2026 Ford Mustang

Mustang

The Mustang is a free-roaming horse of the American west that first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated horses, they are properly defined as feral horses. The original mustangs were Colonial Spanish horses, but many other breeds and types of horses contributed to the modern mustang, resulting in varying phenotypes. Mustangs are generally small, but tough and hardy. In the wild, a mustang's lifespan is about 15 to 20 years.

Today, mustangs live free-roaming on public lands in the western United States, though some are also found on the Atlantic coast. The Bureau of Land Management manages the free-roaming mustang and burro population on public lands. In 1971, the United States Congress recognized mustangs as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, which continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people." The free-roaming horse population is managed and protected by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Controversy surrounds the sharing of land and resources by the free-roaming mustangs with the livestock of the ranching industry, and also with the methods with which the federal government manages the wild population numbers. A policy of rounding up excess population and offering these horses for adoption to private owners has been inadequate to address questions of population control, and many animals now live in temporary holding areas. Debate continues regarding the appropriate number of horses, their status and the methods by which they are managed, as well as the lifecycle costs and standards by which the BLM determines excess population.