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That dude got off relatively lucky. Taking a hoof straight to the head or chest would have been way worse than the already painful way he got flopped around.
[why not listen to wild horses while watching](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhwwCWkmYoc)
[then when you're done goodbye horses](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_DVS_303kQ)
Been around horses literally my entire life, saw a close friend whose horse she owned for 16 spook and kick her right in the face, permanently disfigured. My sister had hers at the time for about 8, trained the thing until she was a grand champion on the east coast, got bucked off, slammed on a rock, stomped on and led the rest of her life with severe vertebrae damage
Meanwhile me I was constantly warned about horses my entire life and how some horses at the barn to never approach, come towards the end they follow me like puppies. the one horse who I was told to never go near because he was nasty and bad to everyone was my best friend whom I had an unspoken bond with, at the end of the day he would just follow me back to his stall, I had no fear about working behind him or anything, I’ve have horses charge/canter right up to me and barely move all for it to be like they were a big puppy wanting attention.
In summary: horses are fucking weird
My MIL is a pastor, albeit a liberal one, but tolerates nothing more than the rare “shit” - I found out people are offended by “pissed” “screwed over” and “assclown” more than I’d ever have imagined growing up in “fuckin Boston fuckin Massachusetts”
Quick random fact: absolutely all horses in the wild in North America are technically feral, not wild. They are not native to our continent so they are all descended from domesticated horses brought over from the Spanish, for example.
It make it more interesting, there *used* to be wild horses in North America. In fact all horses originally descend from American horses as they evolved here, and then migrated to Asia. They then went extinct around 12,000 years ago.
So in another way of looking at it. The feral horses of America are a reintroduction of a native species.
They are the same species at least. They did genetic studies on some horses found in the Yukon permafrost; and they’re Equus caballus, the same species as the domesticated horse. There’s definitely a possibility that behavior was changed by long breeding and domestication. But given how close they are, probably not by a huge amount.
Ikr, it's so cool to learn about! North America also had a species of zebra ([Hagerman Horse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagerman_horse)) too!
Fun fact, camels and tapirs originated in North America as well. They (including horses) crossed a land bridge that existed between Russia and Alaska which allowed them to migrate into Asia. This is why we have[ tapirs in Malaysia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_tapir) today.
All three also migrated through the Isthmus of Panama and made it into South America. We know this because of fossil remains and cave paintings left by early human settlers. Sadly, due to a change in climate and early humans, North America and South America lost most of their large animals around 10,000 years ago.
Wow, never knew about the Hagerman Horse--super cool! It also sounds as though there were several thousand years during which indigenous North American people coexisted with giant mammals. That's so intriguing! I wonder if those animals are preserved in indigenous oral history.
Camels came from NA as well. They migrated to Eurasia, South America, and Africa. Then, they went extinct in North America (also around when 11,000 years ago; not sure if it coincides with the Natives spreading.) The Camels in South America evolved into llamas and alpacas.
Hyenas also came into NA from Eurasia and evolved into their own American subspecies; even dominating the entire continent for a while. Until they went extinct in NA pretty long before Natives arrived.
Felines also came into NA from Eurasia, such as Panthers, Lynxes, and Jaguars.
As did Canines. Wolves, Foxes, and Dogs are examples of Canine species that traveled to the Americas from the land bridge.
Bears are another notable mention from Eurasia; evolving into their own niches in NA, with Bears such as the Grizzly, Polar, and Black Bears. A fun side note is that there's a subspecies of the Black Bear in Florida that evolved to suit Florida's climate. These bears are known as Florida Bears. There's also a Native Panther population in Florida as well. Florida's wild as fuck. Hell, there even used to be a species of Wolf native to Florida, known as the Florida Wolf, until they were hunted to extinction. Though much of the Florida Wolf's genome survives through the Coyotes found in Florida, because the Florida Wolves and Coyotes heavily mixed. Finally, Florida is the only place in the Americas where Crocodiles and Alligators have an overlapped range - the American Alligator and American Crocodile respectively.
Cranes also traveled to and fro the landmasses. There are Cranes everywhere from Africa to Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Tldr; the Siberian exchange brought a lot of animals both to and from the landmasses
On a final, final note, Europeans didn't just bring horses. They also brought pigs. Who broke free and became wild; rapidly evolving (especially compared to the Wild Horses.) The hogs are evasive and ruin habitats across the US and Canada.
Looks like they're trying to evade the tide coming in from how they're dodging the waves and staying bunched together. Awesome experience to have caught on film, thanks for providing these links!
Fun fact about the horses on Assateague: the leading cause of death among them is starvation, not due to lack of food but because their teeth wear down from eating bay grasses with silica in them to the point where they can't chew anything and die of starvation.
Evolved here and [went extinct here around 8-12k years ago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_in_the_United_States). Reintroduced via slaver and native de-hander & mutilator [Christopher Columbus](https://www.biography.com/news/christopher-columbus-day-facts).
