Shangri-la Mustangs

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers introduced horses to the Americas, which is why they are commonly referred to as Spanish Bards, the Spanish Horse.

Over time domestic horses escaped, or due to proverty, their owners simply let them loose. Others, like the cavalry, introduced Thoroughbreds to the wild herds to increase their size, and farmers introduced draft horses for an increase their strength. The interesting fact is that American Indians preferred the breed as is: small, fast and resilent.

Our mustangs come come from Salt Wells Creek and Adobe Town Horse Management Areas near RockSprings, Wyoming. With care we selected each mustang for its unique characteristic:

• Keokuk dominant characteritics is Thoroughbred and Quarterhorse. She tall with a beautiful dark shimmering coat.
• Idaho is definitely Appoloosa, an Indian pony. She is our Alpha mare, but she is extremely loving. We are hoping she's with foal.
• Saratoga is a brillant grey roan, an Indian pony -- a playful, shy lady. We are hoping she's with foal. She loves to be touched all over. Her coat is very soft.
• Wasatch is black as night. The cavalry would have loved her. She's Winona's mother, and is also one of our Alpha mares. Both her an Idaho take turns on being the boss.
• Saratoga is a brillant grey roan, an Indian pony.
• Elu has the neck, mane and build of a Morgan and he's strong as an ox.
• Chenoa is the true Spanish Barb-- petite and fast. She needs someone to dote over her. She is a definite lady.
• Lakota is a brilliant red roan, of the group, she is the only one that has agressive tendencies, but she's still very loving.

As such, each mustang has its own unique, strong personality. One thing they all do have in common is the wonderful characteristic of the mustangs. By survival of the fittest, they have developed strong hooves and legs. In addition, they are known for their endurance. Mustangs also have a strong digestive system. To this day, none have ever shown any signs of stomach stress or colic. Unfortuately, we lost one of our domestic horses too colic. They are also known for their extreme sense of smell and awareness to the surroundings. Mustangs are a hardy, strong breed. One thing that we heard is that they form a special bond with their human companion. If treated with respect, love and kindness, they bond for life. We can attest to this. On the first day, Wasatch was so scared that she almost climbed over rails to escape. She had a baby foal this spring. In three days, we could touch her baby Winona without fear of mother's intervention.

Another neat thing about Mustangs is that they breed selectively. New mares are encouraged to leave their herd around age one to find a new herd, and the boys leave the herd at age three to join bachelor herds or to start up their own herd. Only the strongest stallion start up a new herd. In Wyoming, they have several Horse Management Areas (HMAs) that cover over 1000 miles. Mustangs truly breed for the survival of the fittest, and in Wyoming they have one of the largest HMA areas for the Mustangs to live and grow stronger.

If desired, you register Mustangs. There are many different registries. One site the American Indian Horse Registry. There are also special events for mustangs too. In addition, there are wonderful books on Mustangs. Two that we'd recommend are The American Mustang Guide Book, by Lisa Dines, and of course, Shy Boy by Monty Roberts.

Other good resources are:

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• BLMs Wild Horse Facts and FAQs

We love our mustangs and hope you do too. To become an owner of a mustang takes a special person who desires to learn from and not break the mustang. We also believe their happiness lies in their environment. Thus, we do not believe in stabling mustangs unless its in a pasture environment.

If you're looking for a unique relationship and bond, mustangs are for you.

Jim and Trish Chynoweth
The Shangri-la Ranch,