A Kiger Mustang stallion |
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| Distinguishing features | Some horses are gaited. Every equine color. characteristics: Athletic, strong, agile, good cow sense. |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Breed standards | |
| Kiger Mestino Association | Breed standards |
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
Kiger Mustang is substrain of Mustang horse located in the southeastern part of U.S. state of Oregon. Originally feral horses with specific conformation traits discovered in 1977, the name also applies to their bred-in-captivity progeny.
Discovery was the direct result of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mustang roundups in Beatty's Butte area in Harney County.[1] During the roundup, it was noticed that among those horses collected from the area, there was a group with similar color and markings. DNA testing by the University of Kentucky show close relation to the Spanish horses brought to the Americas in the 17th century. These distinct horses were separated from the other horses and the BLM placed two groups in different areas to preserve the breed. Seven horses were placed in Riddle Mountain and twenty in Kiger.[2]
The Kiger Mustang is considered to have bred true for generations to a certain type. Many of today's Kiger Mustangs can be traced back to a single stallion named Mesteño.
Kiger Mustangs live in the eight herd management areas of the Burns District of Oregon:
Kiger Mustangs are primarily dun in color and have primitive markings, including zebra-like stripes on the upper legs and shoulders as well as a dorsal stripe which runs down the middle of the back into the tail. Typically a dun horse is a shade of muted tan or a light brown-gray with dark brown or black manes. A dun colored horse may have many, but not all, of the primitive markings which include the dorsal stripe, two-toned manes and/or tails, zebra-like stripes on the upper legs and shoulders, dark color around muzzle and ears with dark outlines and lighter interiors. Dun horses are generally identified as simply duns or grullas.[2]
Kiger Mustangs, as a rule, are agile and intelligent, with the stamina and surefootedness seen in many feral horse breeds. Bold and with lots of "heart and bottom" (a term for courage and determination) but gentle as well as calm, they are used for pleasure riding as well as endurance riding, assorted performance competition under saddle, driving, and many other situations where an athletic horse is desired.[2]
The artist's model for the title horse of the animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was a Kiger Mustang named Donner,[3] also known as "Spirit", who lives at the Return to Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary.[4]
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