Portal:Horses

Cumberland Island horses on the beach

The Cumberland Island horses are a band of feral horses living on Cumberland Island in the state of Georgia. Popular myth holds that horses arrived on the island sometime in the 16th century with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. However, it is unlikely that any horses left by the Spanish survived, and more likely the current population descends from horses brought to the island in the 18th century by the English. Cumberland Island became part of the Cumberland Island National Seashore in 1972 when the National Park Service (NPS) took over its management. These horses are similar to the bands of horses living on the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague. There is estimated to be a population of between 150 and 200 horses on the island. Horses on Cumberland Island have a relatively short life expectancy, due to pest infestations, disease and their rugged environment. In 2000 a behavioral study found that instability marks the bands, with large numbers of co-dominant stallions, early dispersal of juveniles, and frequent band-changing among mares.

The herd has been studied periodically since the late 1980s, with researchers recommending various management strategies depending on the focus of their study. Current herd levels have been shown to have a negative effect on their environment, and researchers focused on environmental issues recommend a severe reduction in herd numbers. Other researchers, looking at genetic variability, state that a herd size nearly as large as current is necessary to prevent inbreeding, but also state the herd is not genetically unique enough to warrant special preservation. The National Park Service has no current management plan for the horses, and their one effort to create one was blocked by Jack Kingston, a Georgia member of the US House of Representatives. (Full article...)

A farmer plowing with horses. The plough (American spelling: plow) is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture.

• ... that the white horse in mythology is associated with the sun chariot, warrior-heroes, fertility or an end-time saviour?
• ... that after endangering himself to control the imperial horse, Qi Ying was made an imperial attendant by Emperor Dezong of Tang?
• ... that an enterolith is a calculus found in the intestine of an animal, usually a horse or human?
• ...that the discovery of horse bones at the archaeological site of Hallur in south India refuted the theory that horses were introduced to this region as part of the Indo-Aryan migration?

A Sorraia stallion

The Sorraia is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the portion of the Iberian Peninsula, in the Sorraia River basin, in Portugal. The Sorraia is known for its primitive features, including a convex profile and dun coloring with primitive markings. Concerning its origins, a theory has been advanced by some authors that the Sorraia is a descendant of primitive horses belonging to the naturally occurring wild fauna of Southern Iberia. Studies are currently ongoing to discover the relationship between the Sorraia and various wild horse types, as well as its relationship with other breeds from the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa.

Members of the breed are small, but hardy and well-adapted to harsh conditions. They were occasionally captured and used by native farmers for centuries, and a remnant population of these nearly extinct horses was discovered by a Portuguese zoologist in the early 20th century. Today, the Sorraia has become the focus of preservation efforts, with European scientists leading the way and enthusiasts from several countries forming projects and establishing herds to assist in the re-establishment of this breed from its current endangered status. (Full article...)

• ... that in 1937, water from Tulainyo Lake was carried by runner, horseback, donkey, covered wagon, twenty-mule team, stagecoach, train, car, and plane to Death Valley to mark a highway opening?
• ... that when Jalal al-Din realised that he would be defeated at the Battle of the Indus, he rode his horse off a 30-foot (10 m) cliff into the Indus River?
• ... that during the construction of 181 Montague Street in New York City, each of the building's columns was pulled by 14 horses?
• ... that horses were responsible for delaying the deciding match of the Barcelona women's football team's 1973 winning season?
• ... that during the Avar Wars, disease killed 90 per cent of Charlemagne's horses?
• ... that Ulysses S. Grant was arrested for speeding in his horse carriage when he was a general?