Wild horses are the progenitors of modern horses. There are many types of wild horses, each of which is distinguished by its exterior, character characteristics, and color. The article considers the varieties of wild horses, their external characteristics and behavior.
Where and how do wild horses live in nature?
In the modern world, almost no wild horses are left in nature. If 4 thousand years ago in Europe free herds became a huge rarity, then at the beginning of the 20th century there were only two species of Tarpan and Przhevalsky's horse.
As for the mustangs living in America, Bramby from Australia, and the Camargue from the Mediterranean, they were conventionally called wild. The reason for this is the external characteristics of the horses. All natural horses have small stature, a stocky body. They have short legs and a puffing mane. Modern horses have an attractive exterior: animals look graceful, tall, handsome, and their mane falls.
In the wild, horses tend to herd in the wild. As a rule, in the herd there is one leader stallion, several mares and young growth. But more often, the most experienced horse is the real leader determining new pasture places and controlling order in the herd. She is controlled only by the leader, but all other animals included in the herd obey her.
Young males live in a common herd for up to three years, then the leader expels them. Horses driven out of the herd are formed in groups and live like this until everyone succeeds in collecting his herd or fighting off someone else's.
Animal species
Polish conic
Polish conic is a downed animal, the color is a mouse. These horses were bred at the beginning of the 20th century. The ancestors of the direct ancestors of these horses are the Tarpans, after their disappearance the name “conics” or “tarpan horses” was obtained. Initially, Polish conics were used to perform heavy work.
Previously, animals lived in the Bialowieza Forest, in that part of it that is located in Poland. This influenced the name of the breed. Over time, wild horses also migrated to Belarus.
The horse is characterized by small size, the height at the withers reaches 140 centimeters, weight - up to 400 kilograms. A distinctive feature is a light gray suit with a smoky tint, black tail, mane, knees and legs. Today, animals are found in European zoos, but the World Wide Fund for Nature has been working for several years to return these animals to their natural habitat.
Przewalski's horse
Przewalski’s horses, otherwise the steppe horses, known throughout the world, have been preserved in nature until today, but their number is minimal. At the moment, no more than 2 thousand individuals live on the planet. Including two herds are located in Pripyat, where they were introduced by zoologists who hope that the population will increase.
Horses have a powerful, stocky body. They have a reddish-sand color, a short protruding black mane and black legs. The height at the withers reaches no more than 130 centimeters. An adult weighs about 300-350 kilograms. Externally, Przhevalsky's horse is massive, with rounded shapes. The animal is able to run fast, it is sensitive to extraneous noise, fearful.
Appaloosa
Appaloosa is considered an American horse breed, because its breeding began in the 18-19 centuries on the coast of the Palouse River, flowing in the northern United States. Breeders are Nez Perce Indians who lived on the territory of modern Idaho, Oregon and Washington. At the end of the 18th century, the territory of North America was actively developed, and from Europe imported the black horses, which the Aborigines bought and crossed with local horses - this led to the emergence of a new breed.
The growth of an adult horse reaches up to 142-155 centimeters. But there are also instances of growth up to 163 centimeters, which is very rare. The peculiarity of Appaloosa is proportionality. Generic signs include a neat head with small pointed ears, a muscular smooth neck. The horse has a short back and round powerful croup, strong legs and hard hooves. The tail is high.
In an animal, the mane and tail are soft to the touch. A distinctive feature of this breed are expressive eyes. Small black spots are visible on the face - this is a sign of a line.
Appaloosa stand out with its original color. There are individuals with such colors:
- roan (many white hairs in the coat);
- cheprak (on the croup a white spot with small dark patches);
- spotted;
- suited;
- roan shabrack;
- spotted shabrack.
Often, horses with a light skin are born into the light, changing color over time, becoming dark. The gray horses, on the contrary, become brighter. Determining the exact color is possible only by the time the animal is 5 years old.
Horses were specially bred for working with people, which makes it very easy to get along with these animals. They have a balanced, complaisant character, good disposition. The Appaloosa are loyal animals, so changing their rider or host can be stressful for them.
Camargue (French Wild)
Kamagra is considered one of the oldest horse breeds in the whole world. This is a wild horse of light gray color. Originally from a marshy area in the Rhone Delta, on the Mediterranean coast of France. Foals are born black or dark bay.
