HORSES HELPING HORSES...working from a mount..

After Dayton Hyde formed the sanctuary he eventually felt that he could improve the ranking of the american mustang by cross-breeding the mustang mares with papered and registered quarterhorses and paints, thus "improving" both sides and getting the "Smarts" back into the overbred domestic horses... This is a very old practice and goes back to the times where ranchers would go out into wild horse herds, shoot the stallion and introduce one of their domestic stallions eventually harvesting the crop of foals that pleased them.  I am not sure of attempts to have a stallion breed a domestic mare and it does not make a difference at this point.
A mustang even though a mixed blood by definition has a 500 year history (The infiltration of domestic stock occurred only since about 200 years ago-Hardy Oelke) and as a zoologist explained to me some time ago the primitive and latent DNA will resurface, given time and a chance. Which is how we explain dorsal stripes, other primitive markings and skeletal variances in spanish mustangs etc.
Therefore it takes generations of horse units to live and reproduce in the natural environment to slowly develop what a "typical" (if there is such a thing) Mustang looks like, moves like and lives like. This is not accomplished within one or even 5 generations, especially not when the offspring again is not tested by nature but lives in a controlled and protected environment.
Nonetheless the concept seems to resurface over and over and actually presents an opportunity for study.  A great number horses at the sanctuary fall under that above mentioned category and now go through training, being prepared to be used and/or sold. (Meanwhile I am working with the spanish and BLM horses) Combined with a growing conviction of fertility control and restricted breeding a controlled environment study like at the sanctuary could yield pertinent and realtime information and data for the Dept of Interior to convey to the BLM for use in their WILD HORSE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES. It also substantiates the fact that the FREE ROAMING WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROTECTION ACT (1971) did not intend for the wild herds in HMA's (BLM Horse management areas) to be used as test objects and experimental individuals.

From an old pictorial magazine

 "HORSES HELPING HORSES" ( x-breeding paint colts to finance the sanctuary for mustangs) lead to large foalcrops without a market. Compared to only one intentional Spanish Sulphur stud (Don Juan) and several (Mystery - or not so mystery Texas Pony Syndicate - stallions in the more secluded ares of the sanctuary) mustang (20) foals, there are at least 8 registered quarterhorse studs, over 100 quarterhorse mares and at least 15 quarterhorse and paint foals with more expected in 2012, requiring feed,  care and management. With time and an effort to train and sell the domestic stock, the balance will shift and with more generations ahead even the 5th generation mustang paint crosses will eventually become readable feral horses that make sanctuaries invaluable assets to the all over attempt to improve the land and wild horse management as it is in the UNTED STATES at this time. I do NOT agree that the Sanctuary should or could be the final salvation of the AMERICAN MUSTANG. They belong on our public lands.