so difficult for the BLM to manage the horses. Just because there MIGHT have been 2 million mustangs at one point (which has never been proven) does not mean that it is a sustainable number of horses. I think 30,000 is quite a lot, myself.


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## RogueMare (Feb 17, 2010)

Man, now you got me looking! Lol. I'm such a sucker for B&W's.....


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## RadHenry09 (Mar 22, 2009)

I have always loved mustangs! I have always thought that my horse was Mustang or had some Spanish influence in him.
He is one of the smartest/most clever horses that I have had the pleasure to spend time with. He doesnt have a BLM brand so I belive he was captive breed/raised.
I love the pics that were posted. <3


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## sinsin4635 (Dec 1, 2009)

I love the hell out of my mustang! Would'nt trade him for the world or sell him for any amount of money! Never had a sick day since i've had him & has the most awsome feet that will never need shoes!


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

I wish i could get a mustang. I've always wanted to adopt... and to anyone who complains about the BLM; atleast they try to care for the wildies in the US. The mustangs here in Alberta have practically NO protection. It's illegal to shoot them & snare them, but people still do it & there is no law about what happens to them after they are rounded up each fall for sale.
So long as you don't have a record for animal abuse you can buy a wildie & so alot are sent straight to slaughter after they're picked up.
It's sad, that now there are only less than 300 left


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

In the top pic, the 3 foals & the bay mare were all shot back in 2006. RCMP are _still_ looking for the culprites who did it purely for the heck of it.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

2 foals i meant lol. The bottom is of a Stallion


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## SPhorsemanship (Apr 5, 2010)

wild_spot said:


> Oh my...
> 
> I would love this litte dun mare. I'm actually thinking about getting a new horse now...too bad it's not international


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## Hukassa (Jun 10, 2010)

I JUST looked at all the horses for adoption and I think I'm in love with this yearling.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

There is no good solution for mustangs. They deserve to live free, and we shouldn't destroy them.

I understand that some starve. I also understand that cattlemen need to make a living. If you cut the horses off from water they will die, and then horse lovers like you and me will be angry. If you let the horses roam free the cattlemen are unhappy and people get angry because there are too many horses. You can't make everybody happy all of the time. 

The only thing I see is a solution is to allow Madeline Pickens to take all the mustangs in holding to her sanctuary. Leave small, controlled bands of horses on the ranges, say in herds of maybe say 50 or less, so they can live naturally. Perhaps do something like they do in Assateague, round them up yearly, take out excess colts and geld them, take out a few older mares and fillies, and turn the breeding population back out onto the range. Excess animals could then be put into an adoption program. If it was managed carefully, you could conceiveably reduce the "excess" adoptables to a reasonable number- say keep less than 1000 animals free roaming.

If the BLM gave the 30,000 plus mustangs in holding facilities to Madeline Pickens, who has the land and money to care for them, then they would be safe. They would not be breeding, they could live out their life. Any horses that didn't get adopted could be transferred to her facility. In 30 years most if not all the origional 30,000 mustangs would be dead from old age and they would only house the unadopted excess.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

draftrider said:


> The only thing I see is a solution is to allow Madeline Pickens to take all the mustangs in holding to her sanctuary.


You seem to want to ignore this point.

Madeline Pickens did not want to "take all the mustangs". She wanted to make a refuge and get paid to have them there. Her caring for them would have cost the BLM a small fortune. Are you willing to pay for it out of your pocket? I am not able to finance a very rich woman's idea of what would be a fun theme park. As long as you personally are willing to pay the bill, since you think it is a great plan, then sure, go for it.


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## RogueMare (Feb 17, 2010)

Alwaysbehind said:


> You seem to want to ignore this point.
> 
> Madeline Pickens did not want to "take all the mustangs". She wanted to make a refuge and get paid to have them there. Her caring for them would have cost the BLM a small fortune. Are you willing to pay for it out of your pocket? I am not able to finance a very rich woman's idea of what would be a fun theme park. As long as you personally are willing to pay the bill, since you think it is a great plan, then sure, go for it.



Well... if we use that money tree that everyone talks about it wouldn't be an issue. 

I've never heard of this lady, but if she's rich and wants to do it, she should start pulling cash out of her own pocket. Because maybe she's forgotten but not everyone has an almost unlimited cash flow.
Personally I think its going to be a "cut your losses we tried our best" situation no matter what we do eventually. There really isn't any reasonable way to manage a feral herd of horses without a large cash flow going out, and lots of volunteers, and time, none of which BLM seems to have an overflow of.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

draftrider said:


> If the BLM gave the 30,000 plus mustangs in holding facilities to Madeline Pickens, who has the land and money to care for them, then they would be safe. *They would not be breeding*, they could live out their life. Any horses that didn't get adopted could be transferred to her facility. In 30 years most if not all the origional 30,000 mustangs would be dead from old age and they would only house the unadopted excess.


