Equine wildlings in Europe

Free Horses

To be wild, or not to be wild. Is this really a question? Wild horses are extinct for a long time, but equines rewilder the nature. Even if there may be no true wild horses anymore, we have many free horses on this planet. I want to share their story, document their lives and their impact in rewildering and grazing projects. There is a surprisingly high number of breeds, traditions, projects and regions with free roaming horses in Europe and worldwide.

Wild horses have fascinated humans for ages and everybody who has experienced free roaming herds adds this to the list of the best wildlife experiences. For me it is a mixture of research, observation of social behaviour and natural experiences that fascinates me.
  • Feral Horses
  • Feral horses are free-roaming horses with domesticated ancestors, but mostly untouched by humans and often managed as wildlife. The term wild horses is more popular than feral horses, in German it's "Wildpferd" and in French "Cheval sauvage / féral". Typical feral breeds are the Mustang or at some places the Konik.
  • Semi-Feral Horses
  • Semi-feral horses are owned and bred according to their breeding standards and are organised in societies, but are also allowed to roam free and graze in an area often deeply connected with the breed itself. Many owners visit their herds regularly and the nature of semi-feral horses is curious and interested, but also often shy. Typical semi-feral horses are Fell Ponies or Camargue Horses.
  • Haras Sauvage
  • A wild stud contains domestic or semi-feral horses that are bred in freedom and not in barns. The herds spend the season with selected stallions or all year round, or the mares and foals are left free roaming. In German it is called "Wildbahngestüt" and the French term is "Haras sauvage". Typical horse breeds are "forest bred" New Forest Ponies or "moor bred" Exmoor Ponies or Nonius horses in the Hungarian Puszta.
  • Seasonal Free Horses
  • In many rural places exists the tradition of releasing domestic horses and ponies into the nature for the season to graze on vast areas. This concept is popular for raising youngstock of any breed or to give working horses a summer off. They often share their pastures with other livestock animals as cattle or goats. Typical for a seasonal freedom is the alpine Almsommer with Haflinger Horses.
The one true wild horse

Takhi / Przewalski

The only and last true wild (never domesticated) horse (Equus ferus) in the world today is the Przewalski horse, also known by its indigenous name Takhi. Although the genetic base relies only on 27 specimen that were kept in Zoos, the Takhi nowadays repopulates the steppes in Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan.

BREED PORTRAITS

Free Horses

There is a surprisingly high number of projects and regions with free roaming horses in Europe and worldwide. Many populations are at risk and therefore have a high intersection with Forgotten Horses. The breed gallery will updated continuously.

An incomplete and unofficial list of Free Horses

I created a list of Free Horses and Wildlings and sorted them according to my personal categories of wilderness. All types of Free Horses can have domesticated representatives and the borders between feral and semi-feral or semi-feral and seasonal or partly free are floating and can change with local breeders and projects.

Horse breeds typed in italic in the lists below are in my photographic archive. All my pictures can be licensed for private, editorial and commercial usage.

Feral Horses

Abaco Barb
Acheloos
Ainos
Alberta Mountain Horse
Aleutian Islands Free Horses
Amyrakikos
Aveto Feral Horses
Axios
Bagual
Baixadeiro
Balkan Mountain Horse Types
Banker Horse
Bilgoray
Bisbino
Brittany Triangle Horse
Bronson Forest Pony
Broomtail
Brumby
Budjonny Mustang
California Vaquero
Carneddau Pony
Cayuse
Chilcotin British Columbia Mustang
Chincoteague/Assateague Pony
Colonial Spanish
Cumberland Island
Dartmoor Hill Pony
Delft Island Horse
Drama
Florida Cracker
Giara Pony
Grayson Highlands Pony
Greek feral
Highland Valley Copper Mine
Kaapsehoop Wild Horses
Kaimanawa Horse
Kalamas Delta
Kundudo
Lavradeiro
Letea
Marquesas Islands Horse
Misaki
Mustang
Namib Desert Horse
Nogali
Nokota Horse
Oak Creek Mustang
Overberg Free Horses
Páramo Horse
Petala Mountain
Pindos Pony
Puno Pony
Retuertas
Rila Mountain
Rodopi
Sable Island Pony
Salomonen
Saltery Creek Wild Horses
Sampas
Sanfratellano
Scutari
Serbian mountain pony
Serres
Southwest Spanish Mustang
Spanish Mustang
Spanish feral
Stara Planina
Suffield Mustang
Suva Planina Mountain
Takhi
Tolfetano
Tonga
Tornquist Feral Horses
Vieques Free Horses
Vlasina Mountain
Waipi’o Valley Free Horses
Wilbur-Cruce
Yilki
Yukon Wild Horse
Yururi Island Horse
Cabalo Galego de Monte
Coffin Bay Pony
Garrano
Jaca Navarra
Karakachan
Konik Polski
Marismeña
Sorraia
Venezuelan Creoles 
Welsh Mountain

Semi-Feral Horses

Asturian Pony
Auvergne
Bosnian Mountain horse
Caballo Serrano
Cabalo Galego
Cabalo Serranillo
Camargue
Castillonnais
Cavallo Delta
Cheval Corse
Cheval du Vercors de Barraquand
Choctaw
Coffin Bay Pony
Dartmoor Pony
Dülmener Wildpferd
Eriskay Pony
Euskal Herriko Mendiko Zaldi
Exmoor Pony
Fell Pony
Galiceño
Galician Pony
Garrano
Gotland Pony
Gower Ponies
Heck Horse
Hutsul
Jaca Navarra
Kabardin
Kandachi
Karachai
Karakachan
Konik Polski
Lac La Croix Pony
Liebenthaler Wildling
Losino
Lundy Pony
Mallorquín
Marismeña
Mérens
Mogod Pony
Monchina
Mongolian
Monterufolino
Murany Noric
New Forest Pony
Pentro
Pirenenc Catalá
Poney Landais
Pottok
Sarcidano
Shetland Pony
Skyros Pony
Sorraia
Tarpan
Venezuelan Creoles 
Welsh Mountain

Seasonal Free Horses and extensive breeding

Appaloosa
Bardigiana
Bashkir
Breton
Budjonny
Burguete
Cavallo italiano da tiro pesante rapido
Cheval de Megève
Comtois
Connemara Pony
Dales Pony
Døle Horse
Don
Edelbluthaflinger
Faroese Horse
Fjord
Freiberger
Furioso-North Star
Gidran
Haflinger
Henson
Highland Pony
Hispano-Bretón
Hrvatski hladnokrvnjak
Icelandic Horse
Kisber Felver
Kunfakó
Lewitzer
Lil‘wat
Lipizzaner
Lusitano
Maremmano
Miquelonnais
Murgese
Nonius
Nordlandshest / Lyngshest
Noriker
Okanagan-Similkameen
Percheron
Persano
Poitevin Mulassier
Polesskaya
Pónei da Terceira
Posavina
Pura Raza Española
Quba
Rahvan
Rúm Pony
Schwarzwälder Kaltblut
Senner
Sokólski
Sorraia Mustang
Sztumski
Waler
Yakut

Free Horses in the media

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Do you want to learn more about Free Horses? Please follow my hashtag #explore_freehorses on instagram and don’t miss any new updates and pictures of my project.

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photo archive

Photography of Free Horses

Are you looking for professional photos of free, rare and endangered breeds? You will find a small selection of my pictures in the breed posts, but you may ask for more specific photos directly. All my pictures can be licensed for private, editorial and commercial usage.

Image Licensing
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