Birds of a feather, my Mustangs all hang together…

What is up with that?

That’s like saying a certain breed of dog will only hang out with their same kind.

When you go to a dog park, not all the Labs congregate with each other.  It isn’t as if Poodles only hang with Poodles or Rotties only hang with Rotties.  If so, how would we have so many mutts?!

And cats… It is a Photo Op when two cats of the same type actually sit close to each other…

So why is it, with all the other horses here, that my Mustangs have found each other and cliqued.

THE ‘STANG GANG

I have three Mustangs here (Remi, Sam and Rojo).  They all grew up wild in different parts of the West.  Each was caught under different circumstances.  All were adopted by me at different times and when they came here, lived in different pastures.

But, they found each other.

Somehow, through the various pasture hootinannys and paddock swaps, they met and bonded.

Did they talk about their pasts and realize that they were the only horses that understood the way of the wild?  Did they diss the ‘domestic’ horses?  Were the other horses too shallow or maybe ‘had it too good’ and the ‘Stang Gang simply couldn’t find any common ground?

Whatever the reason, these three are tight like glue.

THEIR ROLES

Rojo came from the Nevada Range and was trained at 4yrs by the Prisoners in Carson City.  Rojo is the newest horse to the ranch.  He’s been here since October of 2012, but already he is the KING.  Rojo is superior.  He knows he is superior.  He doesn’t need to fight about it… it is simply fact.  Rojo is KING of the Ranch and also King of his harem (Remi and Sam – and sometimes Gwen).

Remi came here in 2009 from a kill lot in Washington.  She was caught in Oregon and spent her earlier years on a ranch before they dumped her at the meat lot.  They say they rode her but I doubt it…   Anyway, Remi is the communicator.  She asks me for whatever the wild bunch might need: Food (bang the gate), Water (turn over and spill the trough), Help (bellow loudly and scream), Attention to some issue (stand at attention and stare at me and then point to the problem with nose)… Whatever is needed, Remi is the great communicator.

Sam was caught in Nevada – wild as an estray – and was sent directly to a feedlot in Fallon, Nevada.  She was 11 months pregnant, terrified and absolutely untouchable.  I rescued her, sight unseen, and she made it here just in time to have her foal two weeks later.  That was 2008.  Sam is the quiet enforcer.  She is always polite, she always follows the rules.  But, if anyone gets out of line, she is the muscle – even though she is the smallest, she is the toughest.

Rojo is red, stocky and small.  Remi is a beautiful (huge) bay paint on the skinny side with a black mane and tail.  Sam is an 11 point Dun.  Tiny and petite.  All three are completely different.  Yet, they are inseparable.

Why these three?

Their only commonality is that they once lived wild…

THEY ONCE LIVED WILD – NO DOMESTIC HORSES COULD POSSIBLY RELATE TO THEM

When I think about it, all my other horses must seem like complete idiots to the Mustangs.  My domestics have never had to forage for food, they don’t know about real danger and they cannot organize.

Gwen is spoiled and has too much of a temper (although she is rather clever and Rojo has a soft spot for her).  Slick (Shetland) has too much bravado and fight.  Dodger (Shetland) probably has the most stories having been a kiddie circle pony, but he’s too emotionally damaged.  Mama Tess is too haughty, Norma the donkey is too fussy.  Finn is too goofy.  Beautiful Girl is too sensitive and Wrigley is too… well… Wrigley.  They are all just too… much.

So, I must surmise… If you’ve grown up wild, there is no relating to the regular folk.