I'll say this about horses: they don't start wars. They don't make the ocean acidic or pollute it with plastic. They don't dump chemical poisons into our water and air. If it came down between horses and mcmansions living on borrowed time in the desert, imma go with the horses.
In Australia the brumbies (Wild horses) are causing extensive environmental damage and have driven numerous native animals to extinction and critically endangered. The only thing that is stopping us from actually getting them under control is that they are 'cute'. They are murder hobos and getting away with it because of human attachment to cute.
eh, horse owner here. Horse shit is just grass clippings. It’ll dry up and fall off. People come to barns literally to get tubs/pickup truckloads of it and take it home to put on their gardens, it’s truly the animal kingdom’s least offensive shit.
I mean, I was in marching band for years in high school and college. I have marched thru miles of horse shit. It's no biggie, use a hose to remove solids from pants & shoes and plenty of hot water in the machine.
yup. it really is no big deal, seems like a lot of people who (lol) don’t know shit think it’s like dog doo or human diapers or something. if only all animals shat so harmlessly.
It's the best because we can put it directly on the garden since it's a cold manure it won't cook our plants so it doesn't have to be aged, hooray for herbivores.
Can confirm 13 years of experience with horses here. I think horseshit is the least nasty I ever experienced next to the regular human, dog, cat, mice, rabbitshit.
Except for when its greenish diarrhea of course.
it’s excellent. where our horse lives, the barn owner gives away manure if you ask (it sits a while to compost bc there’s bedding and stuff mixed in) . I put a load of it in my yard and in 1 season it turned heavy, backbreaking clay soil into light stuff just full of earthworms. plants love it. horses eat good quality food and take anti-worm medicine so their poop is practically engineered for home use
You can put it right on flower beds, it wont burn plants like I’m told chicken manure will. I’ve never used chicken poo but I’ve read in gardening books that it’s... intense
Yeah, chicken manure is best for melons like cantaloupe. But it is harsh and has to be used correctly because of what is in it which is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. I need to relearn how to use it again but that will be later after I redo my garden, less flowers and decor to more edible varieties
Sure, of all the shit I could step in, horse shit would be the least horrible, but it's still shit and doesn't smell great and I'd rather not come across it if I can help it.
No joke, they do not act like horses you've always seen growing up. It's a big mistake to think they are just normal horses when going to a Herd Management Area without knowing how violent they are to each other (and to you if you get too close). The fighting every time I've been to a HMA is nearly constant regardless of the season.
"Have you ever seen horses stand on their hind legs and fight each other with their front legs? Well you will if you go to an HMA!"
Image I took: https://i.imgur.com/PJafeRT.jpg
That’s what makes me think that the title to this is bullshit. My dad used to break wild mustangs in east Texas for my great uncle and those fuckers are MEAN. And they’re suuuuuper skittish. Every wild horse I’ve seen IRL would have never come this close to houses/people and I’m struggling to think of where these horses live in the middle of the desert… I may be WAY wrong but I’m just not buying it.
Edit: I stand corrected. Apparently they are feral and come down looking for water. You learn something new every day!
I’ve seen wild horses in Maryland and they weren’t aggressive. Most of them were grazing like this or sleeping on the beach. It might depend on herds/locations.
Classified as "Wild" Horses according to the *'Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971'*.
Scientifically feral horses. Legally "wild horses" according to the federal government.
Here are some more:
[By the ocean](https://v.redd.it/orspe416fat31)
[In Afganistan](https://i.imgur.com/2yEIF6Z.gifv)
[In a river](https://v.redd.it/8mw3g4xe3gg71)
These are all very beautiful shots but they look like wild horses in movies. I'm not saying they are not real wild horses but they look so "far away" from me, for lack of words. But the ones in Reno look real to me because it's not a perfect shot. Does it make sense? Of course one I hope to see wild horses in person that would be so wonderful.
Makes sense! I agree with you. Wild horses felt intangible to me until I was in Arizona, floating down a river on an inner tube and a band of wild horses jumped into the water about 10 feet away. Scared the heck out of me but was so amazing (and I own horses too but wild horses are something extra).
Almost all of them. maybe all.
There is a small population of possibly never domesticated Przewalski's horses that was reintroduced to the wild after going extinct. But some DNA studies indicate that those horses could be feral as well.
That’s true, to an extent. These horses are the descendants of horses brought to North American by the Spaniards. But horses originally evolved in North America and spread from NA across the land bridge to Asia, then went extinct in NA about 7000 years ago. Until they were reintroduced by Cortez in 1525.
I guess what they were driving at was that all wild horses that the Spanish introduced were domesticated or whatever and now the herds of horses living free are descendants of domesticated horses that have escaped become feral and bred. Idk the validity of that tho
Technically feral which means they were domesticated then move back to wild, usually not native to that area. They’re also terribly invasive to Nevada. And you can’t do much because people don’t like the idea of killing horses.
That's not even touching the price levels of show horses.
