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Mustang shopping anyone?

Oh no. This is exactly what Mr. Kooky was worried about. :laughing:

Colorado is not too far from here, and he NEEDS a mountain/hunt horse. Well, a “prospect” anyways.

Going to have to really work on my sales pitch.

A good friend of his caught an 8 year old stallion on his ranch and had him gentled and under saddle pretty quick. He now does everything with that horse and speaks very highly of him. Need one like that.

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Not going to lie, I’m tempted by a Mustang, but I board so idk if I’d meet their adoption criteria, or whatever.

I’m especially interested in those with Spanish influence.

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One thing regarding the videos, as respect to training type of personality, is…and this is just in my limited (9) experience…
The horses that freeze… that stop a) are geldings. (lol, in greenmounts, geldings stop/mares back up -so sayeth my coach :wink: ) and b) are the ones most concerned about the human-ness of their environment.
My horses that charged around in their videos are more confident and, the worst of them…those that had a wild and wooly video have proven to be the most affectionate and quickest to trust/bond.

I am now much more drawn to the horses who display themselves in their videos. Because i get to see them move and my idea that they’re more confident.

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What happens to the old guys?

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The requirement is a 6 foot fenced area of a certain size, with a shelter (5 ft for yearling and under, IIRC). Then you need to show after a year that you’ve kept the horse fed and cared for and you can apply for title. You don’t have to own the property the horse lives on. The challenge is more finding a boarding stable that will accommodate the requirements and be OK with bringing in a mustang.

There are options to buy a Mustang Makeover horse, or one that’s been gentled through 4-H program or similar, which could be easier for a boarding situation.

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I like this one.
8835: https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/21268835

and I would adopt a few of the older guys to be pasture buddies.

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BLM has contracted Long Term Holding ranges where they place unwanted mustangs. Private individuals with lots of range land provide water, hay when needed and basically that’s it. Horses not sold end up in one of those…(or so they say)
Younger horses (under 10 i think) are offered for adoption only three times. Fourth offering for under 10 and First offering for over 10s become Sale Authority (less restrictions and the moment you pick them up you receive title on them…you OWN them. I have five like this…

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Out of curiosity, what are you seeing that looks weird about their hind ends? Maybe i’m just used to handling a multitude of horse breeds…? Or maybe i’m just not seeing it. I would like to though! Would you be able you show me what you mean?

I’m not sure if I’m seeing the same thing as other folks, but it seems like SI placement is a little farther behind the hip than I’d like (8465) and stifle placement is a touch high for a jumping horse (I know, we’re supposed to be talkin’ dressage!)

That being said, 8468 is my favorite and he looks chill/curious in his video.

I looked at the yearlings because that’s what I would want I think.

I liked 8773–mostly his head and neck. Seemed decently balanced and fairly quiet.
9014–pretty coloring and looked spunky. Maybe a bit long.

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Ooh. Nice and only a yearling (8835)

Susan

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@NaturalSelection is right. It’s more about the connection of the back to the croup. He has a really steep hip, too, which will affect the degree that the horse can tilt the pelvis and come through the back. I would like his pelvis to rotate forward, which would make his point of hip come forward and his loin shorter. He’s also straight through the stifle and hock. He’s also very tucked up in the waist. His hind end and his shoulder don’t match.

When you look at enough horses in your preferred sport (dressage horses for me), you learn what will give you the easiest ride. This is a horse that I look at and think would have a hard time maintaining a true lift in the back and his hind legs would be permanently stuck out behind him.

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fwiw: Good Discussion! I’ve narrowed it down to the following. Please pick them apart for me…

https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/17026409
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/06268515
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/03268459
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/19268403
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/14268405
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/18268410
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/15375995(what a face :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:)
https://wildhorsesonline.blm.gov/animals/16376845 (transposed my in my orig post and called him ‘8465’)

I like the last three. Question: Why did you pick a couple of older geldings? Having spent years hearing that mustangs were just trash, I am pleasantly surprised how nice they are with some feed and handling. Hardly trashy at all.

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I don’t think I would kick any of them off my place.
I like 6409, 8403 and 8410. They have better neck placement and less under neck. They all move quite nicely with what you can see. I wish my mare had that active a hind leg.

Susan

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Older ones? Oh, i just liked them, thought that if they’re not interested in being trained, they would still look lovely gracing our hills. We have a few hundred acres, so plenty of room for ‘extra’ unrideable horses. I happen to have several adopted ones from humane society that aren’t rideable, and i have four older mustangs here already that are living the rest of their life in (relative) freedom. BLM has allotted 4 older horses every six months to here, so why not give them a nice home and ask nothing except they enjoy their life?

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While I have not done the mustang thing myself, one of my trainer friends back in SoCal did the extreme mustang makeover a few times, and my good friend out here trained one herself (she was 72 when she got him!) and is currently showing first level on him. I’ve also trail ridden through much of Arizona with her and that pinto mustang. So while I’m familiar with them, in general, I certainly am not the expert you are, @eightpondfarm. But how can I resist window shopping with mustangs?

I hope I don’t offend you with my comments. But if I were hanging around the pens with you, looking at each of these, here’s what I’d say:

The first horse, 6409, may have something kinda funky with the right hind leg. It seems to bow out through the hock then be very base narrow at the bottom. Or I could be blind.

8515, the bay with two hind socks, is (in my opinion) a good looking, handsome horse. I know he’s older but I can only imagine what he’d look like with your care. Are you sure some cowboy didn’t lose his roping horse out there a decade ago?

8459, the gray, doesn’t do anything for me. Again, just my opinion, but he seems to have a quick, short, choppy stride.

I really like the little black horse, 8403. He was brave and curious enough to step into the light. And he’s a light, athletic mover.

8405, the liver chestnut, is attractive, but notice how his neck connects to his body and how muscled it is on the underside. That could be something you’ll forever deal with under saddle.

8410, the red roan, seems to be athletic. I like how he uses his body and kind of snakes his neck around. Plus, he’s a roan. (I seem to collect them).

5995, the little brown one with the sweet face has a very soft, kind eye. He seems to have a slow approach to life, although I realize that may be deceiving! While his back is on the shorter side, I like the way he carries himself.

The last one, the bay 6845, looks like what I imagine as the typical plain bay mustang. Nothing glamorous, nothing grotesquely wrong. Just a blank slate. And that can be a good thing, right?

Whichever ones you choose will enjoy a wonderful life with you. They are very fortunate.

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OH! you sure are right! I went full screen, slowed it down alll the way, and i see it. Thank YOU! Too bad, i love his body.

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Great answer re the older ones. Have fun with the ones you wind up with.

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I like 4150!

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