# The height of Mustangs.



## Mestano (Oct 4, 2011)

I have recently found out that i would probably need a 15hh+ horse to fit my height/weight ect. Now, i've heard that Mustangs range generally from 13hh to even 16hh. But, most Mustangs i see and hear about are generally small sturdy horses. I haven't ever been to a BLM, Mustang rescue, ect. to know how _common_ exactly 15 hand and taller Mutangs are. I don't know if i'm just mind psyching myself out here about their height, but i'd like to have a breeding program/farm of Mustangs one day. But if the trait of taller mustangs isnt easy to find... being my height, they may unfortunately not be the breed for me. =/ Anyone had enough experience with Mustangs to know about this?


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Height, conformation, physical traits, and genetics are going to vary from region to region and herd to herd. That's because Mustangs aren't a homogenous breed at all, but rather a ragtag group of feral horses from all different backgrounds. Naturally the groups with more recent additions from domestic populations, or with significant draft or Thoroughbred blood, are going to be taller.

At that very reason is why it's quite a bad idea to breed Mustangs. There's no consistency, no "type," and nothing desirable about them as a whole. Yes, there are good individuals, and some are very fine horses, but you can't make any sort of generalizations about them. Many of them ARE of poor quality, quite honestly, and thus they are in very low demand. No one wants the ones the BLM currently has, which is why there's all the current brouhaha about slaughtering them. Making more is completely and utterly illogical.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

To take it a step farther, mustangs are not actually a breed of horse at all. Although there is no true universal definition of just what a breed is, they meet none of the normal criteria one associates with a breed...they are not similar in appearance, size, or conformation, and do not breed true - all predictable traits considering they are a Heinz 57 group of individuals...


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

They come in ALL sizes and shapes. I remember a wonderful obvious draft cross in Colorado named JB Andrew who did wonderfully in dressage. He was the result of a draft stallion turned out in a wild herd. JB was huge!












For more info on him....

Kelly Boyd Dressage Training - Calendar / News


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

I remember seeing that horse at dressage shows in Colorado back in the late 90s. He was a nice horse.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Yes, he was. I was there when he was WB approved and watched as he was being branded, although I can't remember which registry accepted him.


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## thesilverspear (Aug 20, 2009)

I was showing Training/First level but would go watch the FEI tests for the craic. He was often there at the big shows at High Prairie Farms or Table Mountain Ranch.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I agree wholeheartedly with Bubba. I have 2 mustangs, one is 14.2 and the other is 14.3, but there was a member here that had a gray mustang that was about 16 hands and had a very prominent Percheron influence. They are out there to be found, you just have to look a little harder.

As for breeding them...it's a nice fantasy but in real life it's a horrible idea. A mustang that was bred in captivity is no longer a mustang. It's nothing more than a grade mutt, no different than the other thousands of mutt horses born every day.

If you really care about the mustang "breed" you would get them from the BLM, where there are thousands (a good portion of which are decent) of _true_ mustangs just standing around in holding pens waiting for someone to take them home.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

i'd say the average size of mustang that i see on a daily basis is between 14.2-15.2. granted i also know more than a few branded BLM mustangs that are 16+ hands and are quite nice specimens, they're the exception rather than the rule. the two mustangs we have at home are (guesstimates here - haven't taped them) 14.2 and 15hh. both are VERY different in type - one looks like she came from a PRE breeding farm and the other is a TB type built pinto. two different herds = two very different horses.

*addition - i missed where you said why you feel the need for a 15+hh horse but let me tell you, some of these smaller horses (the 14.2hh mare at home) are built like tanks. TANKS I SAY <-- no exaggeration. hahaha i think you'd have a harder time fitting a saddle to one than having them break down due to a rider's size.


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## Tabbi Kat (Nov 30, 2010)

Here are a variety of photos that I have taken this past month of mustangs that are up for adoption as well as mustangs with their owners. Most of these horses are not small by any means. I have two BLM mustangs and they both have great conformation and movement. I highly suggest going to the pens to chose one because they literally come in every size shape and color imaginable. I had to shop really hard and pay attention to find what I wanted but I did.


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## Tabbi Kat (Nov 30, 2010)

These are my two mustangs. The red dun is 15.1hh and can easily pack a rider that weighs 250lbs. The bay is only 100 days out of the "wild" (BLM pens in Litchfieild, CA). He is just about ready to start his saddle training.


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## Tabbi Kat (Nov 30, 2010)

Oh and the bay is only 4 years old and still has a lot of growing and filling out to do. He just hit a growth spurt and is butt high this week lol.


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

Wow, I really like that last bay. Hmmmmmmm............


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## Jake and Dai (Aug 15, 2008)

I just read a short book about JB Andrew...a really great story about a gorgeous horse.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

Yeah, that bay is a solid looking horse...a bit steep crouped, but I like that myself...


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree that they come in all shapes and sizes depending on the region.

I have a mustang cross and people often ask me if he's a warmblood, he's big and stocky and definitely has draft in his lineage.


















He's 16.1 and i'm 5ft.


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## Faceman (Nov 29, 2007)

Do you use a trampoline to get on him?...:lol:


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## Tabbi Kat (Nov 30, 2010)

Faceman said:


> Yeah, that bay is a solid looking horse...a bit steep crouped, but I like that myself...



I LOVE the look of a steep croup. Don't ask me why but I do<3 Sam Elliott is turning into a fine horse. He is starting his saddle training next month!


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

Faceman said:


> Do you use a trampoline to get on him?...:lol:


I might now you've suggested it. I used to get on him from the ground but that got old really quick, now i use a two step and hope for the best.


