Mustang vs. Horse — What's the Difference?

A free-roaming horse of the American West, known for its wild heritage.

A large domesticated hoofed mammal used for riding, racing, and to carry and pull loads.

Specifically refers to Mustangs that have never been domesticated.

A large, strong breed used for heavy work, such as plowing and hauling.

A female Mustang.

A breed known for its speed and racing capabilities.

A Mustang that has been captured and tamed for private ownership.

Historically, a horse used in warfare, known for its bravery and strength.

A Mustang that is under the management of the BLM.

A small horse breed known for its strength relative to size.

The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they are actually feral horses.

The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a domesticated one-toed hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus.

An American feral horse which is typically small and lightly built.

A large plant-eating domesticated mammal with solid hoofs and a flowing mane and tail, used for riding, racing, and to carry and pull loads.

A small, hardy wild horse of the North American plains, descended from horses brought to America by Spanish explorers and European settlers.

A frame or structure on which something is mounted or supported, especially a sawhorse.

A small, hardy, naturalized (feral) horse of the North American west.

A unit of horsepower

A merchant marine who joined the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer during the American Civil War.

Heroin.

A commissioned officer who started military service as an enlisted person.

An obstruction in a vein.

(US) To hunt mustangs wild horses, either for military use or for slaughter as pet food.

Provide (a person or vehicle) with a horse or horses

The half-wild horse of the plains in Mexico, California, etc. It is small, hardy, and easily sustained.

A large hoofed mammal (Equus caballus) having a short coat, a long mane, and a long tail, domesticated since ancient times and used for riding and for drawing or carrying loads.

Small hardy range horse of the western plains descended from horses brought by the Spanish

An adult male horse; a stallion.

Any of various equine mammals, such as the wild Asian species Przewalski's horse or certain extinct forms related ancestrally to the modern horse.

A frame or device, usually with four legs, used for supporting or holding.

(Sports) A vaulting horse.

(Slang) Heroin.

Often horses Horsepower

Mounted soldiers; cavalry

A block of rock interrupting a vein and containing no minerals.

A large block of displaced rock that is caught along a fault.

To provide with a horse.

To haul or hoist energetically

To be in heat. Used of a mare.

Of or relating to a horse

Mounted on horses

Drawn or operated by a horse.

Larger or cruder than others in the same category

A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.

Any member of the species Equus ferus, including the Przewalski's horse and the extinct Equus ferus ferus.

(zoology) Any current or extinct animal of the family Equidae, including zebras and asses.

Cavalry soldiers (sometimes capitalized when referring to an official category).

A component of certain games.

(slang) A large and sturdy person.

(historical) A timber frame shaped like a horse, which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.

Equipment with legs.

In gymnastics, a piece of equipment with a body on two or four legs, approximately four feet high, sometimes (pommel horse) with two handles on top.

A frame with legs, used to support something.

(nautical) Type of equipment.

A rope stretching along a yard, upon which men stand when reefing or furling the sails; footrope.

A breastband for a leadsman.

An iron bar for a sheet traveller to slide upon.

A jackstay.

(mining) A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse (said of a vein) is to divide into branches for a distance.

(US) An informal variant of basketball in which players match shots made by their opponent(s), each miss adding a letter to the word "horse", with 5 misses spelling the whole word and eliminating a player, until only the winner is left. Also HORSE, H-O-R-S-E or H.O.R.S.E. (see H-O-R-S-E).

(uncountable) The flesh of a horse as an item of cuisine.

(prison slang) A prison guard who smuggles contraband in or out for prisoners.

A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination.

Horseplay; tomfoolery.

(slang) Heroin drug.

(intransitive) To frolic, to act mischievously. (Usually followed by "around".)

(transitive) To play mischievous pranks on.

(transitive) To provide with a horse; supply horses for.

(obsolete) To get on horseback.

To sit astride of; to bestride.

(of a male horse) To copulate with (a mare).

To take or carry on the back.

To place (someone) on the back of another person, or on a wooden horse, chair, etc., to be flogged or punished.

(by extension) To flog.

(transitive) To pull, haul, or move (something) with great effort, like a horse would.

(informal) To cram (food) quickly, indiscriminately or in great volume.

To urge at work tyrannically.

To charge for work before it is finished.

A hoofed quadruped of the genus Equus; especially, the domestic horse (Equus caballus), which was domesticated in Egypt and Asia at a very early period. It has six broad molars, on each side of each jaw, with six incisors, and two canine teeth, both above and below. The mares usually have the canine teeth rudimentary or wanting. The horse differs from the true asses, in having a long, flowing mane, and the tail bushy to the base. Unlike the asses it has callosities, or chestnuts, on all its legs. The horse excels in strength, speed, docility, courage, and nobleness of character, and is used for drawing, carrying, bearing a rider, and like purposes.

The male of the genus Equus, in distinction from the female or male; usually, a castrated male.

Mounted soldiery; cavalry; - used without the plural termination; as, a regiment of horse; - distinguished from foot.

A frame with legs, used to support something; as, a clotheshorse, a sawhorse, etc.

A frame of timber, shaped like a horse, on which soldiers were made to ride for punishment.

Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.

A mass of earthy matter, or rock of the same character as the wall rock, occurring in the course of a vein, as of coal or ore; hence, to take horse - said of a vein - is to divide into branches for a distance.

A translation or other illegitimate aid in study or examination; - called also trot, pony, Dobbin.

Heroin.

Horsepower.

To provide with a horse, or with horses; to mount on, or as on, a horse.

To sit astride of; to bestride.

To mate with (a mare); - said of the male.

To take or carry on the back; as, the keeper, horsing a deer.

To place on the back of another, or on a wooden horse, etc., to be flogged; to subject to such punishment.

To get on horseback.

Solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

A padded gymnastic apparatus on legs

Troops trained to fight on horseback;

A framework for holding wood that is being sawed

A chessman in the shape of a horse's head; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa)

Provide with a horse or horses

Horses are used for riding, racing, work, therapy, and as companions.

Mustangs symbolize the spirit of freedom and the untamed wilderness that played a significant role in the westward expansion of the United States.

The BLM manages and protects wild Mustang populations, including overseeing adoption programs to maintain sustainable numbers.

Balancing the preservation of their wild status with the impact on ecosystems and ensuring their welfare poses significant challenges.

Mustangs have a unique heritage as wild horses of the American West, known for their hardiness and independence.

Yes, with proper training, Mustangs can be tamed and become excellent riding horses.

Mustangs are generally smaller and more compact, traits that contribute to their agility and endurance.

No, only the free-roaming horses of the American West with specific historical lineage are considered Mustangs.

While Mustangs are a distinct group, there is significant genetic diversity within the population due to their mixed ancestry.

Selective breeding for specific traits has resulted in a wide variety of breeds suited to different tasks, from agriculture and transportation to competitive sports and therapy.