haha! That was at home, in the ring. Her mom and I were in jeans, t-shirts and 20 year old half chaps. One of our paddock boots may have been patched with duct tape. She’s all business when it comes to riding horses! Thankfully one of us is! LOL! 
Boy, what a cutie.
I’ve heard mixed things about welshies. The majority of what I’ve heard about their temperaments (in general) seems that they are full of ‘character’ but no one would describe the average welshie as particularly sane or sensible.
What’s been your experience?
I’d love to explore getting a welshie or smaller RID at some point; the mustang project isn’t my be all end all, it’s just one thing I want to do. I say why not both?
Obviously the mustang project would be years down the line.
Super cute! Is their an upper height limit on those guys?
One of the atttractions of the welsh sections Ds to me is that they don’t have an upper height limit. I’d love to find a 15something hand welshie with the mind of a highland pony, RID, etc.
Not true at all. Welsh ponies and cobs are incredibly full of character but also extremely sane. I grew up showing welsh ponies, along with lots and lots of kids, both my own ponies as well as a couple breeders. We also have welsh breeders on the boards. You will also find you can contact most breeders and they love to pony talk, because the welsh community is really inviting and friendly.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
I’ve heard very mixed things about imprinting (or if not full on ‘imprinting’ than being around the babies so much when born). One of my favourite ranches I’ve ridden at imprinted all their home-bred, hardy horses, and they worked great. Another barn I’ve spent some time at used to imprint but apparently discontinued the practice because the found the horses sometimes didn’t have as much ‘horse sense’ sometimes. I don’t know, I haven’t had any first hand experience.
And you’re right, that did sound pretty daft of me to say a horse without baggage; obviously most would have some human-caused trauma. My line of thought was more about how the horse has been raised in a herd without the influence of people, and other than what you know comes standard with the BLM (which you’re right, should be counted as baggage) they are a clean slate in terms of what people have taught them, good or ill.
That’s good to hear, can I ask if you’re in the US or the UK? Most of the feedback I got were from riders in the UK.
I’m in the US. We have welsh breeders from the US and Canada here. You can find a lot of welsh groups on facebook, both US and Canadian ones, as well as UK and even like Dutch ones! Some super cute welsh ponies in the Netherlands these days
Ah, ok. Thanks, I might check those out!
They may have a clean slate, in your mind, of things humans have taught them but they got a huge notebook of the things nature has taught them. Our domestically raised horses spook at rustling in the bushes due to an ancient fear its a predator about to spring out at them. Feral horse has seen coyotes and bobcats and humans spring out of bushes in an attempt to change their lives. Even the successful mustang conversions have trouble overcoming the fear or flight reflex since they have been in actual fear creating situations. When put in any kind of stressful situation they are far more likely to revert and tune their handler or rider completely out, which will get you hurt.
IMO, the continued culling of the better individuals and decreasing likelihood of stray ranch mares adding to the gene pool has resulted in a specific type that’s far less suitable as a riding horse. OP, if you want to do some research, look at the Army Remount program that ran up until the 1940’s. In an effort to aid ranchers and breeders in producing horses suitable for the Cavalry to purchase, they made mainly TB and pre QH registry stock type stallions available cheap or free to breed to ranch mares. Very specific requirements for a Cavalry prospect, height enough to carry a trooper but not too big for rough country, most 15-15.3. Dark color, little white to avoid being a bigger target in the field. Conformation predicting future soundness, tough physically, good mind. They also added some light draft studs to produce horses.to pull wagons and artillery. And they wanted geldings, better mares stayed in the breeding program.
It was good money for the ranchers to participate in the program and they produced a lot if them, If you grew up out west right up until the 60s and riode a nicely built grade horse without any flashy color? Good chance it’s parents or grandparents were products of the Remount orogram…,likewise all those plainish bay, full bodied horses you see in old Westerns. IME most of the stories about successful transformation into good using horses are from decades past when the overall mustang population was still influenced by the better, more useful type that used to filter into it. Used to come across those with succcessful mustangs but its been over 25 years since I’ve known any and the last one was nowhere near the type as what I used to see.