The height of the horse at the withers is from 135 to 150 centimeters. The animal has a large head, expressive large eyes, short ears. The head is located on a muscular short neck. A distinctive feature is a deep and wide chest. Kamagra has a short, straight shoulder, long strong legs, strong hooves that do not need a horseshoe.
The breed is intended for the protection of fighting bulls, for riding amateur walks. These are long-lived horses - they live up to 25 years. Kamagra is not very beautiful in appearance, their body size is average, but at the same time they are strong and hardy. These are balanced horses, at the same time agile, brave. Horses can survive in conditions where the weather is often bad, can feed on brackish water.
Zebra
A zebra is an animal of the kind of horse. There is a hybrid of horse and zebra called zebraoid. The body of a zebra reaches more than 2 meters in length. The weight of a zebra varies in the region of 300-350 kilograms. It has a short tail - up to 50 centimeters. Males are always larger than females; their height at the withers reaches 140-150 centimeters. These animals are distinguished by a dense and stocky physique, they have short legs with strong hooves. The zebra has a short and stiff mane, a muscular neck.
Zebras are not as fast as horses, but if necessary they can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. If the enemy attacks the animal, it uses a special tactic - zigzagging. In general, a zebra is a hardy animal, with poor eyesight, but excellent sense of smell, which allows you to instantly smell the danger and notify the herd in time.
Zebras make a variety of sounds, occasionally they resemble the neighing of a horse, the barking of a dog, the cries of a donkey. Depends on the situation.
Kulan
The Kulan is a wild Asian donkey, which is considered a relative of wild horses, African donkeys, zebras, and belongs to the equine family. There are several subspecies of the Kulans, differing in external characteristics.
Animals that live in the foothills are small, but bright in color. Plain kulans are higher, outwardly similar to horses. All Kulans have an upright mane, no bangs. The animal has a large head and long ears. At the end of the tail there is a black tassel. Kulans are dominated by a sandy tint, a light, almost white belly.
The speed of Kulan develops up to 65 kilometers per hour, it can run for a very long time. Even a horse cannot catch an animal. The striking features of this wild donkey is its ability to run at high speed and endurance. In addition, the animal jumps perfectly, it can jump to a height of one and a half meters and jump from a height of 2.5 meters. The donkey is physically well developed. The presence of dense wool protects Kulan from severe frosts and intense heat.
Wild donkeys live in herds of 5-25 individuals. The adult male becomes the leader of the herd - he is always a little away from the herd, but at the same time he watches his “wards” and if danger is approaching, the leader signals this with a cry reminiscent of an ordinary donkey.
When the Kulans are angry, their eyes are bloodshot, their mouths are grinning. The males embrace the enemy with their feet, trying to topple over, bite their teeth. But animals are peaceful in relation to almost all birds and animals. But sheep and dogs are not to their liking - at their approach, Kulans can attack.
Pinto
A pinto is a wild horse, the hallmark of which is its specific color: red or black spots on white wool. The name of the animal was due to the Spanish word - Pintado, which means “painted”. Scientists have been trying for many years to find out the origin of the animal. Some of them are convinced that Pinto hails from the Middle East. Others argue that horses have roots from the Eurasian steppes.
Horse growth ranges from 145 to 155 centimeters. A feature of Pinto is its stats, power, and strong muscles. Animals have a beautiful head, muscular croup. It is difficult to describe the nature of the Pinto horses because of the variety of horses in the group. But usually animals are friendly towards their fellow tribesmen and people. These energetic horses are obedient.
A donkey
The wild donkey belongs to the equine family of equidae. Its domesticated form played an important historical role in the economy and culture of man. Genetic scientists found that wild donkeys appeared about 4.5 million years ago, and it was from them that all modern horses, donkeys and zebras went.
The height of the wild donkey reaches from 90 to 160 centimeters. In anatomical terms, the donkey is not very different from the horse - it has 6 lumbar vertebrae, the donkey has only five. But apparently these animals are very different. The donkey is dominated by a large head, thick long ears, inside of which there is a long coat.
A donkey is distinguished by a long body, a short croup, a stiff mane and a tail with a tassel. There are individuals of gray, brown or black color, less often - white. The abdomen, muzzle and the area near the eyes are light. In the center of the back is a narrow strip of dark shade. Separate subspecies have additionally located stripes on the shoulders and legs. The donkey has black hooves. A wild donkey is capable of speeds up to 70 kilometers per hour.
