In recent years, attempts have been made to establish a market for American Mustang horses both within and outside of the USA. An essential feature of markets for such lively commodities is developing “companionability,” that is, shaping the body, disposition, and environmental needs of a wild horse in accordance with the demands of commodification, thereby transforming it into a domestic horse to serve as a human companion. Companionability is a prerequisite for mustangs’ marketability and a central aspect for the emergence of encounter value. This article applies the phenomenological concept of corporeal communication to elucidate the implications of these processes, using the example of a multi-day auction event, Mustang Makeover Germany.
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