Victor Ros

A band of Takhi (Przewalski's) #horses grazing at @PaleoliticoVivo in Salguero de Juarros, Burgos (Spain). The Przewalski's horses are often considered the last truly wild horses left in the world. Having been declared as extinct in the wild in the late 1960's. From very few captive individuals (about 12) the foundation of the Przewalsk's was established. Successful selective breeding led to larger numbers. Thanks to this, and the inspiring efforts of the conservationists involved, they've been successfully reintroduced to Mongolia and China where they have formed small but stable populations. Przewalski's are increasingly visible in European rewilding projects too, often alongside other equids. There are now about 2000 Przewalski's horses around the world. Now it seems, that their title as the last truly wild horse has been challenged by results of genetic studies. In these studies it is suggested that Przewalski's horses are the feral descendants of horses from the Botai culture, where domestication of horses was said to have began. science.org/doi/10.1126/scie… 📷VRos

Kinship and friendships in horses! In the image, a band of horses huddle together during a bout of rest. Huddles in horses are much more than just a means to thermoregulation as once thought. Read more on Horse Huddles here...equilibregaia.wordpress.com/…

Naso-naso in horses. If you nose you nose!

A piebald Pottoka Pony foal on the march!

Cave art! A wonderful panel of Horses at Ekain Cave @ekainberri estimated to be 10,000-14,500 years old gives us a glimpse of the equids of that time. In particular, the diversity in coat colors which include piebalds/skewbald is most interesting. Funnily enough, the Basque native ponies or 'pottokas' found in the hills not long ago shared the same diverse coats. Nowadays, breed standards only accept black pottokas and anything else is selected against. Interestingly, the Pottokas native to France allows for variations. I share many images of Piebald and Skewbald ponies. These are from an established rewilding project set up by my mentor, the neuroscientist and ethologist Lucy Rees. The herd was established in 2008 for ethological studies, but at the same time to preserve some of the genetic diversity being wiped out by breed standardization.

The Beautiful "Frieze of small #horses" from the caves of Lascaux dates back about 15,500-17,000 years. Today, native ponies still roam the hills of Spain, Portugal ang France. I especially love the piebald pony (Pottoka-ish?)...and their 'gorse' bellies.

Horses live in bands within a herd! In the image, 4 bands rest in close proximity to one another. Some in closer proximity than others. This particular herd of feral horses was compromised of a total of 15-17 (n=150 h) bands. As one band stopped to rest, all other bands did too. Feral Creoles - Los Llanos (Venezuela) 📷VRos

Eder, a Pottoka pony bachelor stallion displays a typical herding posture by lowering his head, extending neck, pinning back ears, and moving forward towards the horses he wanted to displace. His positioning and intensity are key for successful herding. The main function is to displace others into a particular direction, typically away from perceived threats. It is often used to separate potential mates (mares) from established bands too. When this sequence of behaviors are followed by a side to side movement of the head, it is commonly known as 'snaking'. In this case, it was two mature mares and their foals that had recently fissioned from their band that Eder attempted to herd. They traveled together for weeks, leaving behind the band and stallion their foals were born from. But they were not impressed with Eder, and after several desperate failed attempts, he eventually dissuaded. Had he succeeded, bachelor life would have been over and a new family band likely formed. What would have happened to the foals had he succeeded? They were too young to disperse, so I am glad it did not go that way. #horses #ethology #behavior #wildequus

The importance of sociality to horses can never be emphasized enough! Family (kinship) and friends matter! A feral Pottoka pony foal (son) is approached by the stallion (dad) and likely share olfactory information through a naso-naso ritual. The mare (mom) is just behind them. 📷VRos

Happy International Horses' Day! An introduction to the Feral horses of Tornquist N.P. (Argentina) #horses #wildequus #Argentina equilibregaia.wordpress.com/…

Eagles grooming horses at 'cleaning stations'. On the original post I forgot to credit the images: 📷VRos (left) 📷Carmen Moreno (right)

A beautiful Galician Pony mare with a hefty tash! #horses #AnimalLover #pony #naturelovers

Band on the run! #horses #animals #nature

Horses on 'top of the world'

Interesting article on 'fear-aggression' in dogs. Happy to read the references to one of my esteemed mentors Dr. Roger Abrantes. The Defendant Stands Accused Of Fear Aggression aggressivedog.com/2021/09/13…

Time sharing in horses