Should I adopt a wild mustang?

Question

This august I am having my grandfather to take me down to Augusta, NJ to the mustang adoption. Its only bout' 2 and half hours from my house and since my grandfather used to drive a tractor trailer there every night it will only be about 2 hours. The thing is my mom doesn't want a loco horse. I want to get 2 and tame one. My mom is planning on getting a 16ft bumper pull trailer. I am experienced with horses but will be getting my first horse this summer along with 2 mustangs I plan to have my grand father to adopt. I know all the rules that come along with them. Would it be a good idea to get 2 loco horses.

Answer 1

I think it sounds like a really bad idea. You cant just take a wild horse from it's natural home and try to tame it.... espically when your going to be exploring your first year in owning your own horse. I agree with one of the other posters. Rescue a horse..... and you can try to get it to trust you and try to train it.... its much more worth it than to adopt a wild horse that you could never trust.

Answer 2

From all the feedback I've had, though you can train them to ride, they just never get "friendly" like a stable raised horse.  I like a horse that will come over for a pat, or put it's head down, just like being around me and my family.  I've been told mustangs never become that kind of companion.  So, you have to be sure you know what you're getting, and is it what you want in a horse.  It's your call.

Answer 3

If you dont break their spirit and use horsemenship instead of the traditional way then yes but you must have the experiences they are not like tamed horses and can be very dangerous if not handled properly but they will be great horses i have a brumby and we have a super bond but i do horsemenship not that other stuff good luck and i hope you get these mustangs that will be two less getting culled

Answer 4

No.

Answer 5

My experience with mustangs is they are never tamed, which many people don't understand. Just because they take a saddle and a rider doen't mean they are tame. People think that trust and careful training is enough, but it isn't by any means.

I've watched a 'tame' mustang refuse to load on a trailer because it didn't suit him to do so. It took 5 hours, 8 voulenteers, and 4cc's of tranq's before they could get his front legs in, only to have him lay down and force them to lift the other 1500 lbs of him in. He then stood up and began eating when they closed the door -_-

If you wan't my advise, adopt a rescue horse. It would be just as much work, but loads more rewarding when you have a real tame horse that truly appreciated your care and tries hard to please you.

edit - I will concede that some mustangs can be tamed and trained, but it would require the right horse with the right temperament to the right rider who does all the right things, and I'd put someones chances of getting this to work at .1%. I'm no mustang expert (morgan person myself) but I would HIGHLY reccomend you not go for the mustang as your first horse. It may seem like a nice image of riding a 'wild' horse just like in the movies, but very few of the people who try it have any success. Don't buy into the stories people tell you of how they 'caught their own wild mustang and got it to trust them and trained it perfectly' ect, because some people are compulsive attention seeking liars like this (which I also know from personal experience). Hundreds of years of survival instincts are near impossible to overcome, even in some mustangs bred in captivity.

Answer 6

The younger the horse is the more likely and quickly they will adapt to humans.

They're simply not used to humans, just think if one day aliens came outta no where, herded you & some of your family and packed you tightly into pens, then split you up according to your age, gender, color, etc. You'd probably be really freaked out too!

So when you get one remember to look at everything through the scared horse's eyes. Show the horse you aren't there to cause any more stress or confusion, you are it's new family and gain it's trust before attempting even simple things like brushing and haltering.

Patience & Time!

Answer 7

How old are you?  If I was you I would consider something else.  You WILL be loading and unloading a LOCO horse off that trailer...and 2 is two too many in my opinion.  I don't want to sound like a hypocrite because I too am also considering adopting a mustang, I am 26, but this is something I am still considering doing in a couple years if at all.

I have worked with and around horses for quite sometime, but that still doesn't make me overly qualified to bring home a wild horse.  I am hiring a trainer...I amazingly talked to one who will take on a mustang...crazy.  I am confident but not crazy and I am not going to work by myself.  I would not suggest a mustang as a first horse.  If you really have your sights set on it then just get one, there is really no need to bring 2 home.  You are going to have to spend A LOT of time working with the horse so you shouldn't expect to ride it anytime this summer.

Answer 8

I don't think it would be a good idea if you've never have a horse before. All the care that you would put into owning a horse, you would have to put twice that amount of work in daily just to tame your horse. I just don't think it's a good or safe idea.

Answer 9

thats a BIG commitment. getting a total of 3 horses all at the same time is a very big decision. while taming them yourself can be a very rewardig experience, make sure that you are 100% ready. taming a normal horse that you get from a breeder is one thing, but a mustang that wont even know what you are is a totally different thing. make sure you have the time too. taming a horse takes lots of patience and is very time-consuming. it has to be a daily routine, so the horse gets to know you and what youre all about. and dont expect to be done within a year or so. fully taming and breaking in a horse takes years.

    i noticed too that you mentioned how you want to get two and tame one. do you mean that you will get someone else to tame the other, or do you plan on keeping that one more "wild"? realize that you will still have to train it a lot. it needs to know how to be properly handled, so you can have it looked at by the vet and any other person, but also so you have a basic connection with the horse, and it knows that it has to listen to you.

         personally, i would get the first horse you mentioned (im assuming its not a wild mustang?), and make sure you can properly take care of it and see how your life is with one horse. dont go off and buy three at one time, because thats going to be extrememly overwhelming. when you feel that you are really ready to get a mustang, and have the time, adopt it. however, just get one. one is going to be enough of a handful <i cant stress that enough! getting two at the same time will be difficult. and make sure you learn all you can about taming, training, and owning a mustang. here are some links that might be helpful:

http://www.mustangs4us.com/

http://www.gentlehorses.com/training_mus...

