Md. Toslim Bhuiyan Prantik at 07:47, 25 March 2026

2026-03-25T07:47:50Z

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{{Short description|Free horses of domesticated horse ancestry}}
{{For|information on never-domesticated horse species|Wild horse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
[[Image:Assateague fg02.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Feral [[Chincoteague pony|Chincoteague ponies]] on Assateague Island, Virginia]]
[[File:Namib desert feral horses.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Feral horses of the [[Namib]]]]
[[Image:TuleHorses.JPG|thumb|upright=0.9|Feral horses in [[Tule Valley]], [[Utah]]]]
A '''feral horse''' is a free-roaming [[horse]] of [[domestication|domesticated]] stock. As such, a [[feral]] horse is not a wild animal in the sense of an animal without domesticated ancestors. However, some populations of feral horses are managed as [[wildlife]], and these horses often are popularly called "wild" horses. Feral horses are descended from domestic horses that strayed, escaped, or were deliberately released into the wild and remained to survive and reproduce there. Away from humans, over time, these animals' patterns of behavior revert to behavior more closely resembling that of wild horses. Some horses that live in a feral state but may be occasionally handled or managed by humans, particularly if privately owned, are referred to as "[[semi-feral]]".

Feral horses live in groups called a ''herd'', ''band'', ''harem'', or ''mob''. Feral horse herds, like those of [[wild horse]]s, are usually made up of small harems led by a dominant [[mare]], containing additional mares, their [[foal]]s, and immature horses of both sexes. There is usually one herd [[Stallion (horse)|stallion]], though occasionally a few less-dominant males may remain with the group. Horse "herds" in the wild are best described as groups of several small bands who share the same territory. Bands are normally on the small side, as few as three to five animals, but sometimes over a dozen. The makeup of bands shift over time as young animals are driven out of the band they were born into and join other bands, or as young stallions challenge older males for dominance. However, in a closed [[ecosystem]] (such as the isolated refuges in which most feral horses live today), to maintain genetic diversity, the minimum size for a sustainable free-roaming horse or [[burro]] population is 150–200 animals.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/genetic.html |work=wildhorsepreservation.com |title=American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign |access-date=21 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121015245/http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/genetic.html |archive-date=21 November 2011 }}</ref>

==Feral horse populations==

=== Americas ===
The best-known examples of modern-day feral horses are those of the American West. When [[Ethnic groups in Europe|Europeans]] reintroduced the horse to the Americas, beginning with the arrival of the Spanish [[conquistadors]] in the 15th century, some horses escaped and formed [[feral]] herds known today as [[Mustang (horse)|mustangs]]. In the Western United States, certain bands of horses and [[burro]]s are protected under the [[Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971]]. There are about 300,000 horses today in multiple land jurisdictions across the country, including tribal lands.{{r|wildlife}}

Isolated populations of wild horses occur in a number of places in North America, including [[Assateague Island]] off the coast of [[Virginia]] and [[Maryland]], [[Elko, Nevada]], the [[Salt River (Arizona)|Salt River]] in [[Arizona]], and [[Cumberland Island, Georgia]], [[Vieques]] Island off the coast of [[Puerto Rico]], and [[Sable Island]] off the coast of [[Nova Scotia]], Canada.

Some of these horses are said to be the descendants of horses that managed to swim to land when they were [[shipwrecking|shipwrecked]]. Others may have been deliberately brought to various islands by settlers and either left to reproduce freely or abandoned when assorted human settlements failed.

Many prehistoric horse species, now [[extinction|extinct]], evolved in North America, but the wild horses of today are the offspring of horses that were domesticated<ref>{{cite web |title=Feral Horses: Get The Facts |url=http://joomla.wildlife.org/documents/policy/feral_horses_1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305075948/http://joomla.wildlife.org/documents/policy/feral_horses_1.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2012 |access-date=4 April 2012 |publisher=The Wildlife Society}}</ref> elsewhere.

=== Asia ===
The only truly wild horses in existence today are [[Przewalski's horse]] native to the steppes of central Asia.

A modern wild horse population (''janghali ghura'') is found in the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere reserve of [[Assam]], in north-east [[India]], and is a herd of about 79 horses descended from animals that escaped army camps during [[World War II]].<ref>[http://www.tinsukia.nic.in/subpages/dibru.html Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere reserve] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611131858/http://www.tinsukia.nic.in/subpages/dibru.html|date=11 June 2010}}</ref>

In Ashuradeh Island in Iran, feral horses can also be found. It is said that the wild horses of the Miankaleh Wildlife Refuge are the descendants of Russian domestic horses that remained on the island after its occupation by Russia in 1837.<ref>{{cite web |title=پرتگاهی در کمین اسب‌های سرکش و زیبا |url=https://zamin-magazine.ir/%D9%BE%D8%B1%D8%AA%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%A9%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A8-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%B3%D8%B1%DA%A9%D8%B4-%D9%88-%D8%B2%DB%8C%D8%A8%D8%A7/ |website=Zamin Magazine |language=fa |access-date=24 September 2025}}</ref>

=== Europe ===
In [[Portugal]], a population of free-ranging horses, known as ''[[garrano]]'', lives in the northern mountain chains. These horses are also present in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], where they have a long history with the local populations embodied in the [[Rapa das Bestas]] rituals.