Given the size of the ranches and few fences, remount and other quality mares would stray or actually be poached by a feral stud so you had a very useful riding horse type contributing to the gene pool. That also made mustangs more desireable to round up and sell, especially young stock so they were removed from the herd genetics. Leading us to what we see today.
Have a suspicion that with so many intervening centuries since the original Spanish horses went feral and the continual influence of everything from TBs to European rooted cart and work horses? Might not find any Spanish DNA at all in any particular individual. Also IMO, the Oregon program is atypical and the herds influenced by human choices to influence that rapidly diminishing gene pool. Which is good for them but not really feral horses free from human tampering. That’s all hype and the glamor of the old West ( which was not glamorous at all) with a dash of Black Stallion Syndrome.
BLM has been between a rock and a hard pkace charged with protecting grazing lands and managing the overpopulation of unsuitable, unsaleable animals. This is probably the only thing the BLM deserves any credit or sympathy from given its absolutely miserable history managing Native American populations to open ranges to mineral and logging rights.
If anybody wants to adopt something, get a Burro. Most adapt pretty quick, they are quite pragmatic by nature and you’re not going to be training them up for anything other then looking cute and serving as a companion. Keep coyotes and stray dogs away too. There’s some nasty little stinkers out there, they can bite, so be careful. But you’ll probably be more successful with one then some of these horses. Nobody wants the Burros, no glamor, no books and movies being tamed by teenage girls. Your local auctions are usually full of them, nobody cares.
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In the UK Welsh Section As and Bs are common kids ponies. The Sec Ds I’ve met, however, are sharp, spooky creatures. When you get them working with you, they can be brilliant, and lots of them are flashy movers, but they’ve got opinions and can get hysterical about trivial things. While other horses might spend a split second wondering if they ought to spook at something, a Sec D will be gone.
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I try not to question people’s horse tangents as I have been on quite a few of my own. Would you consider an alternative route to your destination? I am all for win win situations, so here is my proposal.
Why wait to get a mustang? All of this planning and waiting when you could be living the mustang lifestyle now. If it is an affordable addition, stop putting the dream off and get one. Would you consider a Craigslist mustang? All training can be improved upon, a mustang that’s going under saddle will still need work. There are always mustangs available in the Tucson, AZ area for about $1500 or less. Usually a lot less, but the nicer ones seem max out at that. Please check them out.
Here is the thing, these Craigslist mustangs need a person like you. Not that many horse people want a mustang, that is just the way it is. The homes that are available to them are usually not the greatest. They end up in crappy pens in back yards with no shelter…you know the story. Mostly because they are so cheap and again, because not that many people want one.
So if you spent a weekend in a place like Tucson, tried all the mustangs you wanted, picked one and had it shipped home, you would save a manure ton of money and really give a needy mustang a winning lotto ticket of a good home. Again, these horses NEED a person like you. Not the feral dream you envisioned? Stay with me…
You and Craigslist mustang enjoy some time together, and you get to learn about a mustang from the horse itself. Yes, with help of an instructor. But a broke Mustang, range caught with a little more education shouldn’t be dismissed for being a good egg, if a riding mustang is what you want ultimately.
Now, as I see it, most horse people have more than less horses, when situations allow for it. If you like the experience with your Craigslist gem, THEN go towards a young feral horse. This way, you have one for reference, you have a trainer already and you have an idea of where you want to go with this mustang thing. Get your dream horse and ride your dream to the sunset, just do it with two mustangs instead of one.
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That sounds like the majority of what I’ve heard from people in the UK. I’d only be potentially interested in a section D, so didn’t ask about As, Bs, or Cs, but the general consensus seemed to be that people either loved or loathed them, but either way, people said “give them an inch, they’ll take a mile”!
I’ve heard the burros can be great herd protectors- but I have to wonder, would a mustang need or want a burro around (in a herd of horses) for protection? Other than that, I can’t see what use I’d have for one.
