What are the pros/cons of adopting a Mustang from the BLM?

Pros; theyre smart

have incredible stamina

quick learners

havent been ruined by someone elses training inadequacies

good feet

easy keepers

sure footed

loyal

Cons : theyre smart

have incredible stamina

quick learners (of bad behavior when not handled by an experienced hand)

really good aim with their feet,

arent for the average horse person

have zero handling prior to purchase

can be one person horses which is fine until you need to pull blood for a coggins or have feet trimmed

theyre wonderful horses but as i said they are NOT for the average horse person. they require refined skills, discipline, knowlege and patience. they arent for someone who has only broken in a handful of horses, theyre best when handled by someone who specializes in breaking horses and training "problem" horses.

Cons:

You obviously cannot ride the horse in advance.

You cannot evaluate its personality or learning capabilities.

You have to really be skilled in horsemanship because a mustang takes serious consistent skills and will have a built in herd survival mode that is stronger than the domestic horse raised in a yard.

Pros:

Once you have their mind, you have them for good.

Extraordinarily sturdy and capable of work ethic you can't imagine.

If you have the skills, it is an incredible challenge and a personal accomplishment to be proud of when you can work one.

Here are the best sites:

http://mustangs4us.com/

http://whmentors.org/

(wild horse mentors)

Also go the Mustang Heritage Foundation website and look at where they are holding the Extreme Mustang Makeovers. If one is near you, go. Cheap door fee and a blast to attend. You can adopt a trained mustang with 100 days on it for a few hundred dollars up to several thousand.

Also, unless you are very skilled at colt starting, do not think about one directly out of the BLM lots.

There are seasoned mustang trainers on the MHF website that specialize in them and get a fee for starting one for you. The program is called TIP.

The other way to go is a prison trained horse. Those mustangs are started by inmates and are ready to move to homes. Nevada just had their last auction over last weekend. Those usually sell for a few hundred each.

Pros- you are "rescuing" a horse, mustangs are typically VERY hardy- I have seen them barefoot and surefooted much more then other breeds, they are "cool" with the freeze brand and whatnot.

Cons- you are supporting questionable practices by the BLM, mustangs are typically short and stocky- not showy, they can be more difficult to manage since they are not handled from birth.