How it shapes the landscape
Wild horses play acrucial role in shaping natural habitats. From grazing through to trampling, wallowing and scenting, their influence benefits amultitude of species. Horses and ponies love coarser grasses and herbs. As abulk grazer, they will break up tussocky grasslands to form sward mosaics with characteristic, and species-rich, short-sward lawns. This fosters and maintains diverse communities of grasses and wildflowers.
Horses and ponies also tackle woody vegetation, debarking some trees and shrubs, although as anon-ruminant they struggle to digest woody material. By wallowing in dry, sandy soil, horses create habitat that numerous warmth-loving, basking and burrow-nesting insects require, including pollinating bees andwasps.
Where it likes tobe
Wild horses and ponies are animals of arange of habitats, including open grassy plains, scrub, wood pasture and woodland. Their activities in the landscape contribute to adynamic mosaic of ever-changing habitats.
How much space do theyneed
The productivity of natural grasses will, in part, determine the carrying capacity of asite. Nutrient-rich floodplains are able to support more animals in asmaller area than dry sandy or chalky soils. Today, rewilded horses and ponies will best thrive in, and will form and shape, open grasslands, shrublands and wood pastures. Asmall herd will need alarger site for year round grazing.
Background story
Domestic horses and ponies are afamiliar feature of the British countryside. Few realise that these are derived from the extinct wild horse that was once widespread across north-west Europe, including the British Isles. Subspecies of the wild horse include the modern domesticated horse, the extinct tarpan (native to Europe and western Asia) and the endangered Przewalski’s horse (native to Mongolia).
Can we have them in Britain?
In the UK, semi-wild herds of horses thrive on Exmoor (Exmoor ponies) and in the New Forest. Aherd of wild horses can comprise anumber of harems containing mares and their offspring, and agroup of stallions. Space is needed to accommodate this.
A genetically diverse founder population of, say, 12 adult mares, with additional offspring, and six stallions, will quickly regain natural behaviours and demand little day-to-day intervention, beyond ensuring their welfare.
Wild horses will readily drift into arable and improved grasslands in search of grazing opportunities, so boundary fencing is usually required, even on largesites.
In summary
- A key rewilding engineer
- Likes woodlands and grasslands
- The Exmoor pony is agood proxy for the wild horse, as are other native pony breeds
- Hardy, with rain and ice-resistant coats
- Loves wallowing in dry, sandy soils, creating open soil habitat for many insects
Grazers and browsers
Find out more about how they perform such avital role in shaping our landscapes and driving natural processes.