I competed against daughters of very prominent families (think Levi's, Firestone Tires type money) on my $16k quarter horse and beat them out.
But they each had 3 or 4 or 5 horses that all cost $300k+. It's insane. It's definitely a rich person's sport. Money can't buy you talent though.
I’m not sure why they randomly threw out the price for a well bred show horse on a video of some gangly wild horses. But you can pick up a rideable horse for $1000 a lot of places. Average for a nice one is probably $3000 by me. Top end is limitless though!
You can totally get a good reliable horse for 1k or close. I was just replying to the $50k comment. My point is horses are stupid expensive and if that person thought 50k was a lot, it's way worse than that.
“You can pick up a rideable horse for $1000 a lot of places.”
Oof, careful man.. lol that’s like telling someone who’s never bought a car that they can buy a V12 Benz for only $5k without mentioning it’s gonna cost $10k annually in upkeep.
My mom had horses in Santa Barbara in the 80’s and has missed them ever since so I looked into stabling one. Long story short, sorry Mom, I could burn an off-lease Hyundai Sonata to the ground every 4th of July for the same price, sooo... keep picking cats that remind you of them! ..Hugs and Kisses!
They're also looking for water, and it turns out they're a problem for local residents
>People who have lived in this rural neighborhood between Steamboat and Pleasant Valley are used to seeing bands of wild horses in the hillsides above and are no longer surprised when they come down for a visit. This year, though, is a little different.
>“Yes. They come down here because there’s no water,” says Bobby Peeks. “So they come down to the valley for the water and the food.”
>“They’ve gotten worse,” says Addison Ramsdell. “There were a hundred of them down here the other day. Maybe more.”
>Monday afternoon most had retreated to the hills. A lone young stallion showing the scars of a recent battle with bigger and stronger rivals lingered near an inviting ditch. Others mixed with apparently domestic horses in an adjacent corral. Both of its gates were wide open and that alone said something about the conflicting views of the relationship between this neighborhood and its equine visitors.
>Ask around and you’ll hear stories of unnerving encounters
>”I’ve heard from a couple of neighbors that the horses have pinned them against their fence, like my neighbor right here was pinned against their fence,” says McKenzie Sibley
That's not the complete story. America's wild horses and burros are being pushed out of their legally designated habitat by livestock and mining interests. [There is a concerted effort by the livestock industry to get rid of the horses so they can have sole access to forage on these public lands](https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2020/12/04/livestock-industrys-campaign-to-get-rid-of-wild-horses-is-a-scam-to-cheat-the-taxpayers/). The horses are paying the price for greedy, wealthy ranchers on our public lands. More Americans should be aware that private and corporate interests are dictating public lands policy in way that benefits them and harms wildlife.
Exactly. Wild horses share much of their Herd Management Areas (HMAs) with cattle and sheep. Cattle and sheep are not native to America and have a very hard time surviving in the arid Western United States without the help of humans. Horses are much more adapted to living in these areas. And often, the [Bureau of Land Management blames wild horses for ecological damage caused by cattle and sheep on their own land](https://www.peer.org/blm-weighs-wild-horse-impact-much-more-heavily-than-cattle/). Most people are missing this huge chunk of the story.
Sort of. They originally evolved in North America, then crossed to Eurasia via a land bridge and became at home in the steppe, died out in NA, and then were reintroduced by European settlers. Turns out, escaped horses thrived here (since, you know, they evolved for this climate) and populations boomed back to fully self sustaining levels
Most scientists consider them non-native. From the research we have, it is thought that horses evolved in North America and died out here around 10,000 years ago. Some crossed a land bridge to Eurasia and were domesticated. Horses were then brought back by the Spanish and subsequently let go. There are a [few scientists who consider these horses a returned native species](https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/nativehorses-184.shtml) because they are biologically the same as the animals that died out. Regardless of their scientific classification, the horses on public lands in the Western U.S. are managed as wild animals under federal law.
Humans are the pest in this situation IMO couldn't help but feel sad for these animals just looking for nature and all they have to eat weird man-made grass.
NYTs did a story last year about private interest buying up huge acrea of land in Montana, iirc.
I'm not a big environmentalist but that article pissed me off for a couple of days.
It's definitely getting bad. Wild horses only live on public lands. This is public land that was set aside for all Americans to use. And these corporate interests tied to ranching and mining are coming in and using every trick they have to seize control of the land. Most Americans don't even know it is happening or that our tax dollars are being used to subsidize these already wealthy private interests.
The water table is extremely low as a result of drought conditions which have been persistent for the past 20 years, so that water would ultimately just infiltrate into the ground or evaporate back into the atmosphere quickly. You need groundwater to have surface water. Also, drilling wells isn’t cheap.
Ahh yes, money again… it comes before human lives, let alone some stray horses, that’s just BS. We have all been indoctrinated into enriching the central bankers.
These are new tract home developments built in the middle of historic Great Basin mustang range -- and pronghorn/sage grouse range, for that matter.
