|
The Pryor Mountain Mustang is a substrain of Mustang considered to be genetically unique and one of the few strains of horses verified by DNA analysis to be descended from the original Colonial Spanish Horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. They live on the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range located in the Pryor Mountains of Montana and Wyoming in the United States, and are the only Mustang herd remaining in Montana. They are protected by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 (WFRHBA) and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), who has set the optimum herd number at 120 animals. Genetic studies have revealed that the herd exhibits a high degree of genetic diversity and a low degree of inbreeding, and BLM has acknowledged the genetic uniqueness of the herd. Pryor Mountain Mustangs are relatively small horses, exhibit a natural ambling gait, and domesticated Pryor Mountain Mustangs are known for their strength, sure-footedness and stamina. Feral horses are documented as living in the Pryor Mountains by the early 1700s, although they may have been there since the late 1600s. By the late 1800s, thousands of feral horses inhabited the area. In the early 1900s, many of the unbranded horses were rounded up, to allow domesticated livestock to graze the range without competition, and by 1964 there were only around 200 horses left. In 1964, the BLM announced that the horses would be removed altogether, to the outrage of the public. The controversy continued until 1968, when the BLM was legally stopped from removing all of the horses, and the area declared a Wild Horse Refuge. After the 1971 signing of the WFRHBA, the BLM spent the 1980s and 1990s conducting population studies and developing management and adoption policies; during this time, numerous genetic studies were also completed. The BLM management of the herd has included improvements to the range to give the horses additional access to water, and numerous roundups that have resulted in the removal and adoption of hundreds of horses to private individuals, including over 90 horses since 2009. In the most recent roundup, in 2012, 45 horses were removed from the range and adopted through public auction, and additional mares were given contraceptives to slow herd growth. Despite the numerous policy changes during the 2000s, the BLM still faces challenges to its methods, and in 2013 the National Academies of Science released a report that was generally critical of the department's handling of the Mustang populations. The Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range is one of the most accessible areas to view feral horse herds in the United States and tourism to the area has increased in recent years. ==Characteristics== The Pryor Mountain Mustang has a very specific conformation type. The breed generally stands high, with an average of .〔〔Dutson, p. 209〕〔Lynghaug, p. 106〕 The horses weigh on the range, and more if raised in captivity.〔 They exhibit a wide range of solid colors, including bay, black, chestnut, dun, grullo, and blue or red roan.〔〔 Buckskin coloring is rare but does occur, and pinto coloring can be minimally expressed.〔 The dun-colored horses on the range exhibit primitive markings such as dorsal stripes, transverse stripes across the withers, and horizontal "zebra" stripes on the back of the forelegs.〔〔 The Pryor Mountains horse's body is heavy, with strong bones. Manes and tails tend to be long, and the horse's winter coat is very heavy and often curly.〔 The head is convex (sometimes called a "Roman nose) or straight, with wide-set eyes, hooked ears, and a broad forehead that tapers well to the muzzle.〔〔 The front teeth meet evenly, the upper lip is usually longer than the lower, and the nostrils are small and crescent shaped. The neck is medium in length, and most of the animals have only five lumbar vertebrae (an anatomical feature common in primitive horses)—although some have a fifth and sixth vertebrae which are fused. The horse's shoulders are long and sloping, the withers are prominent, and chests are medium to narrow in width.〔 The croup is generally sloped, and tail-set is low.〔〔 The hooves are large and very hard.〔 Some Pryor Mountains Mustangs exhibit a natural ambling gait.〔 They are generally intelligent, strong, and sure-footed, and exhibit great stamina. Like all feral horses, they generally avoid human contact, are distrustful, and are easily spooked. However, once they are familiar with an individual, they can exhibit a strong social bond with that individual. Pryor Mountains horses can be broken and ridden, and trained to do any task a domesticated horse can perform. Trained Pryor Mountains horses have a calm temperament, and are alert on trails.〔 The horses form bands or "harems," in which a single stallion mates and controls a group of about six mares. Another eight to 10 "bachelor" stallions accompany the band at a distance, hoping to win control of it from the stallion or mate with mares.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pryor Mountain Mustang」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|