In County Kerry, Ireland, wild bog ponies have been known since at least the 1300s.

More than 700 feral wild horses live in the [[foothills]] of [[Cincar]] Mountain, between [[Livno]] and [[Kupres]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], in an area of roughly {{convert|145|km2|abbr=on}}. These animals, which descend from horses set free by their owners in the 1950s, enjoy a protected status since 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.novilist.hr/Zivot-i-stil/Zanimljivosti/Pusteni-da-slobodno-zive-u-prirodi-Livanjski-divlji-konji-jednistvena-atrakcija-u-Europi|title=Pušteni da slobodno žive u prirodi: Livanjski divlji konji — jednistvena atrakcija u Europi|date=2 August 2015|work=[[Novi list]]|agency=HINA|language=hr|access-date=6 June 2017}}</ref>

In Sardinia lives the [[Giara horse|Giara Horse]], a wild variety that inhabits the [[Giara di Gesturi]], a basaltic plateau in the southern central part of the island. The population is composed by about 700 horses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sezione del cavallo della Giara |url=https://museocavallinodellagiara.it/sezione-cavallo-della-giara/ |access-date=2024-01-10 |website=Museo del Cavallino della Giara |language=it-IT}}</ref>

=== Oceania ===
[[Australia]] has the largest population in the world, with about 400,000 horses.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 2009 |title=Pest animal risk assessment — Feral Horse |url=http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Feral-Horses-Risk-Assessment.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110316064731/http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Feral-Horses-Risk-Assessment.pdf |archive-date=16 March 2011 |access-date=17 December 2010 |publisher=Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries}}</ref> The Australian name equivalent to the mustang is the [[brumby]], descendants of horses brought to Australia by [[British people|British]] settlers.<ref name="NimmoMiller2007">{{cite journal |last1=Nimmo |first1=D. G. |last2=Miller |first2=K. K. |year=2007 |title=Ecological and human dimensions of management of feral horses in Australia: A review |journal=Wildlife Research |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=408–417 |doi=10.1071/WR06102|bibcode=2007WildR..34..408N }}</ref><ref name="DobbieBermanBraysher1993">{{cite book |last1=Dobbie |first1=W. R. |title=Managing Vertebrate Pests: Feral horses |last2=Berman |first2=D. |last3=Braysher |first3=M. L. |publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service |year=1993 |isbn=0644252863 |location=Canberra}}</ref>

==Modern feral horses==
Modern types of feral horses that have a significant percentage of their number living in a feral state, though domesticated representatives may exist, include these types, [[landrace]]s, and breeds:

