The Kiger Mustang is a unique and beautiful horse, with an appearance all its own. Whether you own a Kiger and wish to compare it to the breed's standard or are just interested in the breed, you should find the text below very informative.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: The Kiger Mustang is "baroque" in nature due to its round body contours with the neck arising from the top of the shoulder giving them an elegant, collected stance. The Kiger Mustang should be balanced in proportions and should move with ease and without wasted energy. The Kiger Mustang, on one hand, should give an impression of strength without being bulky while, on the other, should not be so refined as to convey frailty or extreme refinement.

HEIGHT: 13.2 to 16 Hands (preferred is 14 to 15.2). It has been observed that Kiger Mustangs bred in captivity attain a higher height than those Kiger Mustang from the wild range. This may be due to a difference in nutrition.

QUALITY: The Kiger Mustang should have clean, dense bones with sufficient substance, well developed joints and tendons, and a fine body coat. It should have a temperament that is tractable but also posessing good spirit.

COLOR: Variations of the Dun factor color: Dun, Red Dun, Grulla, Claybank, Bay and Black.

MARKINGS: Most Kiger Mustangs have a dorsal stripe. Dorsal stripes may be difficult to see or photograph on some bay and black horses. Herringbone stripes radiating from the dorsal are highly desirable. Leg barring should be present, and expression can range from dark lacing to strong bars. Additional highly desirable dun factor markings include: wither stripes, shadows and bars on neck and chest, barring on the back of the ear, dark marks around the rim of the eye, dark line along the margin of the ear with dark tips, cobwebbing and/or sooty or shadow mask on the face. Mane and tail should be full, with moderate bi-coloring preferred. Lighter colored hair inside the ear is also a Kiger Mustang trait. White markings are not desired.

HEAD: Medium in size, clean cut and tapering slightly from jaw to muzzle. Head should be balanced and not overly refined. The profile side view can be straight, slightly sub-concave, or slightly sub-convex. It should posess a wide, clean cut lower jaw, medium fine muzzle with small and firm lips and medium nostrils. Ears should be medium in length, hooked at the tips on the inside and set wide apart and carried alert.

NECK: Medium length, arched, clean at the throat latch, joined smoothly at the shoulder and deep at the point of the shoulder.

FOREHAND: Long shoulder at 45-50 degree slope, blending smoothly with well-tapered withers. The withers are slightly higher than the point of the hip, well defined but not prominent. Forelegs should be moderately spaced with an inverted V appearance but without giving the appearance of bulky chest muscling. Muscles in the shoulder and forearm should be long and lean. Viewed from the front, legs should be correct. When viewed from the side, legs should be wide and lean.

BARREL: The body conformation of the Kiger Mustang is distinctive, with a deep chest and short back, broad and moderately muscled. The barrel is oval, with well-sprung ribs and a full flank. The sternum should not protrude.

HINDQUARTER: The hind legs should be squarely set and so placed that the Kiger Mustang turns on his hindquarters with ease. The hips should be lightly rounded, with croup sloped gently and a medium-low set tail. Muscles in the hip and thigh should be long and lean. The hocks should be wide, deep and clean. Viewed from the rear, the hind legs are usually closer at the hocks than the fetlocks, but not to the extreme.

CANNON: Short to medium, wide and flat, with tendons standing well out from the bone and well defined.

PASTERN: Pasterns should be clean and strong, of medium length, the slope to correlate with the slope of the shoulder. Fetlock joint should not be round but rather wide. Fetlocks should be scarce of feathering.

HOOVES: The hoof is dense with thick walls and recessed sole and frog. The Kiger Mustang hoof tends to be round to oblong, be of medium size, and have more heel, steeper hoof angles and are dark in color.

ACTION: Light, lively, tending toward higher than average leg action.