| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Wild Spanish Mustang

Page history last edited by wikiuser0008 15 years, 3 months ago

 

                                 Wild Spanish Mustang

 

 

You think you know alot about Wild Spanish Mustangs? Think again. If you are a horse-lover like me, you probally know quite a bit about horses, but not Mustangs.

Wild Spanish Mustangs were brought over on ships from the conquistadors in the late 1500's to the early 1600's. By then Spain was already famous for their superior horses. The ship they were on came across a storm which wrecked the ship, leaving the horses to swim to shore themselves.

 

The Wild Spanish Mustang

The Wild Spanish Mustang is this horses common name. It's  

scientific class is Mammal and it's scientific genus is Equus Caballus.

The Wild Spanish Mustangs are Endothermic, which means they are warm-blooded.

 

General Description-    The Wild Spanish Mustang is a meduim sized horse ranging from  13.2 to 15 hands (one hand is equivalant to 4 inches) with an average size of usually 14.2 hands and proportional weight. They are smooth muscled with short backs, rounded rumps and low set tails. Coupling is smooth and overall apperance is of a well balance, smoothly built horse. The girth

is deep, with a well laid back shoulders and fairly pronounced withers. Feet are extremely sound with thick walls, many known typically as

a "mule foot" which resists bruising. Long strided, many are gaited, with a comfortable gait such as the amble, They are remarkablly hardy animals, and tend to be less prone to injury,  particularly of the legs and feet. The horses have fur that cover their body and feet.

                                                                           Horse Profile.doc

( if you click on the link above you can find more facts on horses)

The Wild Spanish Mustang is usually found in the grasslands of Nevada,Wyoming, or anywhere near the Rocky Mountains.  The Mustangs can live anywhere from America to Spain. Wild Spanish Mustangs live in two types of social groups. The first one is called a harrem.  A harrem is  made up of a few mares and their foals which is protected by one domiant male in a territory in which the male rules. The other social group is a band of young males searching for their own harrem. They fight the domiant male and try to steal the mares of that harrem. The name of their young is foal. You can find out more in the video shown below. (In the many searches I did, It varies the answer of where the horses live. Some of the sites I went to it said that they could be extinct in Spain.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wild Spanish Mustang can be found anywhere near the Rocky Mountains. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Spanish Mustangs are pretty low on the food chain. Grass, which is the producer, (any orginism that produces their own food, such as a plant) is eaten by the Wild Spanish Mustang, who is the secondary consumer, who is generally eaten by a Mountain Lion, who is the tertiary (ter- she- arry) consumer. Horses can eat up to five to six pounds of food a day. All horses are Herbavors, which means they only eat vegation such as grass, hay, carrots, etc.

                                   

 

 Wilkd Spanish Mustangs have many forms of commmunication. It ranges anywhere from a whinny to a swish of the tail. Here are some of the things they do.............

  • Any vocal calls can mean a range of things
  • Laying back their ears says "back off"
  • Swishing the tail (or stomping of the feet) says " I'm irratated"
  • Eyes wide says " I'm frightened"
  • Head low and relaxed says " I'm relaxed"
  • Head up with ears up says " I'm listening for danger or etc. "
  • Both ears swiveled towards you says " I'm paying attention to you"
  • Ears forward head low towards you says " Hi friend! "                  

 

As you read, you can tell that most of the kinds of communication are visual signals. Each Mare has a different call for her foal so that the foal knows it's their mother and they recognize that call almost from birth.

Wild Spanish Mustangs are closley related to Donkeys and Zebras. You can see where they relate very easiley.

 

                                                                                          

 

                                         All three of these mammals are ungulates. ( even-toed hoofed mammals)

They have long ears, manes and tails, hoofs and give live birth to their young, who's young are all called foals.

 

          

 

 

                            Adaptations:

 

Wild Spanish Mustangs NEVER live or camp close to a watering hole. The reason is that over the years, many predators have learned that water is crucial to their species ( the predators) and they are not going to be hunted by other animals  so they don't need to seek a shelter for the night to be safe.

