Wild horses in the US are technically feral animals, meaning that they were once domesticated and later escaped and adapted to living in a wild state. Martin writes, "Radiocarbon dates on well-preserved horse metapodials (foot bones) from Alaska range from 20,000 to 12,000 years. Mitochondrial DNA analysis has identified these fossils as Equus caballus, the same species at present found in Eurasia and wild in the lower 48 states.” (56) Regardless of whether they are the same species as wild horses or not, mustangs are descendants of horses that were once living in captivity. The fact that these horses were once captive and bred by humans means that they are not genetically the same as original wild horses would be. Although they may be the same species as suggested by Weinstock’’s research, it doesn’t mean that they look exactly like the North American horses. Phenotypes can vary widely within one species, meaning that similar animals may look very different (think of how different humans can be), and the opposite also happens, where animals of different species can be very similar. However, the fact that the horse isn’t exactly the same as the extinct natives really does not matter; The modern domestic horse was released and has proven itself to be capable of reverting back to wild behaviors and surviving in the wild, no small task when you consider how fragile many modern horses are today. It takes a lot of farrier work, special care, and vets to keep many of today’s horses sound; to think of horses that can live wild with no hoof care, no deworming, no vaccinations and feed supplements is amazing.

Mustangs are hardy and tough and can thrive in a harsh environment, assuring that we have a supply of healthy horses. Today so many horses are inbred, refined, and weakened from a natural state; the only place one can get a tough horse any more is from the wild through BLM roundups. Although we no longer live in a society where we need horses to travel, fight wars, or carry burdens, there are still plenty of people who use horses for ranching, trail riding, endurance riding, and sporting. It is nice to know that tough, healthy horses that have withstood the test of nature can be purchased.

Wild horses also give us a unique opportunity to understand horse behavior. We can learn how wild horses intereact with each other and the environment by studying them. Many horse people also enjoy adopting mustangs not only for their hardiness, but so they can learn to work with and train a wild horse. Working with a horse that has never known confinement presents a challenge that will bring a person to better understand the nature of horses.

Mustangs have been the foundation for many popular American breeds. The Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, American Paint, and most other American breeds include some mustang blood. In the central Nevada desert, a herd of strange long, curly-haired horses was discovered by Peter Demele in 1898. Curious, they caught one and broke it, then sold it. In 1932 there was an extremely harsh winter and the ranch horses died. However, the curly-haired mustangs were still running on the range, so they captured a few and began breeding them, founding the modern American Bashkir Curly Horse (Laughlin). No one knows why curly-haired horses are running in the Nevada desert. Some people thought they came with Russian colonists in the 1700‘‘s, or they crossed the Bering strait. No evidence exists for either hypothesis, and their origin remains a mystery.

It’s true that breeders could take and breed mustangs in the wild, but it isn’t the same. Human decisions and emotions begin to take a role in the breeding process, and horses that have tiny flaws that might prevent their survival would be allowed to reproduce. Nature is harsh and takes no pity; just look at the lameness that is prevalent in sport horses today to see what breeding and refinement does to an animal. Even in the early 1900’s, the tough, hardy ranch horses were often no match for their wild cousins.

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