The wild donkey is a little-studied animal that lives in deserts and semi-deserts as family herds. The leader is an old, experienced donkey. Herds can travel long distances in search of food and water.
Mustangs
The Mustang is considered an attractive animal that loves freedom. In the 16th century, the Spaniards, who found themselves on the North American continent, brought with them the ancestors of this breed. At first it was domestic animals, but then part of them escaped and settled in the wild. So the wild horses of the Mustangs appeared. The name was derived from the Spanish word mesteño, which means "untamed animal."
For many years, the blood of Spanish horses mixed with different breeds, which ultimately led to the appearance of an excellent horse - the Mustang. These are strong, hardy animals. Due to the constant mixing, the Mustang suit is quite unique and diverse. Red, piebald, and bay individuals are more common, a little less often - mule horses, palomino, appaloosa mustang. Outwardly they do not look like horses, they are much more interesting. The weight of the Mustang varies from 130-150 centimeters at the withers, weight - about 500 kilograms.
There are also black Mustangs displaying all the beauty of wild animals of this species. Once black animals were brought to Mexico and Florida, and by birth they came from Iberian ancestors.
Hake horse
This breed is little known. Hake's horses are dominated by a gray color with a grayish tint. Their weight can reach about 40 kilograms, and height up to 140 centimeters. The horses were bred artificially by crossing feral horses. The process itself was led by the Heck brothers in the early 20th century. This influenced the name of the breed.
Today there are mixtures of these horses with Polish conics in large zoos in the world and reserves in Germany, Spain and Italy.
Brumby
Bramby is a wild horse native to Australia. Horses became wild after domesticated animals simply escaped or were released by the owners in 1851 during the gold rush. In 1788, horses were introduced to Australia. Due to the abominable conditions of transportation, only the strongest and most resilient could survive, the rest did not survive such a long journey.
At first, the animals were used to carry out agricultural work, they became useful in the development of Australia. Horses and oxen were used as pack animals and vehicles. Then they began to breed horses for sale. At one time, animals were raised exclusively for the consumption of meat, also for the use of their hair.
The breed was bred by crossing with many breeds of horses living in freedom. Most likely, the ancestors of Bramby were some breeds of ponies, perchers, Anglo-Arabs, walers, Australian shepherds. This influenced the fact that this breed does not have uniformity in the exterior.
The height at the withers ranges from 140-150 centimeters. Weight reaches about 450 kilograms. Often animals have a heavy head, a powerful back and a short neck, have strong legs, straight shoulders and a sloping body.
In vivo Bramby form herds. They were so able to acclimatize in Australia that they are able to survive even when fed only with steppe vegetation. These are not riding horses, the reason for this is that herd animals are difficult to tame and travel around. They have a freedom-loving disposition.
Tarpan
Extinct species. Wild horses look similar to small relatives. The growth of the beauty did not exceed 136 centimeters. Previously, there were forest and steppe Tarpan. They gathered in herds, where in one of them there were more than a hundred heads. Most often, horses with a grayish shade of wool were found.
The tarpans had a short, slightly protruding mane, a dark gray tail and mane. Their powerful body on strong legs with strong hooves made this breed recognizable. Wild horses in winter changed the color of the skin from gray to sand.
Interesting facts about wild horses
There are some interesting facts about wild horses. Some of them are presented below:
- The Appaloosa horse's skin can be either a saturated light shade, or an unpigmented shade with dark spots. Appaloosa can be born with one pattern, and over time change it with another “landscape”.
- The horses of Camargue were attracted by their unusual appearance of French poets and artists. The emblem of the Camargue depicts white horses and black bulls.
- Mustangs are feral domestic horses. They live in the USA. Animals have an aggressive disposition, they are hardy.
- Tarpanov was impossible to travel. Even in the case of the taming of these horses, the animals died in captivity. Like camels, horses could do without water for a week.
- The smallest horse in the world was a Pinto animal. Its birth weight was 2.7 kg, and its height did not exceed 36 cm. Today, horses of this breed are decorated with national holidays and competitions.
- Przewalski’s horses often latch in a group, forming a ring, and small foals are placed in the center of the circle.So they protect their cubs from predators.
Today, wild horses exist in some parts of the world. Previously, these animals were tamed by people, helped them in hard work and transportation. But some horses fled and settled in natural conditions, after which most of the species do not come into contact with humans.
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