Population Management in Mustang Herds

Population Management in Mustang Herds

By Diane Ward

An estimated two to five million mustangs spanned the states up to the 1900’s. However their population declined drastically as domestic livestock competed with them for resources. The public and government viewed the mustangs as excess to be slaughtered, and captured for military and personal use. The abuse included hunting from airplanes and poisoning. The mustangs were too large to occupy the continually shrinking land and in response in 1934 to 1963, the Grazing Service paid private contractors to kill the herds and allowed carcasses to be used for pet food. Ranchers were often permitted to round up any horses they wanted, and the Forest Service shot any remaining animals.

            It was not till the first federal wild free-roaming horse protection law in 1959, or Public Law 86-234, that it was prohibited to use motor vehicles for hunting wild horses. This became known as the Wild Horse Annie act after Velma Bronn Johnston who campaigned against the cruel treatment of the mustangs. Humane treatment and protection of the mustangs was increased further by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971.

            Mustangs are now recognized by the United States Congress as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people.” However overpopulation and herd management is a continuing concern. Currently the Bureau of Land Management is in charge of monitoring and controlling the mustang herds. It was stated in the Salazar Wild Horse Initiative that the BLM “seeks nothing less than ensuring healthy herds of wild horses and burros thriving on healthy public rangelands, both now and for generations to come.”

            More than 38,000 wild horses and burros were estimated in 201 by the BLM to be roaming on BLM-managed rangelands in up to10 Western states. Most mustang herds have no natural predators to keep their numbers regulated which can allow herd sizes to double about every four years.  Because of this the BLM must remove thousands of animals each year to control population. The guidelines and techniques used to round up mustangs are strict and humane. For instance one method uses a “Judas horse” which is a trained horse which has been trained to lead wild horses into pen to be easily removed. Then the mustangs are given homes through adoption and are still protected under the act until the first year of ownership.

            Since 2010 nearly 225,000 Mustangs have been adopted. Several programs that support mustangs have missions to further mustang adoptions, including the Extreme Mustang Makeover which is considered “Ultimate 90-Day Wild Mustang Training Competition,” and provides hundreds of trained mustangs to the public every year. The Mustang Heritage Foundation is a “public, charitable, nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating successful adoptions for America’s excess mustangs and burros.” Since 2007, the Mustang Heritage Foundation has placed more than 2,000 Mustangs in adoptive homes.

Bibliography:

Mustang Heritage Foundation: http://www.mustangheritagefoundation.org/

Extreme Mustang Makeover: http://extrememustangmakeover.com/

U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management: 

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/whbprogram.html

Billings Gazette:    http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_aaad6ae6-98e2-11de-9717-001cc4c002e0.html

Big Mak wins at 4-H

Here's the link to the BLM's facebook page where they posted Rachel's picture with Big Mak: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=255692147779292&set=a.143505385664636.28074.125639020784606&type=1&theater

"Rachel and her adopted mustang, Docs Big Mak recently won the Grand Champion in Halter for grade geldings at the Mississippi State 4-H Championship show. Rachel and Big Mac were up against some great competition, but Big Mac walked out with the BLUE!"


Here are some pictures!

Mestengo: The origins of the American Mustang

Mestengo: The origins of the American Mustang

By Diane Ward

            The name Mustang comes from the Mexican Spanish word mestengo which is derived from the Spanish word mesteño meaning stray or ownerless horse. Mesteño more accurately describes the American Mustang because they are arguably not a wild breed, instead mustangs are legally considered feral, because they are not  indigenous to the land. The original mustangs were the descendants of domestic Spanish horses brought over by European explorers in the late 15th and 16th century, however their roots can be traced back to the 8th century.

            In the 8th century, the Moors invaded Spain bringing with them desert horses known as the Barbs or Berbers which were a cross between the Andalusian and Jennet. By 1492 the Moors had taken the country and started exploration to the New World.  The king of Spain ordered in 1492 that all ships sailing under the Spanish flag carry horses and because of this horses sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to Santo Domingo (now the Dominican Republic). In 1519, Cortez brought 16 horses to the America’s mainland during his march to Mexico City. Two decades later De Soto started his Exploration from Florida to Mississippi with over 200 horses. Cornado brought over 500 horses in 1540 when he began exploring Mexico and the southwest United States. 
            By 1640 Native Americans were acquiring horses and by the 1700’s nearly every Native American tribe owned horses. Some of the most notable tribes for horsemanship were the Comanche, the Shoshoni, and the Nez Perce. While the Comanche became the leaders of the Plain Indians Horse Culture, the Nez Perce became master horse breeders, and bred the Appaloosa, one of the first distinctly American breeds.  

