Horses

Mustangs are free-roaming feral horses descended from mostly Spanish stock but also from any other breeds of horse that either escaped captivity or were released.

Despite the fact that every movie and book about the 'Old West', depicts mustangs as a fundamental part of the culture and history of the United States, the horses seen are not native to the continent. The history of horses in North America is fascinating and complicated. The genus equidae seems to have originated in North America fifty million years ago and emigrated out via the land bridge to Asia. Native horses then went extinct around 13,000-8,000 years ago and were not seen on the continent again until they were brought by Europeans. The Native Americans then quickly adopted the animals into their culture and perfected their use.