yes hello, I am professional assistance!!
tess is right: for most people and most horses, the smart thing to do is to send the mustang to a pro for gentling--but each horse is different, and each person is different, so there are exceptions and edge cases and creative options, and each individual match of horse and human may be ready to go it alone at a different stage.
there are lots of different factors affecting how steep of a challenge each horse will be. older horses will tend to be more difficult than younger ones. a 9 year old that was gelded 2 months ago will be a much more serious and potentially dangerous animal than a 3 year old that was gelded as a weanling. certain HMAs produce more or less docile personalities, on average (a Goshute or an Augusta Mountains or a Muskrat Basin or a Salt Wells Creek horse might be recommended for a beginner; a Sulphur or a Kiger would unilaterally not).
when we have our first conversations with prospective clients, the most important thing we're trying to suss out is the person's experience and confidence with green horses, high level performance horses, stallions, and other challenging animals. amateurs buying their first personal horses are absolutely good potential matches for some mustangs, but that sort of person is going to need a much gentler horse with a much stronger foundation than, say, somebody who has ridden (as one of our recent adopters has!!!) the Gaucho Derby or who used to foxhunt (as one of our clients did) in Ireland.
plus, there's the infrastructure factor. mustangs must be housed in solid fencing at least 6 feet tall. at RAMS, we use 6 foot 135lb galvanized steel panels designed to contain bison. a 1200lb 15.2hh recent stud ran into one head first once and bent it slightly.
^ itās him. he bent the panel. you'll notice he can live in 3 strand electric now.
so, generally speaking, for the average horse person, I would say the smart option is to work with a professional--not only because mustangs are large and feral and potentially dangerous, but because the pros often have a ton of industry knowledge that can keep you safe in the long term. the relationship between RAMS and its clients starts way before an unhandled horse arrives in our pens; we spend a lot of time consulting with people to make sure they select a horse that will be appropriate for their goals and skill level. someone who's looking for an upper level endurance prospect is going to get different advice from someone who wants an eventual trail pony for their mother in law!
all that said, there are options for people who really, really want to gentle their own mustangs while being smart about it. weanlings and yearlings are much more likely to gentle down and adapt quickly, and they technically only require 5 foot solid fencing--though of course then you have a long wait ahead of you, if you're hoping to ride (and honestly i've seen enough feral babies trying to climb fences that i would recommend the 6 feet anyway). some professional programs may offer mentorship, consultation, clinics, demos, or even pen rental. we had someone gentle her own 12 year old recently gelded stallion in our pens last year--she reeeeeally wanted to do it herself, and the responsible middle ground for her was to board the horse with us and trade chores for coaching. the big guy was a serious horse, and he taught her a LOT, but i was right there when needed, and he naps in her lap now.
the tl;dr is probably that you should at LEAST have a professional available to you to give advice and for if you end up in over your head. i love mustangs very very much, obviously, but unhandled horses are not to be underestimated.
