The wild horse (Equus ferus) is a species of the genus Equus, which includes as subspecies both the domesticated horse as well as the undomesticated Tarpan and Przewalski's Horse.[1] The Tarpan became extinct in the 19th century, and Przewalski's Horse was saved from the brink of extinction and reintroduced successfully to the wild. The most likely ancestor of the domestic horse was the Tarpan, which roamed the steppes of Eurasia at the time of domestication.[2][3][4][5][6] Since the extinction of the Tarpan, attempts have been made to reconstruct the phenotype of the Tarpan, resulting in horse breeds such as the Konik and Heck horse. However, the genetic makeup and foundation bloodstock of those breeds is substantially derived from domesticated horses, and therefore these breeds possess domesticated traits.
Ten Facts about Wild Horse
- Wild horses generally gather in groups of 3 to 20 animals.
- These horses only stand 12 hands (48 inches, 122 cm) tall
- Their weight is 120 to 2,200 lbs (54 to 998 kg).
- There is only one species of domestic horse, but around 400 different breeds that specialize in everything from pulling wagons to racing.
- You can tell how old a horse is by how many teeth it has. A horse gets all of its teeth by the time it is five years old. After that, they just get longer.
- They look like a large animal with a long snout, mane, long tail, and large, semi-circular hooves, just like the domestic horse.
- They eat forests, mountains, dry brushy areas, swamps, seashores.
- In West, Oregon and Montana south to California and New Mexico. In East, Assateague and Chincoteague Islands off coast of Maryland and Virginia.
- The male parent of a horse, a stallion, is usually known as the sire and the female parent, the mare, is called the dam.
- The predators of the wild horses are mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and bears. These predators prey upon the old, the sick, and colts or foals.
