I first came to know the American mustang in the late 1940s. I worked with many of them both out in the open country of central Nevada and in the pens on the rodeo grounds of Salinas, California. I have as much respect for the mustang as any other breed I have worked with around the world. Having said that, it should be noted that I have worked intensely with Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Arabians, German Warmbloods, Irish Drafts, Friesians and several other heavy breeds as well.

The American mustang has certainly become a diversified genetic entity. They are tough, highly intelligent horses with physical attributes superior to most of our domestic breeds in many ways. I believe that the American mustang should be preserved as a national treasure. Their numbers should be watched over to allow them to live along with other species, utilizing the range lands where they currently exist. I see no better way to see to their best interest than through the utilization of the BLM as an administrative agency for the further protection of America's wild mustang herds.

Mustangs and the BLM

I do not feel that the Bureau of Land Management has always been right in every decision they have made. Nor have they been totally wrong in their decisions. Those of us outside of the BLM have created many small groups with ideas and agendas that are certainly well-meaning, but have possibly also served to add to the problems rather than lessen them. I am a realist and I hope that I can utilize common sense when assessing the needs of the mustang.

We are asking the BLM to accomplish so many different tasks that it is mind boggling. There are those that believe that they should only preserve the pastures for indigenous wild animals, while others would demand that only cattle should be allowed to graze the federal properties. There are those who would kill all the mustangs while there are those who would encourage them to roam free without controlling numbers at all.

It seems to me that if special interest groups outside the BLM could get together with a goal to create common sense solutions, both humans and animal would benefit. If these amalgamated groups could come to the BLM with practical recommendations, I feel confident that this government agency would be receptive and cooperative. It is my belief that the BLM employs many people who are well-meaning, who take pride in their work, and who are eager to find ways to improve the lives of all the animals that exist under their jurisdiction.

That being said, I believe the mustang adoption program administered by the BLM needs help. The BLM knows it and I believe each of the well-intending organizations interested in the mustangs know it, too. I want very much to help this program in the near future.

Mustangs and My Demonstrations

I believe that the mustang is a highly trainable animal that can serve many purposes within today's horse industry. There is no question that they can be trained to become trustworthy partners for horse people, providing years of service, entertainment and companionship. However, I am just as strong in my belief that, if poorly treated, they can become dangerous and destructive. Wild mustangs should never be taken for granted by ill-prepared people who do not understand the level of competence necessary for dealing with a wild animal. I believe that equus in general is an often-misunderstood species and is, sadly, treated by many human beings in an unfair manner. When you add the aspects of non-domestic and wild to this scenario, the level of misunderstanding seems to increase significantly.

I am often asked why I don't include mustangs in my demonstration events as I travel across North America. The explanation is simple and includes several dimensions. When I arrive in any given city it is my intention to give my audience the best possible demonstration I can. In this quest, it is important to me to utilize horses with the widest possible base of interest among the demonstration attendees. A Morgan horse in Miami might muster the interest of two percent of my audience, while a Warmblood/Thoroughbred cross might peak the interest of seventy to eighty percent of those in attendance, as jumping is so popular there. An American Saddlebred in Amarillo may pique the interest of four percent of the crowd, while a Quarter Horse may touch ninety-five percent of audience members who are vitally interested in that segment of equus. As soon as I bring a mustang into the round pen, I risk eliminating the specific interest of a high percentage of my audience, though many are just eager to learn more about my techniques.

My demonstration format consists of a two and a half hour event in a building that is usually filled to capacity with men, women and children from all walks of life, and many of whom have no connection to the horse world at all. At each event there are folding chairs placed just outside the pen itself, chairs that are occupied invariably by children as well as adults. The logistics of handling a mustang in this environment would obviously be challenging from the standpoint of safety. Quick movements just outside the pen could prove dangerous for both horse and handler, and a large audience in close proximity will invariably prove to be very distracting for the animal. These factors, along with the event center lights, shadows, sounds and smells, would most certainly be viewed by wild mustangs as unusually frightening and invasive.