It is exactly the oppisite for the horse. They need a shelter for the night otherwise they can fall very easily to the predators who are getting water or are looking for food.  You have to give credit to the predators that hunt the Mustangs, because if the horses didn't have the Mountain Loin or Bobcat, the Wild Spanish Mustangs would get over populated or wouldn't learn how to fight to protect themselves.

                     

 

 

 

                                                                                                   Defense 

The Wild Spanish Mustangs have many forms of defense. As many other prey, the Mustangs have the fight or flight instinct. The fight part of it means that if a horse feels threatened, they will fight against it or it will fight back. In the flight part, a horse will run away from a thing that could or is posing a threat.

 

example #1: A herd of horses see a bobcat on a cliff above them in a narrow valley where they live, and the herd starts running for their lives towards the big meadow where they can stick togather without  getting seperated. ( This example is for the flight part. )

 

example #2: A  wild young mare and her foal are trying to be rounded up by BLM wranglers and one of the wranglers tries to take her foal away. Her instincts will tell her to fight to get the foal back. ( This example is for the fight part )

 

   Horses have many defenses that they can use, but since they are a prey animal, they will flee most of the time. Here are some things they use when they fight..........

 

  • A horse can bite. Horses have mostly molars for chewing grass so biting is rarely used.

 

  • A horse has hooves and really knows how to use them! Horses can kick, buck,lash out,and rear using it's hooves to strike. Its their most common defense they use when fighting.

 

 

 

 Symbiotic Relationships

 

 The Wild Spanish Mustang has many differant symbiotic relationships, but on this website, we are going to talk about a commensalism relationship that the Wild Spanish Mustang has with the Bott flies. The Wild Spanish Mustang is neither harmed nor helped. The Bott flies lay their eggs in the grass in which the horse eats. The horse eats the grass and also ingestes the eggs. The tiny flies hatch inside of the Wild Spanish Mustang and eat the food that the horse eats (grass, hay, carrots, etc.). The Bott fly is passed through the digestive system and goes out the other end.

 

 

 

                                                                                   Exra Info.

 

 

 

Psychological-related vices: 

  • Box walking - usually caused by boredom. Your horse will continuously walk around his stable in circles. Causes damage to ligaments and joints and fatigue. It is almost impossible to stop, the best solution is to 

    turn your horse out as much as possible. If you do have to stable your horse, make sure he has some form of distraction, eg horseball.  Crib-biting - this is where your horse will grasp the edge of an object, eg top of his stable door, with his incisor teeth and gradually gnaw at it. This slowly wears away the teeth, causing problems with grazing.  Crib-biting is usually caused by boredom, but your horse may have copied another horse. This can be avoided by applying unpleasant tasting liquids/pastes to any surface your horse may attempt to crib at.  Cribbing collars can also be used. 

  • Tail rubbing - usually a habit left over from a previous experience of parasites. Parasite control is essential. Results in loss of tail hair and damage to the skin. Tail rubbing can be minimised by using a tail bandage/guard/board. 

  • Weaving - this is almost always caused from boredom, but can be learnt from other horses.  Your horse will shift his weight from one front leg to the other, swaying his head and neck from side to side.  This condition can vary from very mild, seen only at feeding times, or continuously inside the stable, over the stable door and even when turned-out.  This condition is almost impossible to stop, putting strain n joints and tendons and causing abnormal wear to shoes or hooves.  Bars can be put up over the stable door when your horse is stabled.  Avoid stabling your horse for long periods, if your horse has to be stabled, provide a distraction, eg a companion, slow-release feeding, horseball, plenty of exercise, etc. 

  • Windsucking - can be associated with crib-biting.  Your horse will grasp the edge of an object, eg top of his stable door, with his incisor teeth, arch his neck while pulling back and sucking air into the stomach. You will often hear a strange grunting sound too.  Windsucking is usually caused by boredom, copying other horses and an increased frequency of crib-biting is usually seen in grain-fed horses.  Avoid stabling your horse near a horse that already windsucks. Make sure your horse doesn’t get bored and gets regular exercise.  Apply unpleasant tasting liquids/pastes to any surfaces your horse uses to windsuck.  Cribbing collars can also be used. 

