Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. Feral horses, though popularly called "wild" horses, are not truly wild; their ancestors were domesticated animals.

Feral Chincoteague ponies on Assateague Island, Virginia

Feral horses are free-roaming, untamed horses who are descended from domesticated horses. As such, they do not meet the definition of "true" wild horses that never had domesticated ancestors. All feral horses are descended from domestic horses that strayed or escaped into the wild. Most feral horses, if captured young and handled properly, can be re-domesticated. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2592 × 1944 pixel, file size: 2. ... The Pentland Hills is a range of hills to the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland. ... This article is about the country. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 584 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 730 pixel, file size: 718 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Other versions Image:AssateagueAusschnitt. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 584 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 730 pixel, file size: 718 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Other versions Image:AssateagueAusschnitt. ... The Chincoteague pony is a hardy breed between the size of a horse and a pony. ... Dogs and sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated. ... horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Boddaert, 1785 Subspecies †Equus ferus ferus Equus ferus przewalskii Bred back Tarpan in Haselünne, Germany (2004) The Wild Horse (Equus ferus or Equus ferus caballus) is a member of the Horse genus which currently is native only in Asia. ...

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] 13 year old Peruvian Paso mare A broodmare and foal In English, a mare (an old Germanic word) is a female horse; the word is also an etymological root of marshal (originally marescalcus horse servant). Mares are considered easier to handle than males, which are called stallions or after castration... A foal is a young horse of either gender; a female foal is called a filly, while a male foal is called a colt. ... A stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been castrated. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ...

See also: Horse behavior

Modern types of feral horses include the following: Horse behavior is best understood from the perspective that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight instinct. ...

• Mustang, the legally protected free-roaming horse of the western United States.
• Brumby, the feral horse of Australia.
• Sorraia, a feral horse native to Spain and Portugal.
• Chincoteague pony, which actually lives in a semi-feral state on Assateague Island off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland.
• Banker Horse, which lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina
• Cumberland Island Horse, which lives on Cumberland Island off the coast of southern Georgia
• Kaimanawa horse of New Zealand
• Namib Desert Horse of Namibia
• Sable Island Horses of Nova Scotia
• New Forest pony, while predominately domesticated, also lives in feral herds in the area of Hampshire, England.

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. This article is about the feral horse of the American west. ... Brumbies in the Northern Territory, 2006 This article is about the horse; for the rugby team, see Brumbies (rugby). ... The Sorraia is an ancient type of primative horse from Spain and Portugal, that has influenced many light modern horse breeds. ... The Chincoteague pony is a hardy breed between the size of a horse and a pony. ... Egrets in Assateagues marshes Assateague Island is a barrier island, comprising the southern portion of Marylands Atlantic coast and part of Virginias Eastern Shore. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29... The Banker Horse is a horse which has existed on the island of North Carolinas Outer Banks for centuries. ... North Carolinas Outer Banks separating the Atlantic Ocean (east) from Albemarle Sound (north) and Pamlico Sound (south). ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Cumberland Island is one of the Sea Islands. ... Kaimanawa Horses are a population of New Zealand wild horses descended from domestic horses that were released in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the middle of the North Island around the Kaimanawa Ranges. ... Sable Island from space, April 1994. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... A New Forest pony. ... For other uses, see Hampshire (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Equus ferus ferus Boddaert, 1785 The Tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus przewalskii (Poliakov, 1881) Range map Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus caballus przewalskii, classification is debated), pronounced in English as //, also known as the Asian Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living wild relative of the domestic Horse. ...

See Also

• Horse behavior

For information on genetically "wild" Equines, see: Horse behavior is best understood from the perspective that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight instinct. ...

• Wild horse
• Zebra
• Onager
• Przewalski's horse
• Tarpan

Binomial name Boddaert, 1785 Subspecies †Equus ferus ferus Equus ferus przewalskii Bred back Tarpan in Haselünne, Germany (2004) The Wild Horse (Equus ferus or Equus ferus caballus) is a member of the Horse genus which currently is native only in Asia. ... For other uses, see Zebra (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Equus hemionus Pallas, 1775 The onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, and Tibet (China). ... Trinomial name Equus ferus przewalskii (Poliakov, 1881) Range map Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or Equus caballus przewalskii, classification is debated), pronounced in English as //, also known as the Asian Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living wild relative of the domestic Horse. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus ferus Boddaert, 1785 The Tarpan, Equus ferus ferus, was the Eurasian wild horse. ...

References

1. ^ Wild Horse Genetic Diversity and Viability: Management Toward Extinction