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Lee said "And another important ingredient is that the mustang has developed 
those good hard feet through years of the natural selection process. Any 
horse without that type of feet did not live long enough to contribute to 
the gene pool.  This is something that is missing in the breeding of the 
domestic horse."

Disagree.  The gene pool of mustangs in not a closed gene pool, like say, 
mule deer.  Mustangs are domestic horses, introduced into their environment 
since the 1400's or so. The selection has not been "natural" as in the case 
of deer or other wild animals that are indigenous species.

Since the escape of the first horses, the gene pool has always had new 
additions from escaped or turned loose domestics of every breed and type.  
This can be seen when looking at a group of mustangs: some look like draft 
horses, some like thouroghbreds, some like stock horses ect.   Mustangs are 
simply domestic horses that have become feral.

It doesn't take long for an escaped horse to reproduce, about a year.  Lots 
of horses in the wild can live that long.

Cheers,
Maureen



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