  • Wood chewing - usually caused by boredom, lack of exercise or nervousness.  Wood chewing can also be associated with dental problems, parasites or mineral deficiency.  Wood chewing causes abnormal wear of the incisor teeth, causing problems with grazing.  Cover any wooden surfaces with metal or rubber sheeting or apply unpleasant tasting liquids/pastes to wooden surfaces. Electric fencing can be used in the field, on the top rail.

     

Temperament-related vices:

  • Biting - often associated with stallions. Other, normally gentle horses may bite when groomed in a rough manner or when their girth is tightened when exercised.  Also done in self-defense towards other horses or uninvited humans.  Ponies will bite at children if they are being harassed!!  Biting usually stops if the cause is removed.  Using a short-sharp smack on a fleshy part of your horse accompanied by a disapproving NO! as soon as he has tried to bite you will help - eventually your horse will respond to your disapproving NO! and hopefully stop completely. 

  • Bolting - this is when a horse decides to gallop off at speed, totally out of control of the rider, without responding to any commands.  Bolting is very dangerous for both horse and rider.  Check that your horse isn’t suffering from any painful, physical problems. Does the saddle fit properly and is his bit comfortable in his mouth? Bolting can also be a result of lack of schooling or bad experiences.  Avoid riding in large, open spaces - if you do ride out, go with another horse that is quiet and confident.

  • Kicking - stabled horses may learn to destroy doors and partitions by kicking continuously. Padding can be used in stables which may stop some kickers.  Some impatient horses will only kick at feed time. Horses that have previously been badly treated develop kicking as self-defense.  Kicking horses are very dangerous and can be very difficult to handle.  Always be careful around the back end of your horse.  Rearing - usually associated with over-excited horses and ponies - in these cases they only lift their front feet of the ground a short distance when they are keen to move forward.  Other horses will rear when they are trying to get away from or refusing to do something, eg jumping or passing through enclosed areas.  These reasons can usually be overcome by an experienced rider.  Other causes, however, may be physical, ie back pain, old injury or a sore mouth. If your horse has no physical problems, then the tack may be causing the problem. Make sure all the tack fits properly. Horses that rear to a point where they unseat the rider or topple over need to be checked over by an expert. 

 

 

 What is a ‘vice’? 

A vice is a form of abnormal behaviour, usually of a destructive kind, that becomes a habit.  This behaviour is usually seen in horses kept in confined areas for long periods of time. 

 

 

 Sources

 

 

http://www.maccvets.co.uk/fact_sheets/fact_sheets_equine_horse_vices.htm

 

http://www.wildsiderranch.com/

 

 

 Book: Horse Care for Kids

Author: Cherry Hill

Copyright date: 2000

pages used: whole book 

 

 

 

 

 Thanks For Visiting My Website!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (11)

wikiuser0008 said

at 11:03 am on Nov 20, 2008

I love horses!!!! They Rock!!!!!!!!!1

wikiuser0032 said

at 8:24 pm on Nov 21, 2008

This page is totally off the hook!

~The one the only Maggie

wikiuser0032 said

at 8:28 pm on Nov 21, 2008

Hi Anna. Maggie is showing me your website. Good work. I especially enjoyed the video! CUTE foals!!!!

Mom.



wikiuser0008 said

at 3:20 pm on Nov 29, 2008

wicked!!!!

wikiuser0032 said

at 6:28 pm on Nov 29, 2008

Is anyone giving me comments?? My mom my sister and myself have sent me one but noone else!!!!!!!!
Anna

wikiuser0022 said

at 9:07 pm on Nov 29, 2008

wow!!! your site is amazing!! :) it's really colorful and pretty.

annie

wikiuser0012 said

at 11:13 am on Dec 2, 2008

great job!

wikiuser0055 said

at 12:21 pm on Dec 2, 2008

Good job. Your site looks very nice. I don't understand your map though. Could you find one of the world or at least explain it?
Keep up the good work,
Mrs. G

wikiuser0010 said

at 8:20 pm on Dec 3, 2008

Coolio!

NG

wikiuser0010 said

at 8:20 pm on Dec 3, 2008

Coolio!

NG

wikiuser0050 said

at 8:28 pm on Dec 3, 2008

That waz totally AWSOM!
i wish my life waz nothin but green pastures and rainbows!

-Clare

You don't have permission to comment on this page.