Most Successful "Adopt A Mustang" Formula

Most Successful “Adopt A Mustang” Formula

PART 1: The problem with the most common options.

There are many ways to go about adopting a mustang. Let’s look at some of them (this isn’t every scenario, just the most common ones).

• Adopt one and try and train them yourself.

• This can work for a lot of people but not most. The likelihood of getting a mustang that requires a very diverse and experienced skill set is very high. This often results in adopters inadvertently teaching the horse bad habits, making costly mistakes and getting thoroughly discouraged. Even skilled mustang trainers may not be able to help at this point. The horse is at high risk of being sold and ending up in a bad situation.These horses often do not get the care they need from lack of being able to be safely handled.

• Adopt a “tip trained” or “gentled” mustang from a trainer.

• This has a higher probability of being successful if the mustang is a fairly easy going horse or the adopter is a skilled horseman AND continues training/working with the horse. Problems with this way are lack of continued support, lack of education, lack of time and skills of the adopter and underestimating the amount of time to work with the horse. These mustangs are not fully domesticated and not working regularly (3-6 days a week) causes reverting to acting wild again plus not progressing. 

• Buying a “trained” mustang from a private seller or “trainer”.

• This falls into the struggle of anyone trying to buy a horse privately. Buyers overestimate their abilities, sellers often are not entirely truthful or overestimate the horse’s training and finding something cheap, sane, sound and not ancient is almost impossible. Even if you have a good budget, finding a mustang trained enough for an average horse owner is tough. There is no money in training mustangs to sell. It is not sustainable for horse trainers. No big shows to train them for and win money, no breeding industry to make money off of, they don’t sell for enough money for a skilled trainer to train them for years (which is what it takes) and not go bankrupt. So most are trained by hobby horse owners with varying degrees of success.

So what is the best way to achieve your dream of helping mustangs and becoming a mustang owner?

Most Successful “Adopt A Mustang” Formula

Part 2: The Answer

Here is the best way we have found or the best “formula” to successful mustang adoption and ownership. It does require commitment, dedication, honesty, accountability, consistency and tenacity among other things. It promises the most transformative, rewarding and meaningful journey that can be had with a horse. 

Step 1: Adopt a mustang with the help of a professional mustang trainer or from a professional mustang trainer who has gentled or trained the mustang. Have the trainer get them trained enough you feel comfortable handling them from the ground. This will take 2mths up to 6mths depending on the mustang. 

Step 2: Take your mustang home and spend the next 6mths to a year working with them. Then loving on them, teach them ground work and saddle prep exercises, have fun with them, take them places all while developing a relationship and partnership with them. The goal is to get them domesticated. Get them to relax, enjoy and like people. With some mustangs this can take even longer. If you don’t know how to do this, it’s a good time to go to clinics, follow an online program and/or get lessons. This will require you to commit to working with your horse 3-6 days a week, consistently.

Step 3: Take your mustang back to the original trainer (if they start mustangs under saddle) or find a good trainer who does colt starting and is experienced and LIKES mustangs. Preference is use the same trainer as before as it will help with not confusing your mustang. If not then find a trainer that aligns with them and the type of training you have done and will continue with when they go home. Have that trainer put another 3+ months of training on them to get them started under saddle (the amount of time will depend on your mustang and how comfortable you are continuing training at home). If you can afford it, the longer the better. Colt starting is a specialty and unless you start a lot of horses or you are a skilled horseman in a dedicated colt start program with support, we highly recommend you send them to someone to do this.

Step 4: Take your mustang home and KEEP RIDING/WORKING with them. Same as step 2, regular consistent sessions. If there are stretches of time you can’t be consistent, send them back to the trainer. These horses can’t sit. They need consistent work for years before they are trained enough to be worked with inconsistently.

We have done this so many times and this is the most successful formula. If you can’t do this formula then we would suggest you do not get a mustang. You do not get a young horse. A domestic, experienced horse may be what you need. This journey isn’t for everyone but those who it is for will experience something magical, rewarding and special.

We at IEH have tried our best to bring people the education and support needed to everyone in steps 2 & 4. We can only help a small number of people in steps 1 & 3. So we developed online courses and coaching to help a larger number of people. There was no help like this when we began our mustang journeys in 2009. We want people to not have to struggle and the mustangs to not have to struggle while people learn the hard way like we did.