This is a really interesting idea. It’s kind of funny because in part it mirrors what many people here have suggested to me; to try something a little (or a lot) less feral first, but going ahead and jumping into the experience (as I tend to do with things) has not been a well received idea on this thread, haha.
I might have to hang onto this for later, but unfortunately that’s not possible for me now as I’ve been working and teaching abroad for the past couple years and because of the way the logistics are working out I probably won’t have be able to get back into horses in any form, really, for another couple years.
The “just jump in” approach is generally a bad idea with horses. Most - if not all- of us have seen this train wreck unfolded time and time again where a naive new horse own research gets too much horse for their skill level. It rarely works out well- for the rider or horse. More often then not the rider gets injured/afraid and the horse gets sold down the road with no saleable skills. These can be beautiful, well bred, well handled horses or pity purchases of humble origin. Either way the horse usually ends up the loser.
All of us are on this board because we love horses and want to share ideas with similarly minded individuals. We don’t want to encourage poorly thought out horse ownership that results in a “free to good home” Craigslist ad.
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I think the OP would be fine with a well broke and going Mustang from the Craigslist range when the time comes. These are horses that have done ranch work or have had lots of exposure to trail riding and seem pretty solid. There is a steady stream of them in the Southwest.
If she has a trainer to help her the whole way and knows the potential dangers, then it is not quite a jump off a cliff.
I know everyone here wants the OP to be safe and for the potential horse to be okay, so do I! OP may sound rather youthful and ignorant at times, I think that is okay too. She has a lot to learn, she is here for advice and she is getting it by the truckload. What more can we ask for than to be listened to?
None of us want the OP to start out with a super feral horse for good reason. A person must have the skills and experience to be good at working with feral horses. OP has been given some great resources, she is being well advised. Just please start with a well broke one OP, and work your way through the levels of difficulty if you so choose.
A well broke mustang that is boarded at a respectable trainer’s barn and is in a lesson program sounds like a great start, not a big leap. Good luck to you OP. Learn as much as you can and I hope you have a safe journey.
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I wouldn’t see anything wr ong with anybody buying a mustang that was already broke and appropriate to the riding level of the buyer. It’s not mustang as a breed or type that worries me, its a novice getting an unbroken horse.
I too have seen a number of novices get free unbroken horses and either never get anywhere with them or come to grief or have to dump the horse.
And if you are going to have to pay for training to bring along an unbroken horse then you will end up paying as much or more than if you buy a broke one.
Buying a broke mustang is a fine idea.
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That’s interesting! I think it does depend on the lines.
I’ve owned 2 utterly sensible section D cobs and a D X Arab in Australia. I found the 2 Ds very steady and reliable. The Arab cross was a less so. 
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I think the OP has made it plenty clear that is not an option, that it has to be an untouched, guaranteed feral horse for her to tame, that is the idea she is in love with.
Now, once it has been explained that is not sensible and not fair to the horse without a considerable support system for that to work, that it takes years of experience with broke, nice horses and slowly more difficult ones to get where it is fair and safe to try to “tame” your own feral horses, the right barn with the proper management, help to train the horse, etc., the further answers after that were not very convincing.
The ideation of a horse to tame with magical skills is still dominating what the OP is telling everyone.
The dream has not changed with all the common sense advice given, it has now just been postponed a couple years.
There are many out there with similar dreams, that reality won’t support.
I see those dreams similar to the ones some kid has, that has never flown but a few times in a commercial airplane, of building it’s own airplane and flying happily after.
Makes about as much sense.
Dreams are fine, all of us have them, some just as impractical ones as this one.
The trouble is when we decide to act on some of the more … wild ones, pun intended.
I hope the OP at least has a little more clear idea now, after all the advice and stories, of all the concerns that dream of hers brings to the table.
The most salient one that there is a real horse involved, that has to be respected and, whatever the OP decides to do, that horse’s best interest needs to be considered first, is what true horse people do.
Putting the horse first may require at times our dreams come second, if that means changing them.
Not sure the OP is there yet about her dream of taming a wild horse.
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