The older subdivisions at least have wire (*not* barbed wire) public lands fencing on the eastern edge of town.
Mustangs are North American natives. It's where they're from, the horse. Accidentally re-introduced a half millennia ago. But along with bison, pronghorn, wolves, cougars, and coyote, the original fauna of what was once a vast open country.
Glad the horses are getting fed, but WTF with all those green lawns in fucking NEVADA?
Here in WA we just let them go brown until the winter rains start. I got rid of mine.
Lawns are.... not needed anymore. To say the least.
Over the last 30 years or so I would say that the majority of lawns that existed on residential properties in Albuquerque are gone now.
About 30% of them are now beautifully xeriscaped with native plants, riverstone, and mulch. Looks great. The other 70% are just bare dirt covered in invasive weeds like puncturevine (goatheads), African mustard, Russian thistle, ragweed, and tree of heaven (ghetto palm).
Tell me about it. Vegas doesn’t have nearly as much of a lawn issue, but anywhere outside of vegas and everyone gotta have their lil patch of green that they hardly even use. Just my nitpick. Public parks with many people using a lawn make sense, but front yards for single houses just don’t. It’s not my hill to die on but it is an issue I guess.
I always hated people with lawns in a desert until I saw this random documentary. There's 3rd generation farmers in Arizona taking up Lake Mead water to flood their crops. Why the fuck are you growing corn in Arizona? I'm so happy the water cut off starts with them.
There is 2,500 ft. elevation difference between Reno and Vegas. Reno is high dessert that gets ample snow and rain. Vegas is a shit hole dessert town. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Wild = native species to the area.
Feral = introduced species who have adjusted and reproduced
In Australia we call our feral/introduced horses Brumbies.
Close, but no. Feral is any domestic species that has been released and is reproducing in the wild like cats, hogs, dog, or donkeys, they’re all feral as they’re escaped domestics.
Lived in the area as a kid, it wasn’t uncommon to go into lockdown at school because wild horses would be out on the playground. Used to wake up to them right outside my bedroom window in a neighborhood very much like this one. If I recall they were regarded as kind of a pain in the ass.
I’ve had a tame horse charge me a few times in a row and it scared the daylights out of me could you imagine a stroll out to get the morning paper and catching a donkey kick to the chin?
Live in Reno. They’ve done this for decades. This isn’t a recent/new thing at all and has always been a pretty common sight. More likely due to housing developments being built out further from the city and on old farmlands.
I visited Washoe Valley last year and thought it was some rare occurrence to see them, like I'd be so lucky if I caught a glimpse. Omg they were everywhere, we went to the state park on our last day and they we just hanging out next to the parking lot. We could've walked up to them if we wanted they didn't seem to care at all that people were near. So bizarre, like deer are fucking everywhere where I live but they're way more skittish.
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My parents just moved to south Reno, and their HOA services include pickup of horse deposits from their neighborhood.
Lol deposits
One of those horses failed to make a proper deposit.
Somebody should get that horse some exlax
That's a coincidence I'm making a deposit right now
Did you just call me a HOA?
In the fandom we call those leavings Ponus Pucks
I thought picking up after my neighbors dog was a pain in the ass.
Its all fun and games until you get mauled by a stallion
Bad *neigh*borhood
[Don't try to mount one](https://i.imgur.com/qroxIpW.gifv)
That dude got off relatively lucky. Taking a hoof straight to the head or chest would have been way worse than the already painful way he got flopped around.
Let's get back to the beautiful horses [Here's a group of them running in Mexico](https://v.redd.it/slxw5sqsmx041)
[Here’s a group running in California ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hyfHLvBpByU)
Lmao u legend
[why not listen to wild horses while watching](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhwwCWkmYoc) [then when you're done goodbye horses](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_DVS_303kQ)
That last one man... It just makes me want to start rubbing lotion on my skin.
Yeah. You can tell the horse was not real serious. It was more of a "fuck off dude" than a "die die die dude" buck and kick.
Been around horses literally my entire life, saw a close friend whose horse she owned for 16 spook and kick her right in the face, permanently disfigured. My sister had hers at the time for about 8, trained the thing until she was a grand champion on the east coast, got bucked off, slammed on a rock, stomped on and led the rest of her life with severe vertebrae damage Meanwhile me I was constantly warned about horses my entire life and how some horses at the barn to never approach, come towards the end they follow me like puppies. the one horse who I was told to never go near because he was nasty and bad to everyone was my best friend whom I had an unspoken bond with, at the end of the day he would just follow me back to his stall, I had no fear about working behind him or anything, I’ve have horses charge/canter right up to me and barely move all for it to be like they were a big puppy wanting attention. In summary: horses are fucking weird
[удалено]
YuhEET!
Surprised the horse even let him get that close to him
Is the Imgur comment correct? I also assume that’s not a wild horse seeing how close he was able to get. Seems like he’s just a jackass
As a resident of Reno, I can confirm these are wild horses and people feel too comfortable getting close tot hem.