; Africa
* [[Kundudo#Feral horses|Kundudo horse]], in the [[Kundudo]] region, [[Ethiopia]]; threatened with extinction
* [[Namib Desert Horse|Namib desert horse]] in [[Namibia]]
; North America
: ''see also [[Free-roaming horse management in North America]]''
* [[Free-roaming horse management in North America#Alberta Mountain Horses or "Wildies" of Alberta|Alberta Mountain Horse]] or Alberta Wildie, in the foothills of the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains of [[Alberta]], [[Canada]]
* [[Banker horse]] on the [[Outer Banks]] of [[North Carolina]], United States
* [[Chincoteague Pony]] on [[Assateague Island]] off the coasts of [[Virginia]] and [[Maryland]], United States
* [[Cumberland Island horse]] on [[Cumberland Island]] off the coast of southern [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], United States
* [[Elegesi Qiyus Wild Horse]] (Cayuse) in the [[Nemaiah Valley, British Columbia]], Canada<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fonv.ca/activities/articles/wildhorses/|title=Wild Horses|author=SMS VSIP Consulting Inc.|work=fonv.ca|access-date=21 May 2015}}</ref>
* [[Mustang]] in the western [[United States]], legally protected by the [[Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971]]
* [[Nokota horse]] in [[North Dakota]], United States
* [[Sable Island horse]] on [[Sable Island]], [[Nova Scotia]], Canada
* [[Bronson Forest Recreation Site#Wild Ponies of the Bronson Forest|Wild Ponies of the Bronson Forest]] in [[Saskatchewan]], Canada
; South America
* ''[[Lavradeiro]]s'' in northern [[Brazil]]<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://animaltourism.com/animals/horse.php| title = lavradeiros Feral Horse|access-date = 19 December 2015| last = Farid|first = Zain}}</ref>
* Small wild horses are established in the páramos of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in [[Colombia]] and are believed to have descended from introductions made by [[Spanish conquistadors]].<ref>Long, J. L. 2003. Introduced Mammals of the World: Their History, Distribution and Influence (Cabi Publishing) by John L. Long ({{ISBN|9780851997483}})</ref>
* A small population of feral horses lives in the foothills of Cordillera Real next to the city of [[La Paz]] in [[Bolivia]]; these individuals wander the high-altitude grassland up to 4700 m above sea level. The origin of this highly endangered herd is not well-known.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
* The huge population that inhabits southern [[Brazil]] and the region of [[Patagonia]], the [[Bagual]].
; Asia
* [[Misaki horse]] in [[Cape Toi]], [[Japan]]
* [[Delft Island Horse]] on [[Neduntheevu]] or Delft Island, [[Sri Lanka]]. Feral Horses are believed to be the descendants of horses kept on the island from the time of Dutch occupation in [[Sri Lanka]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Wild horse sanctuary for Sri Lanka's Delft Island|url=http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2013/12/27/wild-horse-sanctuary-sri-lanka-delft-island/#axzz4RNBipQ7j|website=www.horsetalk.co.nz|date=26 December 2013|publisher=Horse Talk|access-date=29 November 2016|archive-date=29 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129152507/http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2013/12/27/wild-horse-sanctuary-sri-lanka-delft-island/#axzz4RNBipQ7j|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Yılkı horse in the [[Kızılırmak Delta]] and other places in Turkey<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Independent Spirit of Turkey: Wild Horse |url=https://ijvar.org/index.php/ijvar/article/download/15/16}}</ref>
; Europe
* [[Danube Delta horse|Danube Delta Horse]], in and around [[Letea Forest]], [[Romania]]
* [[Garrano]], a feral horse native to northern [[Portugal]] and [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]]
* [[Giara horse]] in [[Sardinia]]
* [[Marismeño]] in the [[Doñana National Park]] in [[Huelva]], [[Spain]]
* [[Konik]], predominantly domesticated, but the biggest feral herd in the world lives in the [[Oostvaardersplassen]] reserve in the [[Netherlands]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Konik - Equus caballus var. konik {{!}} World |url=https://world.observation.org/soort/maps/1410 |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=world.observation.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Grote grazers Oostvaardersplassen |url=https://www.staatsbosbeheer.nl/wat-we-doen/werk-in-uitvoering/oostvaardersplassen-grote-grazers |access-date=2023-03-10 |website=Staatsbosbeheer |language=nl-NL |archive-date=10 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310225938/https://www.staatsbosbeheer.nl/wat-we-doen/werk-in-uitvoering/oostvaardersplassen-grote-grazers |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Welsh Pony]], mostly domesticated, but a feral population of about 180 animals <ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.dailypost.co.uk/farming-north-wales/farming-news/2007/11/22/our-little-ponies-facing-extinction-55578-20142744/|title=Daily Post: Latest North Wales news, sport, what's on and business| work=northwales|access-date=21 May 2015|url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309091549/http://www.dailypost.co.uk/farming-north-wales/farming-news/2007/11/22/our-little-ponies-facing-extinction-55578-20142744/|archive-date=9 March 2012}}</ref> roams the [[Carneddau]] hills of North [[Wales]]. Other populations roam the eastern parts of the [[Brecon Beacons National Park]]
; Oceania
* [[Brumby]] in [[Australia]]
* [[Kaimanawa horse]] in [[New Zealand]]
* [[Marquesas Islands horse]] on [[Ua Huka]], [[Marquesas Islands]], [[French Polynesia]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/oceania/french-polynesia-marquesas-islands-horse-riding-pictures/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224220259/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/oceania/french-polynesia-marquesas-islands-horse-riding-pictures/|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 December 2018|title=Meet the last horsemen of these paradise islands|date=2018-12-20|website=Travel|access-date=2018-12-24}}</ref>

==Semi-feral horses==

[[File:Exmoor ponies on Porlock Common.jpg|thumb|Semi-feral [[Exmoor pony|Exmoor ponies]] on [[Porlock]] common, [[Exmoor]]: They are gathered each year to remove foals and assess stock.]]
In the [[United Kingdom]], herds of free-roaming [[pony|ponies]] live in apparently wild conditions in various areas, notably [[Dartmoor]], [[Exmoor]], [[Cumbria]] (Fell Pony), and the New Forest. Similar horse and pony populations exist elsewhere on the European continent. These animals, however, are not truly feral, as all of them are privately owned, and roam out on the [[fen|moors]] and forests under common [[grazing rights]] belonging to their owners. A proportion of them are halter-broken, and a smaller proportion broken to ride, but simply turned out for a while for any of a number of reasons (e.g., a break in training to allow them to grow on, a break from working to allow them to breed under natural conditions, or retirement). In other cases, the animals may be government-owned and closely managed on controlled reserves.

