THE LIFE OF A MUSTANG
Mustangs are very social creatures. They are never alone. They live in herds, or bands, made up of a single stallion and his mares and foals. There are usually between one and eight mares, although some stallions can collect up to twenty. The colts (young males) and fillies (young females) live in their herds for a few years. Fillies are able to breed between one and two years of age, and colts at two or three. When they reach sexual maturity, the herd stallion kicks them out. That may seem cruel, but it is for their own survival. Breeding with family members would produce geneticly poor offspring, and threaten mustang existance. The fillies are quickly picked up by new herds eager for additional mares. Colts join together to form herds known as bachelor bands. They contain between two and twelve stallions with no herds of their own. These horses have no responsibilities like stallions with their own herds do. These horses graze, doze and play with each other. They also mock fight. This is different from real fighting because neither horse gets hurt. They move slowly and only do gentle nips. Their kicks never actually touch their opponent. These play fights are vital as they teach the stallions skills needed to win mares of their own. Stallions usually spend quite a few years in bachelor bands because they simply cannot compete with the more experienced band stallions.
Springtime is most often mating time, although it can occur any time of year. Mares almost always mate with the herd stallion, but occationally an outside stallion will sneak in to breed with a mare. When the baby is born, the herd stallion may be upset, as he knows which foals are his and which are not. A mare's gestation period is eleven months. When the time comes, she leaves her herd and goes to a quiet, dark place. A baby is usually born at night or just at dawn. Foals are born very developed and are very strong. Within a few hours, the baby can stand and walk around. Soon, he and his mother can join the herd. The foal has no trouble keeping up. At first, the foal is completely reliant on his mother's milk. When he is three or four weeks old, he may begin nibbling on grass and nursing less. At four to six months old, the foal no longer needs milk to thrive, although he may nurse for up to a year.
Although two different herds have been seen grazing or drinking together, different herds do not always get along. Stallions may fight over mates, grazing land, or water. To avoid bloodshed, stallions first try an act called ritual posturing. The two stallions face each other, so close that they breath into each others' nostrils. They toss their heads, paw at the ground, lash out, and neigh; anything to look as intimidating as possible. The one who stands his guard wins. However, if neither horse backs down, the stallions leap into a short, but fierce, battle. The stallions move at lightning speed, screaming, kicking, and biting their opponent. The winner takes as many of the other stallion's mares as he can. If the loser is badly injured, the winner may take all of his mares.
Mustangs do not just wander around. Each herd has its own home range, which is about twenty square miles. However, in the winter their territory may expand. Their territory must include adequate grazing and water resorces, as mustangs drink ten to fifteen gallons of water a day, although sometimes they must go days without any. Mustangs are very hardy, as they live difficult lives. In summer months, mustangs may travel long distances in search of water without trees for shade. In the winter, they have no protection from snowstorms. They must dig into the snow to find frozen clumps of grass to eat, and break ice covering their water holes to drink. They may also eat the snow off the ground if they cannot find water. When a horse spots a pretator, he or she snorts in alarm to the rest of the herd. The mares and their foals gallop away, with the stallion taking the rear. He will stop several times to face his threat and snort a warning. He then turnes and makes sure no one in his herd is lagging behind. Sadly, if a foal is too slow or weak to catch up, the herd must leave the baby behind to protect themselves. Mustangs are threatened by mountain lions, but their most dangerous predators are humans.
Springtime is most often mating time, although it can occur any time of year. Mares almost always mate with the herd stallion, but occationally an outside stallion will sneak in to breed with a mare. When the baby is born, the herd stallion may be upset, as he knows which foals are his and which are not. A mare's gestation period is eleven months. When the time comes, she leaves her herd and goes to a quiet, dark place. A baby is usually born at night or just at dawn. Foals are born very developed and are very strong. Within a few hours, the baby can stand and walk around. Soon, he and his mother can join the herd. The foal has no trouble keeping up. At first, the foal is completely reliant on his mother's milk. When he is three or four weeks old, he may begin nibbling on grass and nursing less. At four to six months old, the foal no longer needs milk to thrive, although he may nurse for up to a year.
Although two different herds have been seen grazing or drinking together, different herds do not always get along. Stallions may fight over mates, grazing land, or water. To avoid bloodshed, stallions first try an act called ritual posturing. The two stallions face each other, so close that they breath into each others' nostrils. They toss their heads, paw at the ground, lash out, and neigh; anything to look as intimidating as possible. The one who stands his guard wins. However, if neither horse backs down, the stallions leap into a short, but fierce, battle. The stallions move at lightning speed, screaming, kicking, and biting their opponent. The winner takes as many of the other stallion's mares as he can. If the loser is badly injured, the winner may take all of his mares.
Mustangs do not just wander around. Each herd has its own home range, which is about twenty square miles. However, in the winter their territory may expand. Their territory must include adequate grazing and water resorces, as mustangs drink ten to fifteen gallons of water a day, although sometimes they must go days without any. Mustangs are very hardy, as they live difficult lives. In summer months, mustangs may travel long distances in search of water without trees for shade. In the winter, they have no protection from snowstorms. They must dig into the snow to find frozen clumps of grass to eat, and break ice covering their water holes to drink. They may also eat the snow off the ground if they cannot find water. When a horse spots a pretator, he or she snorts in alarm to the rest of the herd. The mares and their foals gallop away, with the stallion taking the rear. He will stop several times to face his threat and snort a warning. He then turnes and makes sure no one in his herd is lagging behind. Sadly, if a foal is too slow or weak to catch up, the herd must leave the baby behind to protect themselves. Mustangs are threatened by mountain lions, but their most dangerous predators are humans.