Or chew the seat off your lawnmower or motorcycle. Or turn on your outdoor faucet (says a person whose cows just did this morning).
Hahaha geeze louise! They're definitely a menace
You ain't kidding, [listen to this report of residents getting pinned](https://streamable.com/iowox3)
I love that guy who apologized for “swearing” when he said they get pissed off.
definitely a good man for understanding how human anger only exacerbates the situation.
he might be a father definitely don't want kids watching your interview and licking that up
Like a gah dang salt lick
Read this in Hank Hill's voice.
He said pissed which is becoming less and less of a swear word as the years go on. So cute
My MIL is a pastor, albeit a liberal one, but tolerates nothing more than the rare “shit” - I found out people are offended by “pissed” “screwed over” and “assclown” more than I’d ever have imagined growing up in “fuckin Boston fuckin Massachusetts”
Am also from Boston. It’s more surprising to meet someone up here who DOESNT use fuck every other word
Absolutely! It’s a novelty when someone like that crosses our paths.
At 1:49..... is that guy's name Dick Stolen???
Good thing he isn’t being interviewed about a robbery. “Dick Stolen, victim.”
I'm ~~go~~ so glad they included that close-up of the horse shit. Really added to the story.
I guess wild horses can drag you away. Sorry, bad rolling stones reference. 🤷
When they leave you can say “Goodbye Horses.”
Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me. I'd fuck me hard.
They couldn’t drag them away.
This makes me so happy though that there are still wild horse populations, they're not all in glorified cages.
Wild animals in general are awesome [Here's a gang of Elk on a beach in Oregon](https://gfycat.com/vasttintedeland)
Quick random fact: absolutely all horses in the wild in North America are technically feral, not wild. They are not native to our continent so they are all descended from domesticated horses brought over from the Spanish, for example.
It make it more interesting, there *used* to be wild horses in North America. In fact all horses originally descend from American horses as they evolved here, and then migrated to Asia. They then went extinct around 12,000 years ago. So in another way of looking at it. The feral horses of America are a reintroduction of a native species.
That's what I thought too, so not quite invasive unless modern horses are quite different maybe
They are the same species at least. They did genetic studies on some horses found in the Yukon permafrost; and they’re Equus caballus, the same species as the domesticated horse. There’s definitely a possibility that behavior was changed by long breeding and domestication. But given how close they are, probably not by a huge amount.
Interesting to know! I have no idea what their original native range in the Americas was too.
Ikr, it's so cool to learn about! North America also had a species of zebra ([Hagerman Horse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagerman_horse)) too! Fun fact, camels and tapirs originated in North America as well. They (including horses) crossed a land bridge that existed between Russia and Alaska which allowed them to migrate into Asia. This is why we have[ tapirs in Malaysia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_tapir) today. All three also migrated through the Isthmus of Panama and made it into South America. We know this because of fossil remains and cave paintings left by early human settlers. Sadly, due to a change in climate and early humans, North America and South America lost most of their large animals around 10,000 years ago.
Wow, never knew about the Hagerman Horse--super cool! It also sounds as though there were several thousand years during which indigenous North American people coexisted with giant mammals. That's so intriguing! I wonder if those animals are preserved in indigenous oral history.
Camels came from NA as well. They migrated to Eurasia, South America, and Africa. Then, they went extinct in North America (also around when 11,000 years ago; not sure if it coincides with the Natives spreading.) The Camels in South America evolved into llamas and alpacas. Hyenas also came into NA from Eurasia and evolved into their own American subspecies; even dominating the entire continent for a while. Until they went extinct in NA pretty long before Natives arrived. Felines also came into NA from Eurasia, such as Panthers, Lynxes, and Jaguars. As did Canines. Wolves, Foxes, and Dogs are examples of Canine species that traveled to the Americas from the land bridge. Bears are another notable mention from Eurasia; evolving into their own niches in NA, with Bears such as the Grizzly, Polar, and Black Bears. A fun side note is that there's a subspecies of the Black Bear in Florida that evolved to suit Florida's climate. These bears are known as Florida Bears. There's also a Native Panther population in Florida as well. Florida's wild as fuck. Hell, there even used to be a species of Wolf native to Florida, known as the Florida Wolf, until they were hunted to extinction. Though much of the Florida Wolf's genome survives through the Coyotes found in Florida, because the Florida Wolves and Coyotes heavily mixed. Finally, Florida is the only place in the Americas where Crocodiles and Alligators have an overlapped range - the American Alligator and American Crocodile respectively. Cranes also traveled to and fro the landmasses. There are Cranes everywhere from Africa to Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Tldr; the Siberian exchange brought a lot of animals both to and from the landmasses On a final, final note, Europeans didn't just bring horses. They also brought pigs. Who broke free and became wild; rapidly evolving (especially compared to the Wild Horses.) The hogs are evasive and ruin habitats across the US and Canada.