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## Mestano (Oct 4, 2011)

Thank you  I never really put to mind about breeding Mustangs in such a view before. I can see where it may be hard to make any profit off of them being they go for so cheap nowadays anyhow. Maybe i'll just have a few for pleasure and have a different main breed. I quite adore Thoroughbreds as well, and i know they are tall enough for me. Gorgeous pictures by the way!


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## Spotted Image (Aug 10, 2011)

My Mustang mare is on the shorter sign at 14.3 hands tall and 21 years old.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Mestano, just so you know, it won't be a good idea to try to break into the breeding world until the horse market is stabilized and a whole lot better than it is right now. As it is, unless you have the funds to buy crackerjack breeding stock that have been winning championships everywhere they go, it's virtually impossible to make any kind of profit breeding horses, no matter the breed. Shoot, in my area, you can get foals out of semi-successful show parents for $200-$500. Considering that it probably cost the breeder anywhere from $1000 to $5000 just to get the foal to weaning age (stud fee, extra vet care and added feed during pregnancy, plus the added price of farrier care and vaccinations for the additional 3-5 months until the foal is weaned and ready to be re-homed, and that's if nothing goes wrong that requires serious vet care or surgeries). 

Any person who claims themselves a "breeder" and doesn't incur those expenses isn't really someone that I would buy from because that means that the foal/dam received sub-par care during and after the pregnancy. It also means that there is that much more expense and time for _me_ to dish into the colt before he's worth what I paid for him.


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## Tabbi Kat (Nov 30, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Mestano, just so you know, it won't be a good idea to try to break into the breeding world until the horse market is stabilized and a whole lot better than it is right now. As it is, unless you have the funds to buy crackerjack breeding stock that have been winning championships everywhere they go, it's virtually impossible to make any kind of profit breeding horses, no matter the breed. Shoot, in my area, you can get foals out of semi-successful show parents for $200-$500. Considering that it probably cost the breeder anywhere from $1000 to $5000 just to get the foal to weaning age (stud fee, extra vet care and added feed during pregnancy, plus the added price of farrier care and vaccinations for the additional 3-5 months until the foal is weaned and ready to be re-homed, and that's if nothing goes wrong that requires serious vet care or surgeries).
> 
> Any person who claims themselves a "breeder" and doesn't incur those expenses isn't really someone that I would buy from because that means that the foal/dam received sub-par care during and after the pregnancy. It also means that there is that much more expense and time for _me_ to dish into the colt before he's worth what I paid for him.


I completely agree with Smrobs!


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## Day Mares (Jul 16, 2011)

Wow. Mustangs really do come in all shapes and sizes and colours don't they?


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## Hoss (Oct 4, 2011)

a friend of mine has a mustang gelding that grew up to the time he turned 6. he had a random growth spurt as a 5 yr old which plateaued around 6. not only did he grow UP (he's about 16 hands) he grew OUT. he's as wide as a tank. on the other hand, this same friend has about 3 other mustangs. two are over 6 yrs old and only about 14.2. one is a 2 yr old and already surpassed 15 hands.

mustangs are ... like a box of chocolates. you never know what you're gonna get!


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

Thanks Tabbi Kat!!!! Loved looking at those pictures! Felt like I was there!
I'd never adopt one, not experienced enough to train a completely feral horse,
but I've seen them in the wild and would love to go to a BLM adoption just to
look! The grey arab looking mare and your bay are spectacular!

Mestano, check out SBHA. If you have a dream you could get involved and do
some research on Spanish Barbs. There are only 2,000 pure breds in the US.
A massive breeding program/herd is NOT responsible these days, but
having a passion for a particular breed that is endangered and supporting them
by purchasing/showing and then one day possibly breeding a couple excellent foals to propagate the breed isn't an alltogether bad idea!
Most people here don't know about each others backgrounds with horses, their
experience, or capabilities. So don't let the dream die, but just make sure it's
a well thought out one!


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

Every mustang is different. Here's my current 'stang. I've owned 8 over my lifetime and each one was vastly different, but the traits I love about them are why I keep coming back to them.

1. Strong survival skills. I live in a predator rich area. 

2. Easy keeping. Yes, my mustangs dine on good feed, but they love burdocks, thistles, and other pasture weeds. They keep the pasture clean so the pansy QH's will eat the grass.

3. Genetically healthy. They are darned healthy. 

4. Hooves. USUALLY are very tight, hard, flinty hooves that crush rocks.

5. Surefootedness- I ride on rough trail- I don't want my horse to slip. 

6. the "Bond". Yes, I do believe that when you take an animal from the wild and tame it, it forms a bond with you. Nothing is more evident than with a mustang.


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

Well crud, pic didn't work to edit it. Here it is.


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## Tabbi Kat (Nov 30, 2010)

draftrider said:


> Every mustang is different. Here's my current 'stang. I've owned 8 over my lifetime and each one was vastly different, but the traits I love about them are why I keep coming back to them.
> 
> 1. Strong survival skills. I live in a predator rich area.
> 
> ...



Hey, those are the reasons that I own BLM mustangs! The bond you form with a wild horse is like none other that I have experienced! They are amazing horses!


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## Jake and Dai (Aug 15, 2008)

Gorgeous 'stang draftrider!


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## draftrider (Mar 31, 2010)

Thanks Jake and Dai. I think he's pretty cute. 

One thing to say too, with doing rescue I get a lot of horses that have been stall kept, pampered little kittens that end up being "useless" when they won't jump anymore or their owner tires of them and gets a flashier poneh that keeps them in the ribbons. I take these little marshmallows and turn them out with my herd for a few weeks, and let them go "wild". 200 acres of rough pasture and woods, lots of places to stub their toes so to speak. The stall weaving, cribbing, etc goes away. They come running for dinner, sides heaving the first few days, and soon can keep up with the herd. The mustangs help rehab these poor animals, and turn them into lean mean running machines. 
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