            In February 28, 2010, the Bureau of Land Management estimates that approximately, 33,700 horses and burros are roaming on BLM-managed land in 10 western states. Because wild horses have virtually no natural predators and their herd sizes can double about every four years, the BLM must regulate herd size. If the herd size was not regulated, the herds would consume the natural resources and eventually cause a “crash” in herd numbers. The ecosystems of public rangelands are not able to withstand the impacts from overpopulated herds, which include soil erosion, sedimentation of streams, and damage to wildlife habitat. Much of this is due to the fact that the mustangs are not a native specious, and do not self regulate to the land, making the BLM’s management necessary.
            Today some herds still retain a heavy influence of the original Spanish stock, but there is myriad diversity throughout herds and locations. Signs of Thoroughbred bloodlines or other light racehorse-types in the mustang herds were a part of a process that led in part to the creation of the American Quarter Horse. Other herds show signs of the intermixing of heavy draft horse breeds turned loose in an attempt to create work horses and more isolated herds. Because the mustang herds have been added to both deliberately and accidently by western explorers and various other parties up to the mid-century, there is a great variety of colors, and builds between herds. The modern mustang has several different breeding populations which are genetically isolated from one another, giving them distinct traits traceable to particular herds. These herds vary in the degree to which they can be traced to original Spanish stock with many having a makeup of more recent breed releases, however there are still some herds that are relatively unchanged from the original Spanish stock.

Bibliography:

 The Mustang Heritage Foundation.

 http://www.mustangheritagefoundation.org/

National Wild Horse Adoption Day

http://www.nationalwildhorseadoptionday.org/

Buru of Land Management

http://www.blm.gov/

The Spanish Barb Breeders Association

http://www.spanishbarb.com/SBHA_Breed_History.html

More on Mustang Magic!

Here's a video of some of the highlights from the Mustang magic! I'll have the full video of their routines posted later!

Some pictures of Rachel:

She's standing on the horse here.

The competitors

‎2011 Mustang Magic results:

1) Teryn Muench & Macerick; 2) Miranda Holaday-Lyon & Tensil's Last Nic; 3) Jerry Jones & Short Stack; 4) Bill Lopez & RDH Cowboy's Dream; 5) Logan Leach & Eastwood; 6) J-Dub Weisiger & Funky Gold Medina; 7) Chase Dodd & Peyton Manning; 8) Joe Misner & Latigo; 9) Marc Chancy & Flirty; 10) Ma...rk Lyon and Pepto's Night Out. Congratulations to all of the Mustang Magic trainers!

Rachel and Marc Chancy

Mustang adoption!

At the end of each Extreme Mustang makeover the horses in the competition are normally auctioned off making on of the main goals of this event to raise awareness for mustang adoption. Naturally I adopted the horse I competed with and I can vouch first hand for their sheer awesomeness of the breed. I look forward to seeing what everyone drew this year and the adoptions that take place! Here is some information on adopting:

October 22-24: Extreme Mustang Makeover, Murfreesboro, TN The second annual Extreme Mustang Makeover returns to Murfreesboro, TN. Over 100 gentled mustangs available for adoption. 100 trainers (18 and over) and 25 youth trainers (8-18). $25,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.
Tennessee Miller Coliseum: 304 West Thompson Lane, Murfreesboro, TN (615) 494-8961.

For more information: http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/emmtennessee.php




Upcoming In-Person Adoptions:


Lorton, VA: Oct 22-23
Murfreesboro, TN: Oct 22-24
Archdale, NC: Nov 12-13
Oneonta, AL: Nov 19-20
Martin, TN: Dec 3-4
Lake Charles, LA: Dec 10-11




Here are some examples of mustangs up for adoption and their information:

Sex: Gelding Age: 1 Years Height (in hands): 14.1

Necktag #: 9560 Date Captured: 11/22/09
Color: Palomino Captured: South Steens (OR)
Notes:

#9560 - 1 yr old palomino gelding, captured Nov 2009 in the South Steens Herd, OR.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).

Bidding has not yet begun.

Sex: Gelding Age: 1 Years Height (in hands): 14.0

Necktag #: 9493 Date Captured: 11/18/09
Color: Pinto Captured: South Steens (OR)


Notes:

#9493 - 1 yr old pinto gelding, captured Nov 2009 in the South Steens Herd, OR.
Calm personality.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).


