The animals remain the property of the government for one year following the adoption. At the end of the year the adopter is asked to submit a statement from a veterinarian, extension agent, local humane official or other qualified individual certifying that the animal has had proper care. After approval a certificate of title is issued and the animal becomes the legal property of the adopter. These mustangs, while requiring experienced handlers, usually become as tractable as any horse raised from birth on a farm. Because they are largely the product of natural selection these animals are usually fine riding animals and exceptional in endurance trials.
Most Mustangs are of the light horse or warmblood type.
Horses of draft conformation are kept on separate ranges. The coat color is the full range of colors found in horses. While the Spanish blood has been diluted, many of the horses still exhibit Spanish characteristics. There has been a firmly held belief for several decades that there were no pure Spanish-type horse remaining on the ranges of the wild horse. But in recent years a few small herds have been found in very isolated areas which have been found through blood testing to be strongly decended from Spanish breeding.