Tricky Breed Assignments: Mesteño

Some models are not well-liked in the model horse showing crowd. Some of them are models that don't have good anatomy, and have glaring errors that will get them marked down as a result. Those with decent anatomy are sometimes still badly conformed, but at least look like they're a horse. Those with good anatomy and good conformation can have color problems for the most common breeds that will be suggested.

I conga the Classic standing Mesteño. For all its niggling details, I think it's a very enigmatic model. He's a big, powerful, alert horse, able to reach well under himself in the back. Honestly, he looks like he'd have a high action in the front, too, with his front legs being the way they are. To me, he's a very attractive horse, even with his faults.

So what are his faults?

1. His neck is thick and unrefined, and extremely thick in the throatlatch. This horse, if it were real, is extremely cresty, with a thick, inflexible throatlatch. He'd have a hard time getting his head down, if he could do so at all.
2. His hooves are positively horrid, especially on the rear leg that's furthest back.
3. He's narrow across the hips, and thick across the shoulders.
4. He has a very coarse head, with that typical flat nose we see in most Breyers.

Okay, clearly, this is a horse that will struggle in shows, both photo shows and live shows. While you might be inclined to show him as a Mustang, if you show him at all, there are in fact other options. Here's a few to consider:

Mongolian Horse
The Mongolian Horse is a very old breed, supposedly unchanged since the time of Genghis Khan. It's a hardy horse, with a stocky build, short legs, and a large head, and a very long mane and tail.

Mesteño isn't a great match for the Mongolian pony, he's long in the neck, and short in the head to be a good representative of the breed, but it's worth a shot if you want to try showing something more unusual.

Australian Brumby
The Australian Brumby is a feral horse, much like the Mustang, found in Australia. They're descended from a wide variety of horse breeds introduced to Australia. Brumbies from various regions have different mixes of breed that have gone into making the modern animal.

Since there isn't really an iconic Brumby appearance, this might be a decent breed assignment for Mesteño models. Brumbies are somewhat common in some showing crowds, so you might find you'll have some hot competition if you decide to show your Mesteno as a Brumby.

Carolina Marsh Tacky
The Carolina Marsh Tacky is a breed native to South Carolina. Like the Florida Cracker and North Carolina Banker, it has colonial Spanish blood that connects it to some of the earliest equines imported to the Americas. It is only recently that a study determined that the Marsh Tacky is gaited: it performs something that is called the Swamp Fox Trot, a broken trot like the foxtrot, but with the timing and durations being more similar to the marcha batida. The marcha batida lacks the diagonal pairing found in the Swamp Fox Trot, however.

I actually show Rum Runner as a Carolina Marsh Tacky. I think he's a decent fit for the breed, if a bit coarse in the head and neck. You won't see too many people showing Carolina Marsh Tackies. The catch to this, of course, is that you tend to be in the "Other Pure Breeds" category, which can mean tough competition from all the other rare breeds.

If you're prepared to customize your Mesteño to show him, then these breeds might give you a jumping off point for what to do once you've decided to customize him. Sadly, most of the customizing you'd need to do would be a lot of work. The Mesteño horse is a drastic job, no matter how you look at him.