Comments on: Mustang Heritage Foundation Offers EquiStimulus to the Horse Industry

By: Lynne

Lynne — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:35:54 +0000

As a mustang owner, and all around horse lover, I think this program is a great idea. I have adopted
mustangs WILD from the BLM, and trained from “0”. I have JUST adopted a wild one from a TIP trainer. Not only is this little guy sweet, calm and curious, but he even knows what grain and carrots are!
It seems to this program places mustangs in private homes, first of all, pays trainers to do their craft secondly, AND gets a decent number of mustangs out of feedlots and out the government’s horse welfare system. It’s probably not the end all, do all answer, but I think it’s a great start. And anyone who has never been to an Extreme Mustang Makeover has an eye-opening experience at the first one:30 days training from zero to lightspeed… Mustangs ROCK!

By: r

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:51:35 +0000

thats a good idea.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:10:04 +0000

Sounds like a great idea. Hope that it works well to save alot of the mustangs.

By: Galadriel

Galadriel — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:43:34 +0000

This sounds like a great idea but $700 isn’t much. I suppose it’s more charity on the part of the horse trainer and a chance for some publicity.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:13:04 +0000

This is a great idea, and I love it. But I’m not sure how well it’ll work, practically speaking. Depending on the time of year and where the trainer is, it may cost the trainer around $100 a month to feed the animal, and then $30 or so for hoof trims at least 2x in those 90 days. And what about vaccinations or any other/additional vet care that may be needed? In short, it may cost the trainer close to $400 to care for the horse in those 90 days, so his net pay for the work may be more like $300, not $700.
And even if the MHF eats the $700 a head to pay the trainers, are they really going to be able to sell these horses in a timely manner when mustangs aren’t being adopted at $125 a head as it is, and realistically, most trainers – even good ones – aren’t going to take a horse from untouched and wild to safely started for the average rider in 90 days. A lot of that time is going to be spent getting the horse in good weight, his hooves and teeth done, and getting him used to basic handling (lead, tie, pick up feet, stand for grooming/bathing, etc). Natural horsemanship or not, it’s a daunting task. Do-able for sure, but even those “mustang challenge” trainers will tell you that 90 days DOES NOT a broke horse make. it’s only a start. And in a down economy, people who ARE interested in buying or adopting a horse are more likely to get a proven, well-broke horse.
So while I applaud the Mustang Heritage Foundation for their efforts, I’m not sure how successful this program will be.

By: Meghan Sara

Meghan Sara — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:30:09 +0000

I would love to do this, but there is no way that my Dad would say yes…