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[RC] Buying on a budget - Liz Masters

As Ed has mentioned the BLM Mustang adoption program I will bring up my personal experience with the program.

I am the PROUD owner of 8 wild mustangs. I have adopted all of them at the age of 1 yr or younger because I had the time to wait for them to mature.

Cost of building a fence big enough to keep the equine in: in TX it has = 
to be 6ft tall and a certain minimum sq footage<---   That alone will =
buy you an already trained horse>

I already keep my horses in either a pasture environment or in pipe corrals. I don't recommend putting a mustang in a pasture until they are tame but most people in the horse business already have corrals. The 6ft requirement is for any wild horse over the age of 1 yr. Under the age of 1 yr and a 5ft corral is fine.

Cost to get there, ie how far away is the 'auction'-then bidding process

Here in S. CA there are adoptions a couple of times per year. I personally went to N. CA to adopt 2 mustangs from a particular herd that I really wanted. The others are from local adoptions. Not ALL adoptions are a bid process and if you happen to live close to a holding facility the adoption is a flat $125.

Injuries during the gentling process-time off work, doctor bills, etc

This stmt is funny becuase I have been hurt MUCH worse by "domestic" horses than ANY wild mustang I have ever tamed or started under saddle. And I've been dealing with mustangs for almost 15 yrs and have trained horses for over 20 yrs.

Gelding the colts/stallion-this is upwards of $125 plus the care = 
afterwards--my guess hosing off a somewhat wild colt would be another =
interesting challenge.

ALOT of horses over the age of 1 have already been gelded during the BLM process now adays because too many adopters wanted to breed to their wild stallion. Most colts under the age of 1 are not gelded and it is the adopters responsibility. HMMMMM I bought a yearling Arabian colt from a breeder and I paid the "gelding" price and it was my responsibility to have him gelded. So either way I chose to accept the cost myself. Hosing my mustangs off after gelding them and lunging them really hasn't been a big issue. No more than the first time my Arab had a bath.

Broken tack-best to use the old stuff but still something to consider.

Once again never has been an issue. Once they are really tame they are really no different than a domestic horse - just a whole lot smarter.

Broken fences, disruption to other horses you may have.

They are more social, have not destroyed any of my fencing, learned what hot wire was VERY quickly and I use them to calm the more hyper horses I have.

NOPE, they are not the horses for everyone. In the very beginning they require alot of time - more than most people want to give. BUT once they trust you they will do ANYTHING for you and become VERY affectionate. I have people that come to my ranch all the time. They always seem to be drawn to my mustangs. Most of the time nobody knows they are mustangs. My mustangs just demand all of the attention. Each one wants to be in your pocket and stand at the fence waiting for the attention. My Arabians and Akhal-Teke's really could care less about you unless of course you have food.

I have a boarder that has NEVER owned, ridden or handled a horse before in his life. He decided to adopt a yearling wild mustang. A BIG colt, standing almost 15 hands at a year old. Well, he was really terrified of this colt. But after 7 months, this colt ties, leads (including leading over logs, hay bales etc) loads in the trailer, goes for walks around the neighborhood, has had his feet done and had a bath. Owner loves him, nobody has been hurt, and this colt thinks he is a dog.

Liz Masters
Silent Knight Farms
Mustangs, Arabians and Akhal-Tekes

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