It’s hard to imagine that there are wild horses out there right now in the wilderness. Moreover, when you think about all the care horses need, it’s also surprising that wild horses are running wild across the United States. That’s because we tend to associate horses solely as domesticated animals living with caretakers , but that is just a portion of horses. As such, you might want to know some of these interesting facts about wild horses you didn’t know.
Not Native to America
You might find it surprising that the wild horses we are familiar with today are not native to North America. That’s because these horses hailed from Spain when the Spanish conquistadors stepped foot on American land in the 16th century. The Spanish conquistadors brought their mustangs, or “mestengos,” from Spain to America during this time. As a result, these horses grew significantly in number over the following centuries.
Where They Live
Now that we have established that these equine beauties live and gallop aplenty, you might be wondering where wild horses live in America. Wild horses can survive and flourish in a variety of terrains, environments, and climates. However, the area that wild horses tend to call home include Arizona, California, Montana, and Utah. You can also find them in small pockets within North Dakota and Eastern America.
A True Wild Horse
One of the most interesting facts you likely didn’t know is that there is only one true wild horse. That is none other than the Przewalski’s horse in Mongolia. What makes them so different? The Przemalski has never been tamed or domesticated despite the best efforts of many zoos.
Moreover, this incredible animal is genetically distinct from other domestic horses and actually considered a distant cousin of horses. It appears that about 500,000 years ago, their DNA diverged from the ancestor domestic horses have in common.
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