They can also become destructive if they are bored, using their lips and teeth to dismantle and demolish whatever they can reach. They are famous for being able to untie themselves when they get tired of standing tied. Mustangs are also naturally curious, and often have very active mouths. It also means you have to be smarter than they are if you want to keep their minds occupied. Constantly drilling a Mustang in a training session will result in a horse that will be less willing to work. While this intelligence means that Mustangs learn fast, it also means they get bored easily. The Mustang knows what intelligence means.” Those who survived were animals of superior intelligence. Some were destroyed in the working out of nature’s survival law. They had to work out their own destiny or be destroyed. ![]() ![]() They didn’t have grooms keeping them out of trouble or trainers showing them what to do. These animals had to shift for themselves for generations. “You can’t beat Mustang intelligence in the entire equine race. Because of this intelligence, Mustangs catch on fast in a training environment.įrank Hopkins, a Mustang expert who lived in the 1800s and was the subject of the film Hidalgo, once wrote of the Mustang: Horses need to learn quickly to survive in a harsh wilderness, and due to natural selection, the smartest horses were those most likely to survive. Mustangs tend to be exceptionally intelligent too, due to their wild ancestry. “Later in the training, once trust is established, I start working them during those hours.” Wild Horse Intelligence “I want them to feel comfortable working with me,” she says. When Scebbi first begins training a new Mustang, she avoids working the horse around sunset. “In the wild, this is the time when predators are out.” “For instance, because of their survival instinct, Mustangs tend to be a little more sensitive at dusk,” says Scebbi. Mustangs are very sensitive to their environment, and can even be more reactive at a certain time of day. Most Mustangs recover swiftly once they realize the threat isn’t real, and will settle down quickly. This can result in spinning and bolting in green horses. They have a higher fight-or-flight response, due to heightened survival instincts.”Īlthough their strong instincts don’t make Mustangs spookier than other horses (in fact, some people find them to be less spooky), they can react strongly in situations when they feel threatened. “The main goal with Mustangs is not to muscle them, but to outsmart them. “Mustangs are truly wonderful horses and are highly intelligent,” says trainer Lisa Scebbi of Diamond Elite Training in Norco, Calif., who teaches dressage to both adopted BLM wild horses and Spanish Mustangs. Domestically bred Mustangs, like the Spanish, Sulphur or Kiger, have been domestically raised, but carry the DNA of ancestors who were wild only a few generations before.Īll this adds up to a horse that sees the world differently than, say, a Quarter Horse or Thoroughbred, whose ancestors lived in close proximity with humans for centuries. In fact, most BLM horses have been wild for generations. BLM Mustangs grew up wild, with little or no human contact. But before you go to a BLM adoption event or buy a Mustang from a breeder, it’s important to know that Mustangs are different from other horses.
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