Lake Pape - The wild horses

The return of wild horses in Latvia

Wild horses were common in Europe before farming was developed. Their height was 1.2-1.3 m up to the nape; they were strong grey horses with a dark stripe across their back, dark zebra like stripes on the legs, and dark mane and tail.

In the Baltic region, some animals still survived in medieval times. Even at the beginning of the 17th century, archers were employed to hunt wild horses that used to damage cultivated areas around some European cities. The last wild horses were captured in 1808 by Polish farmers, who crossed them with their own workhorses. The result was strong, hard-working and manageable horses, which they named Konik Polski.

In Russia, the last recorded wild horse died in 1887. Archaeologists and folk songs have proved that wild horses once also roamed in Latvia.

Coming close to the original tarpan
In 1936, Polish professor Vitelani started to select feral horses that were very similar to wild ones, and launched special breeding programmes. It took several generations to bring back wild horses that are very close to the original tarpan. Today more than half the world's 2,500 wild horses live in The Netherlands, where they help restore and preserve natural meadows. In 1999, WWF started to plan the return of wild horses in Latvia.

About the species
Horses feed on grass reeds, bushes, and bark. They help to keep the land open, freeing areas for other grassland animals and plants to settle. Horses live in harems, groups of young horses and stallions. A harem consists of a stallion that is the guard of the group, and several mares with their colts. The guard can win its position after severe fights against other stallions.

The usual months of birth are April and May. The pregnancy lasts for 11 months. The group of young horses include mares, which are driven away from the harem. This is a natural way to avoid mating among very close relatives. Stallions who have not got harems make groups of their own. Living together strengthens each individual's resistance to cold, insects, and predators. It is also a good learning process for colts.

Before winter, wild horses develop thick hair and build fat. They can survive all year round on their own, as opposed to domestic horses, which usually need human assistance. They can live to the age of 15 years.