Feral horse

Information about Feral horse

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Feral horse in the Pentland Hills, Scotland. Feral horses, though popularly called "wild" horses, are not truly wild; their ancestors were domesticated animals.
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Feral Chincoteague ponies on Assateague Island, Virginia
Feral horses are free-roaming, untamed horses who are descended from domesticated horses. As such, they do not meet the definition of "true" wild horses that never had domesticated ancestors. All feral horses are descended from domestic horses that strayed or escaped into the wild. Most feral horses, if captured young and handled properly, can be re-domesticated.

Feral horses live in groups called bands or herds (In Australia, a feral herd is called a mob). Feral and wild horse herds are usually made up of small bands led by a dominant mare, containing additional mares, their foals, and immature horses of both sexes. There is usually one herd stallion, though occasionally a few less-dominant males may remain with the group. Horse "herds" in the wild are best described as groups of several small bands who share a common territory. Bands are usually on the small side, as few as three to five animals, but sometimes over a dozen. The makeup of bands shifts over time as young animals are driven out of the band they were born into and join other bands, or as young stallions challenge older males for dominance. However, in a given closed ecosystem such as the isolated refuges in which most feral horses live today, to maintain genetic diversity the minimum size for a sustainable free-roaming horse or burro population is 150-200 animals.[1]
See also:


Modern types of feral horses include the following: In historical times, the only horses who meet the definition of "wild," in that they never had domesticated ancestors, were the Tarpan and the Przewalski's horse. The Tarpan is now extinct.

See Also

For information on genetically "wild" Equines, see:

References

Domestication refers to the process whereby a population of animals or plants becomes accustomed to human provision and control. Humans have brought these populations under their care for a wide range of reasons: to produce food or valuable commodities (such as wool, cotton, or
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H.O.R.S.E. is a form of poker commonly played at the high stakes tables of casinos. It consists of rounds of play cycling among:
  • Texas Hold 'em,
  • Omaha eight or better,
  • Razz,
  • Seven card Stud, and
  • Seven card stud E

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mare is an adult female horse.

Most of the time, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare
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For the English indie band see Foals


A foal is a horse that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal. When the foal is nursing its dam (mother), it may also be called a suckling.
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A stallion is a male horse that has not been castrated.

Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck compared to mares and geldings,
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ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all the non-living physical factors of the environment.
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Mustang is a free-roaming feral horse of the North American west. It first descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish.[1] The name "Mustang" is also popular for high-performance products and sports mascots.
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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A brumby is a free-roaming feral horse in Australia. Although they are found in many areas around the country, the most well-known brumbies are found in the Australian Alps region in south-eastern Australia.
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Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
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The Sorraia is a horse from Spain and Portugal (Iberia Peninsula), which has influenced many light modern horse breeds.

Breed characteristics

The Sorraia has an appearance remarkably similar to the prehistoric cave paintings found across the northern Mediterranean and the
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Motto
"Plus Ultra"   (Latin)
"Further Beyond"
Anthem
"Marcha Real" 1
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Anthem
"A Portuguesa"


Capital
(and largest city) Lisbon5

Official languages Portuguese1
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The Chincoteague Pony is a hardy breed that originates on the Atlantic island of Assateague. The breed varies greatly in type and there is no true breed standard. Natural selection and the introduction of different breeds, have led to this lack of a true type.
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Assateague Island is an undeveloped barrier island, comprising the southern portion of Maryland's Atlantic Coast and part of Virginia's Eastern Shore. It is known for the its herds of Chincoteague Ponies and the Assateague Lighthouse.
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Commonwealth of Virginia

Flag of Virginia Seal
Nickname(s): Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents
Motto(s): Sic semper tyrannis

Official language(s) English

Capital Richmond
Largest city
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State of Maryland

Flag of Maryland Seal
Nickname(s): Old Line State; Free State
Motto(s): Fatti maschii, parole femine
(Manly deeds, womanly words)

Official language(s) None (English, de facto
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The Banker Horse is a horse which has existed on the island of North Carolina's Outer Banks for centuries. This feral horse survives by eating the marsh grass and by scratching through sand for water seepage.
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Outer Banks are a 100-mile (160-km) long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, on the East Coast of the United States. They cover approximately half the northern North Carolina coastline, separating the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound from the Atlantic
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The State of North Carolina

Flag of North Carolina Seal
Nickname(s): Tar Heel State; Old North State;
The Rip Van Winkle State
''Motto(s): Esse quam videri (Latin: To be, rather than to seem)''

Official language(s)
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Cumberland Island is one of the Sea Islands. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia and is part of Camden County (). The island is 17.5 miles (28 km) long, with an area of 36,415 acres (147.
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State of Georgia

Flag of Georgia Seal of Georgia
Nickname(s): Peach State, Empire State of the South
Motto(s): Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation

Official language(s) English

Capital Atlanta

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</gallery>Kaimanawa Horses are a population of New Zealand free-roaming feral horses descended from domestic horses that were released in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the middle of the North Island around the Kaimanawa Ranges.
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Anthem
"God Defend New Zealand"
"God Save the Queen" 1


Capital Wellington

Largest city Auckland
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Motto
"Unity, Liberty, Justice"
Anthem
Namibian Anthem )
[[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2004) [[Image:Red Arrow Down.svg|10px]] 0.626 (medium) ([[List of countries by Human Development Index|125th]])
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Sable Island
île de Sable
Location of Sable Island
Coordinates:
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Nova Scotia
Nouvelle-Écosse, Alba Nuadh

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit   (Latin)
"One defends and the other conquers"
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New Forest Pony is one of the recognised nine Mountain and Moorland or Native pony breeds of the British Isles, valued for its hardiness, strength and sureness of foot. Many of them can be seen running loose on the New Forest in southern England; although the ponies may appear wild
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    Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, (abbr. Hants), or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England.
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