Mustang Adoption Process, pt. 3
As someone who has adopted and trained Mustangs for myself and others, I have learned that there exists a myriad of nuances and level of timing that accompanies the process of bringing a Mustang from unhandled to handled. I’d like to share my experiences with others who are interested in the process of adopting Mustangs, as well as what the initial week and month look like after bringing a Mustang home in this three part series.
Driving Home
Feed and water
Non-negotiables
Considerations for your trip
With your new horse(s) loaded, it’s time to get on the road! It is debated if water should be available or not. The issue lies in the safety of hanging buckets like you would for a domestic horse. I’ve taken a large rubber tub that’s in the front corner of the trailer and placed a couple inches of water in the bottom so it will not slosh onto the trailer floor and freeze, we often make the trip in the cold parts of the year, and then place a flake of hay in the water. They may not actively drink the water, but as they munch on the hay, they will get a little bit of moisture.
If you must replenish hay while on the road, do it quick and without fanfare. Nine times out of ten, you’ll be met with a surprised double barrel so it’s not really a time to linger and eyeball your new horse.
I’ve hauled horses (domestic and wild) for thousands of miles across the country, and there are four non-negotiables for every trip.
Have road conditions at your fingertips.
For long trips or ones with unpredictable weather, be sure to download the 511 apps for the states you will be travelling through–for example: search “Wyoming 511” or “Nebraska 511”in your phone’s app store. I’ve found it very helpful to check conditions and traffic cameras ahead of time.
Have a contingency plan if you have a breakdown or need to stop for a nap.
If you experience a delay in travel, how are you going to handle that? There are several service providers that offer roadside assistance, but oftentimes will not touch a trailer if there are animals aboard. With a domestic horse, not really a problem because unloading/loading shouldn’t be a problem. With a wild horse, it becomes a whole different story.
If you are traveling overnight or a lot of miles, you’re bound to get tired–especially if you are the sole driver. There are only so many Red Bulls you can down before the delirium takes hold–it’s OK to stop and take a nap because frankly, the goal is to arrive at your destination in one piece. Big deal if it’s a few hours after your original ETA. Find a (mostly) quiet place to catch some zzzs and get back on the road when you’re feeling better. Rest Areas, truck stops, on ramps and large turnouts on two lane highways are a few of the places I’ve pulled off to nap over the years.
Always have at LEAST twice the hay and water you need for the planned trip.
Having extra will never be a bad decision because if you don’t use it, you can feed the extra at home. Even with perfect weather, traffic can grind to a halt for hours due to accidents a few miles ahead of you. In less than ideal conditions or in case of a breakdown, you can make sure your new and stressed horse is fed to their heart’s content to give you one less thing to worry about.
Stop every 4ish hours to check and give the horses a break from constantly balancing.
Whether you have a camera installed or not in your trailer, horses need regular breaks on long hauls. Usually this coincides with a fuel stop, so start the fuel pump, replenish hay if needed, then find a place to park your rig so you can go inside for a bathroom/stretch/snack/beverage break while your precious cargo gets to rest.
There are many variables when it comes to hauling horses, here’s a list of considerations for both long and short trips.
Length of trip
Miles
Days
Weather and how to adjust windows for temperature and airflow
NEVER close all the windows and vents on a trailer!!! No matter how cold it is.
When travelling, you can tell if a horse is comfortable by doing a visual check.
Cold
Fluffed coat
Shivering
Tight muscles and shortened stance
Hot
Sweaty
Flared nostrils
Lowered head
If you have a slant trailer, you can play with the different combinations of windows and roof vents to achieve the airflow you desire.
If you have a stock trailer, you may have the ability to add in plexiglass slats to reduce the amount of air moving through the trailer.
In a pinch, you could also cut slats out of plywood–IF you’re worried about the cold. HOWEVER–plywood will reduce the amount of light in the trailer, so don’t close more than half of the original slats up.
Over 90 degrees F
Max airflow
Consider adding a pile of ice in the shavings for evaporative cooling
Below 32 degrees F
Front to back airflow with reversed roof vents to exhaust ammonia and stale air
Below 0 degrees F
Front to back airflow with roof vents cracked open in the reverse position to exhaust ammonia and stale air
Road conditions
Rain/Sunshine–no worries
Wind–add time for being slowed down and extra fuel stops
Don’t get blown over and take the warnings seriously!
Snow/Freezing Rain/Melt and Refreeze
4WD or don’t go
If you aren’t comfortable with the prospect of driving on icy or snowy roads AND it’s in the forecast, it’d probably be best to delay your trip.
Where you are in the US
Safety
If you’re in a part of the country where you don’t lock your car doors and leave your wallet in the glovebox, be sure to reconsider your habits when you’re in cities or less “safe” parts of the country.
Parking
Shockingly, not everything is built for a truck and trailer to maneuver through.
Check satellite maps of places you want to get fuel or food, especially!
Maneuverability
Can you back your way out of a bind? Or do you need to find pull through friendly spaces only?
I’ve pivoted trailers around on roads and parking lots because I was desperate for coffee and pastries. Was it smart? Probably not…but it was delicious!
Be aware of your surroundings and driving capabilities!
Layovers
Driver preference for day or night travel
Day
You’ll encounter more traffic, scales will be open and more patrol vehicles will be out
It is less stressful when you’re traveling into unknown country
More convenience stores and bathrooms will be open
Night
Less traffic
Many things and services are closed ‘til morning
Easier on stock because you can travel at a more consistent speed
Cooler weather
Truck stop bathrooms are WAY cleaner in the middle of the night
Number of horses on trailer
Are they in their own box or together in the same space?
