Horse Breed | 台北市立動物園資訊網

HorseBreed:Mustang...Breedorigin:America'swildhorse,themustang,isnotinfactnativetoAmerica.WhenSpanishexplorersbroughtthebreed'sancestorsto ...

Name of breed: Mustang

Origin: United States of America

Breed origin: America’s wild horse, the mustang, is not in fact native to America. When Spanish explorers brought the breed’s ancestors to the New World in the 16th century, horses had been extinct in North America for almost 10,000 years. These Spanish or Iberian horses that colonised the Americas carried a huge variety of bloodlines including those of the Andalusian[1], the Barb[2] and the Arabian[3]. However, they were all of a similar type: strong, tough, intelligent and brave, able to survive on scant pastures and travel long distances without tiring. These characteristics also allowed them to thrive in the wild, whether they had strayed too far from home or were deliberately released. The Spanish released about 10,000 horses into the wild, hoping to deter Native Americans from stealing their domesticated...