Just to clarify, the mustangs in holding facilities aren't breeding. They're all directly from the range or born in the year following to mares already pregnant when gathered (which is most of the time). Most of the stallions are gelded, and the BLM separates the genders.

A horse that is not adopted three times in a row goes into what is called "long term holding". These facilities have huge acreage and are essentially the same thing as what Madeline is offering -- lots of space to roam around. Why should we give them to Madeline and pay her to take care of them when we're already taking care of them on our own?

Given, most mustangs in short-term holding are kept in dry lot pens.


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## horseluver250 (Oct 28, 2009)

What happens to the horses that aren't sold on the internet adoptions? Do they go on to the onsite adoptions?


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

Each horse has three chances to be adopted before going into long term holding and becoming sale authority. By my understanding, it doesn't matter if the adoption is internet or onsite. So if the horse wasn't adopted on the internet and then twice more onsite, it goes to long term holding.


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## AngelEquestrian (Jul 15, 2010)

Has the BLM not thought of doing International sales/adoptions?
Just a thought since they would actually sell a lot more of them than if they were just in the USA.
There's a Dutch stud of American mustangs, they cost ridiculous money but they're selling for it. I don't know anyone with a Mustang in this country so i'm sure people like myself would buy one just for the fact of owning one...


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Angel, I'm sure they'd be more than willing to sell to international folks, but why buy a horse for less than $500.00 and spend an exorbitant amount of money to send it overseas?

The BLM uses U.S. tax money to pay and care for these critters, so the expense of having them exported would be on the buyer's dime.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

Yes, the cost of exporting one of these horses would be more than the cost of buying the horse itself. Not to mention that they would need to be at least halter and trailer trained before they could be transported safely and effectively.

I'm sure the BLM would let you buy a mustang if you were committed to it and emailed them personally.


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## AngelEquestrian (Jul 15, 2010)

True. 
When we import horses from the continent (France, Germany, Spain etc..) We get a quote that decreases (per horse) the more horses we take. So, it would be more worth while to import 5 horses than just 1. Not all companies do this I know,but I was thinking say the more people who wanted one the more horses would shipped over.

It's pretty high price though :S A friend of a friend took her horses from England to the US then 6months later broke up with her fiance and brought them back to England, each horse being £5,000 each way, so £10k per horse o_o


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## KateKlemmer (Aug 15, 2010)

kind of off topic from what you all are talking about.. but my mustang eats like a goat & her barrel is bigger than my 16.1 hand Quarter Horse's :O


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## Cheshire (Oct 17, 2009)

I would love to adopt a mustang, though I admit I am peeved with the BLM for various reasons. 

A friend has one who was taken off the range locally as a two y/o. He is 11 now and massive, I'd hazard 16.2, 16.3 hands, looks like there is some old-timey Morgan in him somewhere. Gorgeous animal.

As for this past auction...I would have scooped these up in a heartbeat:


















$415 got him, after 9 bids.

And this stout little 12 year-old...13.3 and what a tank.









This mare has a lovely, solid build, beautiful face and quite a nice neck!:
https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/horse.php?horse_id=3850


Okay, I'm finished with being slightly off topic.


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## Jake and Dai (Aug 15, 2008)

Oh boy...Sept 10/11 they're having an onsite adoption about 20 min from me. 

I may go to see these beautiful creatures up close.


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## justinebee (Jul 21, 2010)

oh i saw the palomino filly too and i just adore her! i want her as well, just can't afford her at the moment :/


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## justinebee (Jul 21, 2010)

Deerly said:


> So I have to ask - are these wild mustangs? Is catching wild mustangs for training / sale still something that goes on? It surprises me when there are horses being shipped out to auctions and slaughter that we'd be pulling horses from the wild.
> 
> Or are they in danger in the wild and are being captured for their own safety?


they are captured and auctioned out when they overpopulate in the wild


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## RogueMare (Feb 17, 2010)

justinebee said:


> they are captured and auctioned out when they overpopulate in the wild


I think what they mean is, can a single person, non related to BLM or Kiger or whatever- Go out and capture a horse on their own.


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## justinebee (Jul 21, 2010)

RogueMare said:


> I think what they mean is, can a single person, non related to BLM or Kiger or whatever- Go out and capture a horse on their own.


oh i was answering their last question about why they are captured


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