By far the most important factor regarding the use of mustangs at my events is time. Thus far, I have not been inclined to fit full-day clinics into my busy demonstration schedule. I feel it is important to give the people who attend my events at least four horses by which to judge my work. We schedule a thirty minute intermission between the two horses which ensures the comfort of my audience, but other than that, all of the time we allot is spent working with horses. When I work with mustangs, it is quite normal for me to handle them continuously for a period of two to three hours. Sitting quietly as I work with a single horse for this extended length of time seems to be an excessive request of those who attend my demonstrations. I believe that to attempt to condense my work with mustangs would be unfair to the horses themselves and would neither produce the desired effect on the horse, nor would it satisfy my demonstration viewers.

In the near future I would love to include daytime outdoor extended clinics that explain and demonstrate the art of dealing with wild horses. In the past I have started many mustangs in portable round pens at various adoption events and have enjoyed good results. I have also started many mustangs on Flag Is Up Farms and I find these experiences to be some of the most enjoyable of my career. It is my opinion that three days set aside to give a mustang clinic would be interesting, enjoyable and informative, both for me and for my attendees. In this setting, attendees specifically interested in mustangs would, in my opinion, find the activity riveting. This format would allow us to set up proper working pens, round pens and other facilities appropriate to the safety and well-being of wild horses. I hope to be able to announce a date for one of these gatherings in the next few months.

Mustangs as a Breed

I feel it is appropriate for me to outline the attributes that I find admirable in the American mustang. Earlier I alluded to the intelligence of the mustang and I believe that it is fair to say that horses raised outside the confines of domesticity are imprinted in nature so as to sharpen their wits and hone their cerebral processes to a degree seldom seen in the domesticated horse. It should be noted that "survival of the fittest" is responsible for weeding out a high percentage of the herd's slow thinkers at an early age. The bright young survivors are then further educated by a sociological order within the family group that constitutes an equine university.

The wild horse must deal with the realities of life, which include being attacked by cougars, coyotes, and often suffering as the recipient of stray or well-aimed gunfire, with the lead remaining buried in some muscle for the rest of its life. The mustang's experience of growing up in this harsh and sometimes unforgiving world ensures that the horse will either learn quickly or he will perish.

Mustangs miss nothing. They will notice the slightest movement within a quarter of a mile, changes in their surroundings so subtle that the domestic horse would pass them by without a notice. Their keen wits and attention to detail can be an incredible attribute or a dangerous characteristic, depending upon your level of competency. Recently I was on a mountain top in central California with four horses and three other men. We were sitting down waiting for the ranch owner to arrive when one of the horses suddenly lifted his head, shifted his legs and stood with his attention directed at something off in a distance. It just so happens that this horse was a trained mustang working cattle on a local ranch. He stood frozen while the other horses rested a hind leg, drooped their lower lips and relaxed their ears 'til they pointed sideways. The other three men didn't seem to notice anything, but I worked on trying to focus on the spot he seemed to be pointing out. After three of four minutes I spotted three cows that had appeared from a draw and were grazing down a hillside at least a mile away. It seems to me we could have spent the rest of the day there and the non-mustangs might never have noticed them. Mustang intelligence, when properly nurtured, can be a phenomenal ally if his human companion will only take notice of the acuity of his language and his signals.

The wild horse, by its very nature, has developed a strength of physiological make-up that tends to help them overcome illness and injury to a degree far superior to the domestic horse. Most of them are as tough as nails and have to be in order to survive on the range.

The endurance capabilities of the American mustang are legendary. Not only can they go all day for you, but they can go day after day for you. Not only will they go the extra mile but they will do it with a generosity seldom seen in the domestic horse.

One could not list the attributes of the American mustang without making special note of their feet. While environmental factors are largely responsible for a thick hoof wall and an extremely tough sole structure, the genetics of the American mustang carry the Spanish influence of the Barb and other north African breeds who possess hoof conformation of the highest caliber.