Horses

Black Beauty is one of the most beloved classics in the world of literature, written by Anna Sewell in 1877. With more than 50 million copies sold, Black Beauty is undoubtedly one of the best-selling books of all time, telling the lesson of animal welfare and treating people kindly, with respect and sympathy. The story is narrated through a first person point of view, from the perspective of the horse Black Beauty. In the book, Black Beauty narrates his experiences, from his young carefree days as a colt, to his hard days spent as a cab horse, to his eventual retirement in the country.

The book perhaps captures the fascinating relationship between man and horse, which goes back for several millennia. The earliest records of man’s domestication of horses can be traced back to some 4000 years ago, in Central Asia. From then on, horses have become an essential part of human society, playing crucial roles in farming and transportation right until the engine first became available to the public. To this day, horses are still held by many cultures in high regard, often seen as a symbol of bravery.

While man has domesticated most horses, many still roam wild and free today. These horses are known as feral horses and are the descendants of horses once tamed but have run free, continuing to do so for many generations. An example of feral horses would be the Mustangs of North America, which are descended from the horses brought to North America some 400 years ago.

The Przewalski's horse is the only ‘pure’ wild horse. It’s a horse whose ancestors were never domesticated. Ironically, the Przewalski's horse is officially extinct in the wild, with the remaining population kept in captivity.

Horses Video

 

Mustangs

Not many people know about the interesting history of mustangs. These wild horses live free in the American west and are descendants of the horses bought by the Spanish to America. In 2002, DreamWorks released a movie called Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, an animated western film that follows the life and adventures of an energetic, young mustang stallion in the Wild West. The movie, directed by Lorna Cook and Kelly Asbury and created by John Fusco, got a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards that year. The movie does not really show the animals talking, but they communicate through facial expressions and sounds. Spirit’s thoughts come out in narrations, voiced by Matt Damon.

Many would consider mustangs as a wild horse. However, since they originated from tamed horses from Spain, this term has been intensely debated over. A better definition and classification for them is feral horse.

During the 1970s, the US congress recognized the mustang as “a living symbol of the pioneer spirit and history of the wild American west. It continues to add to the mixture of different life forms found in the nation and it enriches the lives and heritage of American people”. The mustang herds that run free vary in heritage but are generally traced to the Iberian horses. Most of the mustangs have compact bodies, but very good and strong bone structures. These horses are also very hefty and can survive in many different climates and environments.

The current mustang population and count is protected and managed by the BLM or Bureau of Land Management. These horses usually wonder off to livestock ranches and take food and water there. Many livestock farm owners send these animals off their farms, however some do welcome them.

Mustang Pictures

Mustang Picture

Mustang images

Mustang image

Mustang Video