Our Kiger
Mustangs
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It’s been said that no other horse in America is quite like the Kiger
Mustang, found on Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon. Most wild horses are
of mixed influence and characteristics while the Kiger Mustangs possess many
characteristics of the original Spanish Mustang. The Spanish Mustang was a
part of early American history, having roots in Native American history, and
is the horse that helped settle the west. The word mustang was derived
from the word mesteno, which meant " unclaimed sheep" in the Spanish
language and later came to mean "wild" or "unclaimed" horse. Mustang came
about as an English language slang term for mesteno. At one time it
was thought to be extinct on the range. Since the Kiger Mustangs may well be
one of the best remaining examples of the Spanish Mustang, their
preservation is extremely important. Kiger Mustangs have the physical
conformation of both the tarpan and oriental hotblood horses from which the
original Spanish Mustangs came. They have small, round bones, small feet and
very little feather on their legs and fetlocks. Their eyes are wide set and
prominent. These animals also have distinctly hooked ear tips and fine
muzzles.
Mahanna and Hi Ho Silver at the adoption facilities in Oregon!!!
The Kiger Mustangs also look very much like the modern day Spanish
Sorraias. They are indeed a unique breed of wild horse.
The BLM manages two special areas in southeastern Oregon for Kiger
Mustangs. The two areas are located in the Burns District and are know as
the Kiger and Riddle Mountain Herd Management Areas (HMA) managed by
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) near Diamond in southeast Oregon. The
Kiger HMA covers nearly 27,000 acres of rugged high desert country. The
Appropriate Management Level (AML) ranges from 51 to 82 wild horses. A few
miles to the east and north is the Riddle Mountain HMA. It covers
nearly 28,000 acres with an AML of 33 to 56 horses.
Periodically, horses from one herd are transferred to another to maintain
genetic diversity. Quality animals withdun factor coloration and Spanish
mustang characteristics are returned to the HMAs following the roundups to
maintain the core of the breeding herd. There is a high demand for adoption
of Kiger Mustangs for use aspleasure and breeding stock. They are noted for
their intelligence and stamina.
The Kiger Mustang exhibits physical color characteristics know as the
"dun factor" which was also common to many of the horses the Spaniards
reintroduced to North America in the 1600's. Color classifications of the
dun factor are: dun, red dun, grulla (mouse gray), buckskin, and variations
of these colors. Markings on animals with the dun factor include dorsal
stripes; zebra stripes on the knees and hocks; chest, rib and arm bars;
outlined ears; the top one-third of the ear on its backside darker that the
body color; fawn coloring on the inside of the ears; bi-colored mane and
tail; face masks and cobwebbing on the face. Kiger horses are typically 13
to 15 hands and weigh 750 to 1,000 pounds.
This site was last updated
06/21/10