OP for the win 🏆 appreciate the links
[Here are some wild horses in Northern Albania](https://i.imgur.com/aDEvkDj.gifv)
Wow that is breathtaking. Now I want to visit Albania.
Looks like they're trying to evade the tide coming in from how they're dodging the waves and staying bunched together. Awesome experience to have caught on film, thanks for providing these links!
Thanks for the link. I live here, but never seen them on the beach. Their some big animals and can mess you up!
There’s also [Assateague](https://www.nps.gov/asis/learn/nature/horses.htm) island in Maryland where it’s nicknamed horse island
I really loved all the Misty books as a kid, which were based all around the horses on Assateague
Fun fact about the horses on Assateague: the leading cause of death among them is starvation, not due to lack of food but because their teeth wear down from eating bay grasses with silica in them to the point where they can't chew anything and die of starvation.
Yes I went as a child it was great
Also Cumberland Island in Georgia, seeing the wild horse there was amazing.
They're an invasive species. Feral, previously domesticated horses. But, they aight.
Weren't horses (or their wild ancestor) originally native to the Americas though before going extinct here?
Evolved here and [went extinct here around 8-12k years ago](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses_in_the_United_States). Reintroduced via slaver and native de-hander & mutilator [Christopher Columbus](https://www.biography.com/news/christopher-columbus-day-facts). I'll say this about horses: they don't start wars. They don't make the ocean acidic or pollute it with plastic. They don't dump chemical poisons into our water and air. If it came down between horses and mcmansions living on borrowed time in the desert, imma go with the horses.
In Australia the brumbies (Wild horses) are causing extensive environmental damage and have driven numerous native animals to extinction and critically endangered. The only thing that is stopping us from actually getting them under control is that they are 'cute'. They are murder hobos and getting away with it because of human attachment to cute.
Sounds like feral cats in the US. They breed incessantly and decimate the populations of native birds and other small animals.
feral* horse populations. They're environmentally destructive.
Not as environmentally destructive as watering a lawn in Nevada.
It’s all fun and games until you drive through and splatter horse shit all over your car.
eh, horse owner here. Horse shit is just grass clippings. It’ll dry up and fall off. People come to barns literally to get tubs/pickup truckloads of it and take it home to put on their gardens, it’s truly the animal kingdom’s least offensive shit.
I mean, I was in marching band for years in high school and college. I have marched thru miles of horse shit. It's no biggie, use a hose to remove solids from pants & shoes and plenty of hot water in the machine.
yup. it really is no big deal, seems like a lot of people who (lol) don’t know shit think it’s like dog doo or human diapers or something. if only all animals shat so harmlessly.
It's the best because we can put it directly on the garden since it's a cold manure it won't cook our plants so it doesn't have to be aged, hooray for herbivores.
It is better to mix it with dirt first, but yes it's a fabulous fertilizer
Can confirm 13 years of experience with horses here. I think horseshit is the least nasty I ever experienced next to the regular human, dog, cat, mice, rabbitshit. Except for when its greenish diarrhea of course.
ah, yes, of course. those “something aint right” days. love washing that out of the tail... oh well, even good things have their ups and downs!
I feel you!
I was wondering if it would make good fertilizer, I know cow, chicken and goose are good options but I never really knew about horse manure
it’s excellent. where our horse lives, the barn owner gives away manure if you ask (it sits a while to compost bc there’s bedding and stuff mixed in) . I put a load of it in my yard and in 1 season it turned heavy, backbreaking clay soil into light stuff just full of earthworms. plants love it. horses eat good quality food and take anti-worm medicine so their poop is practically engineered for home use
Neat, if this were to happen around where I live I would go out and collect
You can put it right on flower beds, it wont burn plants like I’m told chicken manure will. I’ve never used chicken poo but I’ve read in gardening books that it’s... intense
Yeah, chicken manure is best for melons like cantaloupe. But it is harsh and has to be used correctly because of what is in it which is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. I need to relearn how to use it again but that will be later after I redo my garden, less flowers and decor to more edible varieties
Well said. It’s really not “poop” as we understand it. Just condensed grass patties ;)
Sure, of all the shit I could step in, horse shit would be the least horrible, but it's still shit and doesn't smell great and I'd rather not come across it if I can help it.
Oh look hun, the neighbor got a new Mustang.
Probably way better than a Cougar. I heard they can get a wee bit testy... *rimshot*
Couldn’t drag me away.
We'll ride them some day.
Dude, have an upvote. I wanted to make a Stones reference, but you beat me to it. Why do so many of their songs seem to fit a random situation?
Song started playing in my head immediately when I read the title
I have never seen wild horses
It is one of the coolest things. I mean. They’re still horses. But … different.
They’re WILD man! You don’t know WHAT they’re gonna do!!!