*[[Camargue horse]], in marshes of the Rhone delta, southern France.
*[[Dartmoor pony]], England; predominantly domesticated, also lives in semi-feral herds.
*[[Exmoor pony]], England; predominantly domesticated, also lives in semi-feral herds.
*[[Fell pony]], predominantly domesticated, also lives in semi-feral herds in northern [[England]], particularly [[Cumbria]].
*[[Gotlandsruss]], lives in a semi-feral herd in [[Lojsta Moor]] on the Swedish Island of [[Gotland]].
*[[New Forest pony]], predominantly domesticated, also lives in semi-feral herds in the area of [[Hampshire]], [[England]].
*[[Pottok]], predominantly domesticated, also lives in semi-feral herds in the western [[Pyrenees]].
*[[Dülmen pony]], a German pony that lives in a wild herd in Westphalia with little help by humans.
*[[Shetland pony]], Scotland; predominantly used for riding, driving, and pack purposes.

==Population impacts==
Feral populations are usually controversial, with [[livestock]] producers often at odds with horse aficionados and other [[animal welfare]] advocates. Different [[habitat]]s are impacted in different ways by feral horses. Where feral horses had wild ancestors indigenous to a region, a controlled population may have minimal environmental impact, particularly when their primary territory is one where they do not compete with domesticated livestock to any significant degree. However, in areas where they are an [[introduced species]], such as [[Australia]], or if the population is allowed to exceed available range, there can be significant impacts on soil, vegetation (including [[overgrazing]]), and animals that are native species.<ref name="NimmoMiller2007" />

If a feral population lives close to civilization, their behavior can lead them to damage human-built livestock fencing and related structures.<ref name="DobbieBermanBraysher1993" /> In some cases, where feral horses compete with domestic livestock, particularly on public lands where multiple uses are permitted, such as in the [[Western United States]], there is considerable controversy over which species is most responsible for degradation of [[rangeland]], with commercial interests often advocating for the removal of the feral horse population to allow more grazing for [[cattle]] or [[sheep]], and advocates for feral horses recommending reduction in the numbers of domestic livestock allowed to graze on public lands.

Certain populations have considerable historic or sentimental value, such as the [[Chincoteague pony]] that lives on [[Assateague Island]], a [[national seashore]] with a delicate coastal ecosystem, or the [[Misaki horse|Misaki]] pony of [[Japan]] that lives on a small refuge within the municipal boundaries of [[Kushima, Miyazaki|Kushima]]. These populations manage to thrive with careful management that includes using the animals to promote [[tourism]] to support the local economy. Most sustained feral populations are managed by various forms of [[culling]], which, depending on the nation and other local conditions, may include capturing excess animals for adoption or sale. In some nations, management may include the often-controversial practice of selling captured animals for [[horse slaughter|slaughter]] or simply shooting them.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nimmo |first1=D. G. |last2=Miller |first2=K. |last3=Adams |first3=R. |year=2007 |title=Managing feral horses in Victoria: A study of community attitudes and perceptions |journal=Ecological Management & Restoration |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=237–243 |doi=10.1111/j.1442-8903.2007.00375.x |bibcode=2007EcoMR...8..237N |hdl=10536/DRO/DU:30007265 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> [[Wildlife contraceptive|Fertility control]] is also sometimes used, though it is expensive and has to be repeated on a regular basis.<ref>Bomford, M., & O'Brien, P. (1993). [http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=nwrccontraception "Potential use of contraception for managing wildlife pests in Australia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820083352/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=nwrccontraception |date=20 August 2010 }}. USDA National Wildlife Research Center Symposia. Retrieved on 12 May 2008.</ref>

==See also==
{{Commons category}}
*[[Horse behavior]]
*[[List of BLM Herd Management Areas]]
*[[Mustang Heritage Foundation]]

==References==

<references>
<ref name=wildlife>{{cite journal | url=https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.22091 | doi=10.1002/jwmg.22091 | title=The Wildlife Profession's Duty in Achieving Science-Based Sustainable Management of Free-Roaming Equids | date=2021 | last1=Schoenecker | first1=Kathryn A. | last2=King | first2=Sarah R. B. | last3=Messmer | first3=Terry A. | journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management | volume=85 | issue=6 | pages=1057–1061 | bibcode=2021JWMan..85.1057S }}</ref>
</references>

{{Horse topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Feral horses| ]]
[[Category:Types of horse]]
[[Category:Mammals of North America]]
[[Category:Mammals of the United States]]
[[Category:Introduced mammals of Australia]]

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[[de:Wildpferd]]
[[lt:Tarpanas]]

Feral horse - Revision history

Md. Toslim Bhuiyan Prantik at 07:47, 25 March 2026