Mustangs, rugged free-roaming feral horses of the rich grasslands of the North American West, are thought to have descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. The first Mustangs were possibly brought to Mexico and Florida and were of Andalusian, Arabian and Barb ancestry. Some of these horses escaped or were stolen by Native Americans, and they spread rapidly through Western North America.
Native Americans quickly adopted these horses as a primary means of transportation, improving success in battles, trade and bison hunts. During the 1800’s horses from explorers, traders and settlers escaped or were purposely released and joined with the gene pool of the sturdy Spanish-descended herds.
The English word “mustangâ€