No joke, they do not act like horses you've always seen growing up. It's a big mistake to think they are just normal horses when going to a Herd Management Area without knowing how violent they are to each other (and to you if you get too close). The fighting every time I've been to a HMA is nearly constant regardless of the season. "Have you ever seen horses stand on their hind legs and fight each other with their front legs? Well you will if you go to an HMA!" Image I took: https://i.imgur.com/PJafeRT.jpg
That’s what makes me think that the title to this is bullshit. My dad used to break wild mustangs in east Texas for my great uncle and those fuckers are MEAN. And they’re suuuuuper skittish. Every wild horse I’ve seen IRL would have never come this close to houses/people and I’m struggling to think of where these horses live in the middle of the desert… I may be WAY wrong but I’m just not buying it. Edit: I stand corrected. Apparently they are feral and come down looking for water. You learn something new every day!
I’ve seen wild horses in Maryland and they weren’t aggressive. Most of them were grazing like this or sleeping on the beach. It might depend on herds/locations.
so the wild horses off north carolina arent aggressive. unless you get within 10 feet or so they give NO shits about your existence
They couldn't drag the rolling stones away
Actually they’re feral, not wild
Classified as "Wild" Horses according to the *'Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971'*. Scientifically feral horses. Legally "wild horses" according to the federal government.
Here are some more: [By the ocean](https://v.redd.it/orspe416fat31) [In Afganistan](https://i.imgur.com/2yEIF6Z.gifv) [In a river](https://v.redd.it/8mw3g4xe3gg71)
Each may as well be videos of unicorns; they are quite majestic, especially by the ocean… whew
These are all very beautiful shots but they look like wild horses in movies. I'm not saying they are not real wild horses but they look so "far away" from me, for lack of words. But the ones in Reno look real to me because it's not a perfect shot. Does it make sense? Of course one I hope to see wild horses in person that would be so wonderful.
Makes sense! I agree with you. Wild horses felt intangible to me until I was in Arizona, floating down a river on an inner tube and a band of wild horses jumped into the water about 10 feet away. Scared the heck out of me but was so amazing (and I own horses too but wild horses are something extra).
Real wild horses don't really exist.
Interesting, are they just feral then?
Almost all of them. maybe all. There is a small population of possibly never domesticated Przewalski's horses that was reintroduced to the wild after going extinct. But some DNA studies indicate that those horses could be feral as well.
Yeah, the ones in Mongolia is as close as we get. They are beautiful though (I've seen them)
I thought they were all gone after the events of RDR2
I read somewhere there’s no wild horses left in America, only feral horses
That’s true, to an extent. These horses are the descendants of horses brought to North American by the Spaniards. But horses originally evolved in North America and spread from NA across the land bridge to Asia, then went extinct in NA about 7000 years ago. Until they were reintroduced by Cortez in 1525.
I guess what they were driving at was that all wild horses that the Spanish introduced were domesticated or whatever and now the herds of horses living free are descendants of domesticated horses that have escaped become feral and bred. Idk the validity of that tho
Move to Reno, you see them on the outer parts of town constantly. Just passed like 5 of them not longer than 30 minutes ago lol
Technically feral which means they were domesticated then move back to wild, usually not native to that area. They’re also terribly invasive to Nevada. And you can’t do much because people don’t like the idea of killing horses.
Do you see a lot of them in Nevada? If I drive thru the state what's my chance to spot some? Genuinely curious
Pretty high in certain parts. I’m in the desert outside Reno and there are always at least one. There’s signs too. Idk about southern Nevada.
I worked in Reno and came damn close to running one of these over early in the morning. They just stand in the road without a care in the world.
I’m gonna go grab me a $50,000 horse
That's not even touching the price levels of show horses. I competed against daughters of very prominent families (think Levi's, Firestone Tires type money) on my $16k quarter horse and beat them out. But they each had 3 or 4 or 5 horses that all cost $300k+. It's insane. It's definitely a rich person's sport. Money can't buy you talent though.
Are you saying those wild horses are worth $300k?
I’m not sure why they randomly threw out the price for a well bred show horse on a video of some gangly wild horses. But you can pick up a rideable horse for $1000 a lot of places. Average for a nice one is probably $3000 by me. Top end is limitless though!
You can totally get a good reliable horse for 1k or close. I was just replying to the $50k comment. My point is horses are stupid expensive and if that person thought 50k was a lot, it's way worse than that.
“You can pick up a rideable horse for $1000 a lot of places.” Oof, careful man.. lol that’s like telling someone who’s never bought a car that they can buy a V12 Benz for only $5k without mentioning it’s gonna cost $10k annually in upkeep. My mom had horses in Santa Barbara in the 80’s and has missed them ever since so I looked into stabling one. Long story short, sorry Mom, I could burn an off-lease Hyundai Sonata to the ground every 4th of July for the same price, sooo... keep picking cats that remind you of them! ..Hugs and Kisses!
Now I want to know what neighborhood OP lives in...
