What does it take to have a successful Mustang adoption experience?
This brief list will outline just a few of the the things that are vital to consider before adopting a mustang. Preparation and realistic expectations will help turn your mustang adoption into a "happily ever after."
1. Home Sweet Home
A good living area and proper fencing are necessary to the safety and well being of any horse, but mustangs have a disadvantage in the fact that they are relative newcomers to many human concepts and contraptions. Living in the wild a mustang will not have experienced boundaries made of metal or wood, it takes time for them to understand confinement, likely your new mustang will have lived in a fence for some amount of time before you bring it home, but still fencing must be clearly visible, and solidly constructed for your mustang to respect it as a boundary.
Examples of inadequate fencing:
Barbed wire
Wire panel fencing (cow panels)
Mesh wire with holes larger than 2"(field fencing)
Fences of any construction lower than 5ft.
Electric fences
Ideally we would all be able to house our horses in solid pipe fences or fancy corral panels, but of course not everyone is blessed with perfect fences, if you have any questions about the suitability of the fencing around your intended mustang home please ask before you adopt!
Though wild horses live in the open they are not without shelter on the range, trees, rocks, and canyon walls provide refuge from the fiercest weather. When we introduce mustangs into our world we need to provide shelter for them. Bearing in mind their inborn need for flight when startled, mustangs are not accustomed to watching for dangers from inanimate objects in their flight path, so be very aware of any sharp edges on objects in or around their shelter. Things like corrugated tin and protruding nails are, of course, a danger around horses, but also be aware of things like edges on metal feeders and other protruding surfaces when contemplating a safe home for your mustang.
2. I Get By With A Little Help From
My Friends
Have a support system in place. It is common knowledge to horse owners that you will be requiring the services of many horse related professionals, vets, shoer/trimmers, horse sitter, trainer, and the list goes on. You will need to consider carefully the people who will come in contact with your new mustang. Depending on the amount of training your mustang has had before your adoption and the amount of experience you yourself have had with inexperienced or wild horses, you will probably want to enlist the cooperation of a knowledgeable horse trainer even before you bring your mustang home! Your vet or farrier is NOT a trainer, but finding one who has experience with young or wild horses can literally be a lifesaver! Never assume that your veterinarian will be able, or want to handle your horse for you. If you are in doubt, have your trainer on hand for vet or farrier visits until your horse is confident in these situations.
A mustang will likely have had much training already by the time they are ready for adoption, spending time with the trainer who worked at gentling a mustang can help you decide whether or not a particular mustang will be compatible with you and your future goals. Even after adoption it is a very good idea to learn as much as you can about the training methods that were used with your horse. Taking a few lessons with the trainer who knows your horse best can help you avoid miscommunication and frustration for both you and your new mustang.
Even very experienced horsemen have limits to their knowledge, so have a plan ready in case you find training or handling your new mustang more challenging than you expected. There is no shame in looking for help, and what you learn will make you a better horseman in the future!
3. What's For Dinner?
It surprises many people to discover that mustangs often have to learn to eat grain, apples, carrots, and other treats. A mustang making the change to domestic life will have to become accustomed to the new feeds you offer. In the beginning keeping your mustang's diet as close to what he ate in the wild will help avoid digestive upsets. Straight grass hay is the ideal mustang feed, other delicacies like grains or even alfalfa hay need to be introduced to a mustang's diet slowly in small amounts of a period of time. If your horse has been with a trainer or foster home be sure to ask what your horse's diet has been prior to taking it home.
1. Home Sweet Home
A good living area and proper fencing are necessary to the safety and well being of any horse, but mustangs have a disadvantage in the fact that they are relative newcomers to many human concepts and contraptions. Living in the wild a mustang will not have experienced boundaries made of metal or wood, it takes time for them to understand confinement, likely your new mustang will have lived in a fence for some amount of time before you bring it home, but still fencing must be clearly visible, and solidly constructed for your mustang to respect it as a boundary.
Examples of inadequate fencing:
Barbed wire
Wire panel fencing (cow panels)
Mesh wire with holes larger than 2"(field fencing)
Fences of any construction lower than 5ft.
Electric fences
Ideally we would all be able to house our horses in solid pipe fences or fancy corral panels, but of course not everyone is blessed with perfect fences, if you have any questions about the suitability of the fencing around your intended mustang home please ask before you adopt!
Though wild horses live in the open they are not without shelter on the range, trees, rocks, and canyon walls provide refuge from the fiercest weather. When we introduce mustangs into our world we need to provide shelter for them. Bearing in mind their inborn need for flight when startled, mustangs are not accustomed to watching for dangers from inanimate objects in their flight path, so be very aware of any sharp edges on objects in or around their shelter. Things like corrugated tin and protruding nails are, of course, a danger around horses, but also be aware of things like edges on metal feeders and other protruding surfaces when contemplating a safe home for your mustang.
2. I Get By With A Little Help From
My Friends
Have a support system in place. It is common knowledge to horse owners that you will be requiring the services of many horse related professionals, vets, shoer/trimmers, horse sitter, trainer, and the list goes on. You will need to consider carefully the people who will come in contact with your new mustang. Depending on the amount of training your mustang has had before your adoption and the amount of experience you yourself have had with inexperienced or wild horses, you will probably want to enlist the cooperation of a knowledgeable horse trainer even before you bring your mustang home! Your vet or farrier is NOT a trainer, but finding one who has experience with young or wild horses can literally be a lifesaver! Never assume that your veterinarian will be able, or want to handle your horse for you. If you are in doubt, have your trainer on hand for vet or farrier visits until your horse is confident in these situations.
A mustang will likely have had much training already by the time they are ready for adoption, spending time with the trainer who worked at gentling a mustang can help you decide whether or not a particular mustang will be compatible with you and your future goals. Even after adoption it is a very good idea to learn as much as you can about the training methods that were used with your horse. Taking a few lessons with the trainer who knows your horse best can help you avoid miscommunication and frustration for both you and your new mustang.
Even very experienced horsemen have limits to their knowledge, so have a plan ready in case you find training or handling your new mustang more challenging than you expected. There is no shame in looking for help, and what you learn will make you a better horseman in the future!
3. What's For Dinner?
It surprises many people to discover that mustangs often have to learn to eat grain, apples, carrots, and other treats. A mustang making the change to domestic life will have to become accustomed to the new feeds you offer. In the beginning keeping your mustang's diet as close to what he ate in the wild will help avoid digestive upsets. Straight grass hay is the ideal mustang feed, other delicacies like grains or even alfalfa hay need to be introduced to a mustang's diet slowly in small amounts of a period of time. If your horse has been with a trainer or foster home be sure to ask what your horse's diet has been prior to taking it home.