Feral horse

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Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. Feral horses (Equus caballus), though popularly called "wild" horses, are not truly wild; their ancestors were domesticated animals.
Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. Feral horses (Equus caballus), though popularly called "wild" horses, are not truly wild; their ancestors were domesticated animals.
Feral Chincoteague ponies on Assateague Island, Virginia
Feral Chincoteague ponies on Assateague Island, Virginia

Feral horses are free-roaming, untamed horses descended from domesticated horses. As such, they do not meet the definition of "true" wild horses whose ancestors were never domesticated. All feral horses are descended from domestic horses that strayed, or escaped, to survive and reproduce in the wild; away from human management, the animals' patterns of behavior revert, over time, to behavior more closely resembling that of wild horses.

Feral horses live in groups called bands or herds (In Australia, a feral herd is called a mob). Feral and wild horse herds are usually made up of small bands led by a dominant mare, containing additional mares, their foals, and immature horses of both sexes. There is usually one herd 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 a common territory. Bands are usually on the small side, as few as three to five animals, but sometimes over a dozen. The makeup of bands shifts 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 given 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.[1]

See also: Horse behavior

Contents

[edit] Modern feral horses

Modern types of feral breeds that have a significant percentage of their number living in a feral state, even though there may be some domesticated representatives, include the following:

[edit] Population impacts

Feral populations are often controversial, with livestock producers often at odds with horse aficionados and other animal welfare advocates. Different habitats 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 population is allowed to exceed available range, there can be significant impacts on soil, vegetation and animals that are native species.[2] If a feral population lives close to civilization, their behavior can lead them to damage human-built livestock fencing and related structures. [3] 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 responsible for degradation of rangeland, with commercial interests often advocating for the removal of 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 that 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 pony of Japan that lives on a small refuge within the municipal boundaries Kushima, manage to thrive with careful management that includes using the animals to promote tourism to support the local economy. However, 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, or the often-controversial practice of simply shooting them.[4] Fertility control is also sometimes used, though it is expensive and has to be repeated on a regular basis.[5]

See also: Mustang (horse) and Brumby

[edit] Wild horses

In historical times, the only horses who meet the definition of "wild," in that they never had domesticated ancestors, were the Tarpan and the Przewalski's horse. The Tarpan is now extinct.

[edit] See also

For information on genetically "wild" Equines, see:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wild Horse Genetic Diversity and Viability: Management Toward Extinction
  2. ^ Nimmo, D. G., & Miller, K. K. (2007) Ecological and human dimensions of management of feral horses in Australia: A review. Wildlife Research, 34, 408-417.
  3. ^ Dobbie, W. R., Berman, D. M., & Braysher, M. L. (1993) Managing vertebrate pests: Feral horses. Canberra: Australia Government Publishing Service.
  4. ^ Nimmo, D. G., Miller, K., & Adams, R. (2007). Managing feral horses in Victoria: A study of community attitudes and perceptions. Ecological Management & Restoration 8 (3) , 237–243
  5. ^ Bomford, M., & O'Brien, P. (1993). Potential use of contraception for managing wildlife pests in Australia. USDA National Wildlife Research Center Symposia. Retrieved on May 12, 2008 from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=nwrccontraception