For its 2010 Mustangs, Ford is getting ready to show us its wild side. Sort of.

The automaker announced last week that its iconic Mustang badge is getting a makeover for the ’10 lineup. In unveiling the new steed, Ford is showing off a racier-looking pony that is more muscular than its sleek, fluid predecessor. The new emblem is a glimpse of the more rugged look that’s expected for the redesigned 2010 Mustang, which will be revealed later this year.

Although tinkering with an icon is always tricky, Ford got this one right. Thanks to sharper angles and subtle tinting, this pony looks much faster and wilder than the one that first rode on the Mustang grille when the car was introduced back in 1964. The pony was replaced by the “Ford” emblem from 1978 until 1993, but was welcomed back with the ’94 models. The pony badge was most recently tweaked in 2005, but the new emblem shows a much more significant makeover.

According to Douglas Gaffka, chief designer for the 2010 Mustang, the retooling of the emblem was the first step in reinventing one of America’s best-loved cars.

“We lifted the head to make the pony more proud, tipped the neck into the wind to give it a feeling of greater speed and better balance,” he explains. “It’s more chiseled and more defined and looks more like a wild horse.”

He says the design team actually studied photos of wild Mustangs in their natural habitat to find a more natural look.

In addition to the duo-tone tinted emblem that will appear on the V6 and GT versions of the 2010 Mustang, Ford will offer a black chrome version for the GT. Here’s hoping the redesigned car is just as eye-catching as its new badge.