Mustang

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Horse Breeds

A mustang is a small, hardy, free-roaming horse of the North American west, descended primarily from horses brought to the Americans by the Spanish conquistadors. Because of the image of the wild horse of the west as possessing hardiness, grace, speed, and independence, the name "Mustang" is popular for high-performance products and for sports mascots.

Mustangs are often referred to as "wild horses" in the press and in daily usage. However, because all "wild" free-roaming horses in America descended from horses that were originally domesticated, the proper term is feral horses. Today, the only true wild horse is the Przewalski's Horse, native to Asia.

However, horses once were native to the North American continent prior to the arrival of humans. That population died off at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 10,000 years ago, possibly due to either climate change or the impact of newly-arrived human hunters. Therefore, horses were extinct in North America until the arrival of the Conquistadors in the late 1400s and early 1500s.

The English word mustang comes from the Mexican Spanish word mestengo, which was derived from from the Spanish mesteņo, meaning cattle raised under the extensive system of the Mesta and strayed.

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