If hauling animals in multiple compartments, can you get to each of them to replenish feed?
Unloading
Corral Prep
How to unload
Once you arrive at your destination, make sure that the corral where the horse will live is set up before even contemplating opening the trailer doors. The corral should have a serving of hay, fresh water and a soft place to nap–whether that be a straw, shavings, or sand bed.
When it’s time to off load, make sure that the doors are swung all the way open and remain open–whether they are tied or held by a person who is out of the way.
In my experience, horses tend to hang out on the trailer because that’s been their safe space for the past number of hours. If five minutes pass and they still haven’t hopped off, you can poke a flag into the trailer to encourage the horse to move out of the trailer. The horses are used to being moved with flags, so take your time while guiding them to where they will be staying.
I like to hang out from a distance and see how they settle in–if you’ve got camera’s set up, now’s their time to shine! Generally, once the dust settles, they fall into the rhythm of the horses around them. After finding their food and water, the process of truly settling in and winding down begins.
The First Week
Now what?
Establishing a routine
Now’s the time to get everyone on a basic, routine schedule. If you’re doing the feeding, make sure that you’re feeding at about the same time each day and do everything you’d normally do around the property. There’s no reason to put off harrowing the arena if it’s a reasonable distance from your new horse and they have other resident equine good citizens to model their behavior off of.
I also like to introduce a ration balancer or senior feed, depending on body condition, and alfalfa pellets during this time. At first, I will place the feed and a couple treats in a pan in the roundpen or arena for them to taste and investigate. After they’ve learned that it’s pretty tasty, I will place the pan next to my chair in the roundpen to increase their tolerance for sharing space–as well as make the interaction positive. Alfalfa pellets, or any hay pellets, make for great snacks before/during/after training sessions.
A thought on water–if you have automatic waterers with a cover and it’s not open water, you may want to take the cover off for a couple days so they can adjust. If you are worried about the horse drinking, you can hang a couple buckets or place a tub in their area for a couple days until they adjust. I have placed a small tank for timid horses in a quiet area of the paddock that is filled to the brim (at least 40-50 gallons) and let them drink it dry in addition to an auto waterer that is in a different area of the paddock. In that span of time, it has always been enough for the horse to transition to the auto waterer.
If you have an arena or roundpen–with adequate fencing, you can move that horse to turn out in those areas for a stretch of time daily to let the horse stretch their legs as soon as the next day. It gives them the opportunity to have a change of scenery and get used to spending time in an area where you’ll be training them.
The First Month
Routine
Feed and Care
The first month will be a huge adjustment period for both your new horse and yourself (even if you’ve done this before.) For the horse, there is much to learn and experience daily with regards to their new environment. For the person, no matter how many horses you’ve started up to this point, it’s a time for observation and understanding of the horse because they are an individual with their own unique experiences and tendencies. There’s a lot of opinions on where you should start, but, speaking from my own experiences, you’ll never regret going too slow when getting to know a new to you horse.
In addition to continuing the turnout mentioned in week one, I will place new things in the turnout such as ground poles, tarps, barrels, buckets, yoga balls, etc. so they can build confidence in their environment. Make sure you’ve got a comfy camp chair you can setup and doomscroll or read a book. Curiosity will almost always get the better of horses, and soon enough they’ll wander over to share space with you.
Generally speaking, a balancer and whichever supplements they may need will go a very long way in improving their coat, muscling, and overall body composition over the course of the next six months. Horses who are just off the range within the last eight months are usually “skinny fat,” depending on time of year. They’ve got loads of lean muscle and a layer of fat reserves–one of our mares had a fat cap on her rump, despite looking endurance fit, that eventually dissipated to a body composition of a much less stressed horse.
As for dealing with their “range hair,” my best advice is to get all the matts brushed out with a high quality serum or diluted conditioner or both–stay away from the ever drying baby oil and WD-40, please. Once everything is brushed out, I do an initial chop of 4-6” off their tail (if they have a tail) and use a SoloComb to shorten the mane–you can also use a set of thinning shears to remove length and bulk. I can hear it now–”OMG not their precious mane and tail!!” The hair they carried with them on the range is incredibly dry and damaged, especially the ends. It whips into knots and snarls in what seems like a matter of hours. It’s hair, and it’ll grow. In all reality, it can take up to two years to see a really nice, full tail. Manes take around 8 months to a year to have quality growth and fullness return.
Closing Thoughts
We sure have covered a lot of ground in this three-part series! Mustangs, like any other horse, are sure to teach you a lot–but, the entire experience is on a different level than that of a domestic horse. Mustangs operate on their previous life experiences and wisdom in their new environment, at first. However, once they’re handled, they operate fairly similarly to a green domestic horse.
For me, Mustangs are hard to beat if you’re looking for a solid horse. Great feet and bone. Surefooted. Thinkers. Socially adept with other horses. They travel well because their lives used to revolve around scarcity of food and water–a stall on the road with food and water is a cakewalk for them. The list goes on and on!
Again, please be honest with your skills and abilities before you venture into the world of unhandled, wild horses. There are plenty of trainers that offer gentling services and lesson programs across the US!
As always, if you have any questions or thoughts my inbox is always open!