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Horses-Behavi...

http://www.mustangs4us.com/gentling_&_tr...

http://www.grandin.com/references/handli...

just remember to take your time with making this decision, there will always be a mustang ready for adoption.  :)

Answer 10

I have a mustang.  I adopted him when he was 2 (straight off the range) and now he is 5.  It has been the most rewarding experience of my life, but it was also very difficult.

I couldn't touch that horse when I first got him.  Now I can ride him anywhere and everywhere.  Those people that say they can never truly be tamed are quite wrong.  Of my three horses, he is my best trail horse.  My TB, although she has been a lot of places and seen a lot of things (and is now 18) still spazzes on the trail.  I trust my mustang a million times more than her.  The thing is that instead of instantly reacting to things like most horses, mustangs actually think about them.  I can ride him anywhere...and another perk is that they are so surefooted that I've taken him on terrain that I wouldn't dream of taking other horses.

As for them being hard to train...again, not true.  Once he learned to trust me, he was the easiest horse to train.  Since he's a thinker, he seems to pick up on what you are asking for pretty quickly.

As for them being unfriendly, not true.  Mine LOVES to be touched in anyway.  He comes up and begs to be scratched.  He follows me around like a dog.  He is MUCH more affectionate than my "domestic" horses.

All that being said, if you don't have experience training horses, don't get a wild horse.  They are a LOT of work.  If you don't know what you are doing, you could get yourself in a real mess.  A wild horse that doesn't trust people from the very beginning is not the place to start learning about training techniques.  Once they learn to trust, they are just like training any other horse but that first bit is tough.  The biggest thing is to take it slow.  Don't be in such a hurry to ride the horse that you don't do any groundwork.  My horse had to load on the trailer, stand patiently while tied, behave for the farrier, be caught easily, etc. etc. before I even thought about putting a saddle on him.

Answer 11

No because they are usually not tamable or take a long time to tame.

Answer 12

My advise don't ,the toughness that keeps the Mustang alive in the Wild,is the very thing that makes it hard to Train; I adopted 3 Mustangs in 1995;; One I had worked with a lot,I was in round Pen,Saddle Him and first of June of that Year,I mounted and gave a nudge,He sure did Buck Hard,I gave it the best try a 56 year old Man could do,I woke up in the Sand and This three yr old Colt just looked at Me;Trip to Emergency Room cost about 800 dollars;Spend the Money and get a Seasoned Horse;Listen to Your Mom,She is Right; Should You push the Idea of Riding the Wild One,Give only Hay,Plenty of Water No Grain,-----The Romantic allure of Riding a Mustang will Clash with Reality ,when You climb aboard;

Answer 13

I ADOPTED 2 LAST SUMMER, A 4 YEAR OLD MARE WITH FOAL, 2 MONTHS  I NAMED THE MARE TEWAH,IT MEANS WIND, SHES A PALE PALAMINO AND HER FOAL  NAMED EVIA IS A SORRAL.  I STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH TEWAH,IVE COME NO WHERE CLOSE TO RIDING HER.SHE VERY HARD TO CATCH AND HARDER YET TO WORK WITH.BUT EVIA IS A DREAM I IMPRINTED HER AT ABOUT 4 MONTH. SHES A YEAR OLD NOW AND COMES WHEN CALLED OUT OF THE HERD. THE BABIES ARE ALWAYS THE EASEST SO IF YOU FIND A MOTHERLESS BABY  GRAB ON TO IT, YOULL NEVER BE SORRY. TAKE CARE

Answer 14

If you know what your doing go ahead if not don't and they're not loco they are just not used to humans trying to get on their backs and pull them around ^^

Answer 15

You may want to rethink this...I have taken mustangs from people who said they adopted them to train them...Very smart, difficult horses.  It took a lot of work getting these horses semi gentle, they always have that wild side, be very careful.

Around here in California i know someone with several who are already halter broke, she has a few that are green but sane for 500 dollars each.  If you want a mustang you may want to look for one that someone has invested time in already, or hire a really good trainer.

Answer 16

I would only get one if you have the experience to break one and have the training

Answer 17

they're not all crazy. my sister has one that she got when it was 3. it was crazy, but it doesnt take long to make a connection. Two might be a bad idea though, because they will get attached to each other instead of you.

Answer 18

Not unless you can afford to have them both trained by an expert.

Why don't you save a horse that is gonna be slaughtered instead.

http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2...

http://fuglyhorseoftheday.blogspot.com/2...