A bit of the Wild West in Madison

By Ann Marie Ames ( Contact )   April 20, 2008 - 6:13 p.m.

Do you ever have those random questions that sit in the back of your mind for years?

Every once in a while, you plan to look it up, but then you forget?

Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, I've always wondered if American mustangs were native to North America.

Sunday afternoon at the 2008 Mustang Challenge, part of the Great Midwest Horse Fair, I finally learned the answer.

"No."

A Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman told me Spanish and Norse explorers brought horses with them to North America.

The herd grew during the Great Depression when farmers couldn't afford to keep draft horses, she said.

Sunday's challange is part of the bureau's adoption program, which manages the wild horse and burro population in America.

The mustangs were pretty little horses, and I had fun covering the show.

But I won't spoil it. You'll have to read Monday's paper to learn what happened to two mustangs trained for the challenge by Janesville and Milton trainers!

Enjoy!

reader COMMENTS (2)
aames
Apr 22, 2008 at 7:20 p.m.
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I'd love to hear about it! Sorry I didn't know in advance, or I would have stopped to say "hi."

Go ahead and post the results here in the comment section, or e-mail them to me. I will post them in a blog for you.

Pictures are good, too!

I always welcome tips like that, because the more ag stories I can pitch to my editors, the better!

Ann Marie Ames
Reporter

sllanas
Apr 21, 2008 at 2:41 p.m.
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What about the others in Rock County who exhibited their equines? Rock County had some young riders up there. 1 First Grader, a 4th Grader, a 5th grader and a teenager, all from Rock County 4H! These kids have Great animals and they have worked hard to exhibit at the horse fair. As a 4H leader, Horse lover and parent - I am proud of all the kids that were up there - no matter what Breed of Equines they were representing!

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