Bidding has not yet begun.



 

Sex: Gelding Age: 1 Years Height (in hands): 14.1

Necktag #: 0010 Date Captured: 07/13/10
Color: Bay Captured: Cold Springs (OR)
Notes:

#0010 - 1 yr old bay gelding, captured July 2010 in the Cold Springs Herd, OR.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).
Bidding has not yet begun.
 

Sex: Mare Age: 4 Years Height (in hands): 14.3

Necktag #: 9614 Date Captured: 12/15/09
Color: Pinto Captured: Paisley Desert (OR)
Notes:

#9614 - 4 yr old pinto mare, captured Dec 2009 in the Paisley Desert Herd, OR.
This horse is currently located at the Corral Facility in Hines, Oregon. For more information, contact Patti Wilson at 541/573-4424 or email Patti_Wilson@blm.gov.
Pick up options (by appt): Burns, OR; Elm Creek, NE; Pauls Valley, OK; Piney Woods, MS.
Other pick up options: Martin, TN (12/3); Lake Charles, LA (12/10).
Bidding has not yet begun.

Jumping pictures

Because our camera is so slow these were not actually taken back to back but were from multiple jumps. I just arranged them so you could see the progression. =] Enjoy!

Information on Mustangs

Part of my job as a youth representative is to do research on the Mustangs, and write papers about them. Anyways I thought I'd post some of what I've been writing about on here, as well as sites for more information.


What is often referred to as “American’s horse” did not actually originate in America. The American mustang is a descendant of domestic horses brought over by European explorers in in the late 15th and 16th century, so although they did adapt successfully they cannot be considered native. These horse herds have been added to since then by western explorers, and as recently as the mid-century, horses have continued to be released to the mustang herds. The mustang can be linked back to the Iberian horses, which were horses native to the Iberian peninsula. Modern Iberian breeds include the Andalusian and Garrano. The original Spanish horses also included Arabians and barbs ancestry. Because of the varied breeds the mustang is combined from, mustangs have a wide array of colors and differing physical assets depending on the herd and region they’re chosen from.

Based on the latest data available, February 28, 2010, the Bureau of Land Management estimates that approximately 38,400 wild horses (about 33,700 horses and 4,700 burros) are roaming on BLM-managed land in 10 western states. Since wild horses have virtually no natural predators and their herd sizes can double about every four years, the BLM must regulate herd size. If the herd size was not regulated, the herds would consume the natural resources and eventually cause a “crash“ in herd numbers. The ecosystems of public rangelands are not able to withstand the impacts from overpopulated herds, which include soil erosion, sedimentation of streams, and damage to wildlife habitat.

As for the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, Section 1333 of that law mandates that once the Interior Secretary "determines...on the basis of all information currently available to him, that an overpopulation exists on a given area of the public lands and that action is necessary to remove excess animals, he shall immediately remove excess animals from the range so as to achieve appropriate management levels.” The BLM removes thousands of animals from the range each year seeking to achieve the appropriate management level of 26,600 wild horses and burros on Western public rangelands. That is 12,000 fewer than in the 1800’s. To help ensure that herd sizes are in balance with other public rangeland resources, the BLM removed 6,413 wild horses and burros from the range in Fiscal Year 2009. The Bureau placed 3,474 removed animals into private care through adoption in FY 2009 -- down from 5,701 in FY 2005. Since 1971, the BLM has adopted out more than 225,000 horses and burros.

The BLM has over 30 years of experience and employees and contractors use state-of-the-art techniques to gather horses ensuring the most humane treatment of the animals. The entire practice of gathering is very humane and the mortality rate resulting from helicopter-driven gathers is usually less than one percent. In 2009, the number of direct fatalities (out of more than 7,500 horses gathered) was 0.53 percent. When some indirect mortality does occur it’s usually associated with older horses in poor to very poor condition. These already weakened horses would likely die on the range if not gathered and are examined by staff professionals and veterinarians. They are euthanized if they are unlikely to improve or do not respond to treatment.

The BLM Director, Bob Abbey states the purpose, and one of the priorities of the BLM clearly: “The Bureau of Land Management’s top priority is to ensure the health of the public lands so that the species depending on them – including the nation’s wild horses and burros – can thrive…”

References:

www.mustangheritagefoundation.org

www.extrememustangmakeover.org

www.nationalwildhorseadoptionday.org

www.blm.gov