Namibian Horses

Namibian Horses

Introduction

The Namibian Horses, also known as the Namib Desert horses, are a breed of feral horses that reside in the Namib Desert in Namibia. They are unique because they could be the only wild group of horses found in Africa. Their population range lies between 90 and 150.  They are usually dark in color and manage to remain in good condition despite the arid environment that surrounds them. However, during severe drought, they become affected, and some die as a result of the extreme conditions.

Origin

Scientists have performed several genetic tests to try and determine the exact source of these horses. However, none of them have been able to point out the origin of the horses conclusively. Therefore, researchers have put forward several theories to try and explain their origin. The most common argument that is in circulation indicates that they may have originated from horses lost during colonization and First World War activities in the early 1900s (Greyling, Cilliers & Van Hamburg, 2007). Their supposed ancestors are a mixture of the riding horses and cavalry horses that belonged to the Germans. Regardless of their actual origin, they eventually settled near Aus, where an artificial water source existed.

Characteristics

Most of these horses are bay in color. However, some of them are brown. Several individuals within the herd have dorsal stripes. People describe the horses as being athletic and muscular. They have strong bones, and their physical frame is slender. They have short backs, and their shoulders are oblique. They generally have a good physique, except for a few deformities in some of them. They travel long distances within the desert resulting in club hooves in some of the foals.

Despite the harsh conditions in the desert, the horses remain in good physical condition. Cases of severe drought may worsen the quality of their bodies while periods of rainfall improve their body structure. Generally, the male horses are in better physical condition than the female ones. Studies conduct on dead horses show no sign of equestrian diseases. Cases of external parasites are also sporadic. However, there are cases of internal parasites within the horse’s bodies.

Genetics

            Results from genetic tests indicated that Namib Desert Horses are one of the most secluded horse species in the world (Van der Merwe, Cothran & Van Dyk, 2001). The study further indicated that among all the investigated horse species, Namib Desert Horses exhibit the second-lowest genetic discrepancy. These findings may be a result of their small ancestral population. Also, their current community is significantly small, and periods of extreme drought reduce these numbers further.  Even though their assumed ancestors were of a large variety, adverse environmental conditions resulted in reduced populations. In turn, the genetic variation also reduced.

The ideal population size required for genetic variability would be approximately two hundred horses. However, the current population is not enough to support this and is not likely to grow, given the inconsistent rainfall patterns in the desert. Studies indicate that the Namib Desert Horse is in the same category as the Oriental horse. Genetically speaking, this group is closest to the Arabian horse (Van der Merwe, Cothran & Van Dyk, 2001). It is important to note that although they are genetically most intimate to the Arabian horse, the actual genetic relationship between these two species is very distant. This distance is evident because they have no similarities in their outward appearance. During the study, scientists examined three other breeds of horses of South African descent. These breeds are the Nooitgedacht pony, the Boer pony, and the Basuto pony.

Behavior and Ecology

            The horses move in small groups, which may be as low as two horses. They exist in groups known as bands. Initial studies identified between six to eleven bands. The bands are categorized into three groups: breeding groups, bachelor groups, and groups consisting of stallions that shared breeding duties. Given the nature of their arid environment, the horses are forced to travel long distances in search of pasture, water, and shelter. Consequently, the weak horses in the group die in the process, effectively completing natural selection.

Namib Desert horses have adapted to the aridity of their habitat and can go for long periods without water. They can survive for three days without water in the winter, and for thirty hours in the summer. This period is significantly more extended than any other breed of horses that can go without water.  Their exposure to the arid environment helped them develop mechanisms that help them preserve water in their body systems for extended periods.

The spotted hyena in the desert is the main predator that feeds on these horses, particularly the foals. To a lesser extent, black-backed jackals and leopards also kill and feed on the young horses. Luckily, there are other foods available in the desert, and this factor reduces the rates at which predators kill them. However, death still occurs among the horses at significant levels. These deaths mainly occur as a result of the harsh environmental conditions in which they live. The high desert temperatures result in dehydration and reduced plasma levels (Sneddon, VanderWalt & Mitchell, 1993). Arid conditions do not favor the growth of plants; hence food is rarely available for the horses as they are herbivores. The lack of food in the desert results in malnutrition and, eventually, death.

In an attempt to find food and water, the horses are forced to travel for very long distances. This traveling leads to extreme exhaustion, and given their hunger levels, most of them die as a result. Also, injuries are likely to occur during the migrations resulting in the inability to walk. A lame horse cannot move and, therefore, cannot search for food or water. Also, the horse cannot escape from predators in case of an attack.

Emerging Issues

            Initially, the horses had to compete for grazing land with domesticated animals. This competition for limited pasture nearly wiped out the entire population of these species. However, Jan Coetzer helped them survive through his determination. He petitioned CDM to ensure that the horses received water. They agreed and mounted holding tanks and water trough that availed water to the horses. This move took care of the dehydration concern, and the horses managed to live on to date.

The horses’ habitat was merged with Namib-Naukluft Park, Africa’s largest game reserve. The reserve’s main agenda was to protect local animal species. Given that there were no traces of ancestral horses in Southern Africa, the government considered the horses exotic. They established a movement to get rid of the horses. However, many people were against this move, and they managed to prevent it from happening. In the next year, ten horses were selected from the group for study purposes. Eight more horses were chosen for use in patrolling Etosha National Park, although the horses did not perform this task well.

In later years, severe drought in Namibia resulted in a significant decrease in the horses’ population. Also, about a hundred horses were captured and sold to interested persons. However, they did not adapt well to the new environmental conditions, and most of them died.

Conclusion

The Namib Desert horses remain an unusual species due to their unique nature. Scientists should conduct more studies on animals to help understand them better.

References

Boyd, L., & Keiper, R. (2005). Behavioral ecology of The domestic horse: The origins, development, and management of its behavior, 55.

Greyling, T., Cilliers, S. S., & Van Hamburg, H. (2007). Vegetation studies of feral horse habitat in the Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia. South African Journal of Botany, 73(2), 328-328. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/82581047.pdf

Sneddon, J. C., VanderWalt, J., & Mitchell, G. (1993). Effect of dehydration on the volumes of body fluid compartments in horses. Journal of arid environments, 24(4), 397-408. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196383710335

Van der Merwe, F. J., Cothran, E. G., & Van Dyk, E. (2001). Genetic variation in the feral horses of the Namib Desert, Namibia. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association, 72(1), 18-22.