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[RC] pros and cons of wild horses (was buying on a budget) - Ed Kilpatrick

yes, sandy, you are so right.  mustangs are not for beginners!  but then neither is any untrained horse.  it does take lots of time, patience and work to get a wild horse that has never been handled by human beans ready for trail and endurance riding.  i dont recommend it for just anyone.  one of the pros, though, is you get a horse that is a clean slate, no bad habits, not spoiled by too much human contact/domestication.  i have trained some spoiled rotten horses that were much more trouble than the mustangs i have worked with.
     mary anne, i thought you might find it rather interesting that i have gentled/trained four wild horses and havent torn down any fences, havent destroyed any tack,  havent had any injuries, and get this, NONE OF THEM BUCKED!  thats not to say that the next one wont, but then, in the wrong hands, all of the things you mentioned are quite common with domestic horses too.
as for extra costs,  when you adopt a mustang colt or stallion,  you get a gelding voucher that is redeemable for $50 toward the cost of gelding your animal.
     but again, i heartily agree that wild horses are not for everyone, but if you have good horse sense and the time to work with one, you might be surprised at how well it turns out.      ed