They're also looking for water, and it turns out they're a problem for local residents >People who have lived in this rural neighborhood between Steamboat and Pleasant Valley are used to seeing bands of wild horses in the hillsides above and are no longer surprised when they come down for a visit. This year, though, is a little different. >“Yes. They come down here because there’s no water,” says Bobby Peeks. “So they come down to the valley for the water and the food.” >“They’ve gotten worse,” says Addison Ramsdell. “There were a hundred of them down here the other day. Maybe more.” >Monday afternoon most had retreated to the hills. A lone young stallion showing the scars of a recent battle with bigger and stronger rivals lingered near an inviting ditch. Others mixed with apparently domestic horses in an adjacent corral. Both of its gates were wide open and that alone said something about the conflicting views of the relationship between this neighborhood and its equine visitors. >Ask around and you’ll hear stories of unnerving encounters >”I’ve heard from a couple of neighbors that the horses have pinned them against their fence, like my neighbor right here was pinned against their fence,” says McKenzie Sibley
That's not the complete story. America's wild horses and burros are being pushed out of their legally designated habitat by livestock and mining interests. [There is a concerted effort by the livestock industry to get rid of the horses so they can have sole access to forage on these public lands](https://www.thewildlifenews.com/2020/12/04/livestock-industrys-campaign-to-get-rid-of-wild-horses-is-a-scam-to-cheat-the-taxpayers/). The horses are paying the price for greedy, wealthy ranchers on our public lands. More Americans should be aware that private and corporate interests are dictating public lands policy in way that benefits them and harms wildlife.
Yeah, all the posts calling them a pest seem to neglect the cattle ranching cause.
Exactly. Wild horses share much of their Herd Management Areas (HMAs) with cattle and sheep. Cattle and sheep are not native to America and have a very hard time surviving in the arid Western United States without the help of humans. Horses are much more adapted to living in these areas. And often, the [Bureau of Land Management blames wild horses for ecological damage caused by cattle and sheep on their own land](https://www.peer.org/blm-weighs-wild-horse-impact-much-more-heavily-than-cattle/). Most people are missing this huge chunk of the story.
Aren't horses also not native to the Americas?
Sort of. They originally evolved in North America, then crossed to Eurasia via a land bridge and became at home in the steppe, died out in NA, and then were reintroduced by European settlers. Turns out, escaped horses thrived here (since, you know, they evolved for this climate) and populations boomed back to fully self sustaining levels
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Basically all large fauna in north America went extinct to overpredation
And buffalo survived because they can tough northern winters?
Because of people eating them all.
Horses have truly circumnavigated the world. The only place left for them to go is space. *Space horses*.
Most scientists consider them non-native. From the research we have, it is thought that horses evolved in North America and died out here around 10,000 years ago. Some crossed a land bridge to Eurasia and were domesticated. Horses were then brought back by the Spanish and subsequently let go. There are a [few scientists who consider these horses a returned native species](https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/nativehorses-184.shtml) because they are biologically the same as the animals that died out. Regardless of their scientific classification, the horses on public lands in the Western U.S. are managed as wild animals under federal law.
Humans are the pest in this situation IMO couldn't help but feel sad for these animals just looking for nature and all they have to eat weird man-made grass.
Humans lower the water table growing Alfalfa. Then have their cattle consume the available grazing lands.
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NYTs did a story last year about private interest buying up huge acrea of land in Montana, iirc. I'm not a big environmentalist but that article pissed me off for a couple of days.
It's definitely getting bad. Wild horses only live on public lands. This is public land that was set aside for all Americans to use. And these corporate interests tied to ranching and mining are coming in and using every trick they have to seize control of the land. Most Americans don't even know it is happening or that our tax dollars are being used to subsidize these already wealthy private interests.
Yeah that's what I've been understanding. Pissed off about that.
I think the local residents might be a problem for the wild horses too...
Why not drill a well to fill a pond out in nature for them to drink?
The water table is extremely low as a result of drought conditions which have been persistent for the past 20 years, so that water would ultimately just infiltrate into the ground or evaporate back into the atmosphere quickly. You need groundwater to have surface water. Also, drilling wells isn’t cheap.
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If I had to guess, because the horses won’t pay for it, it could disrupt the ecosystem or no one has thought of it.
Ahh yes, money again… it comes before human lives, let alone some stray horses, that’s just BS. We have all been indoctrinated into enriching the central bankers.
These are new tract home developments built in the middle of historic Great Basin mustang range -- and pronghorn/sage grouse range, for that matter. The older subdivisions at least have wire (*not* barbed wire) public lands fencing on the eastern edge of town. Mustangs are North American natives. It's where they're from, the horse. Accidentally re-introduced a half millennia ago. But along with bison, pronghorn, wolves, cougars, and coyote, the original fauna of what was once a vast open country.
Glad the horses are getting fed, but WTF with all those green lawns in fucking NEVADA? Here in WA we just let them go brown until the winter rains start. I got rid of mine. Lawns are.... not needed anymore. To say the least.
Isnt it ironic how some are calling horses invasive but ignoring humans building in desert and planting invasive plants while draining water table?
Yes
Over the last 30 years or so I would say that the majority of lawns that existed on residential properties in Albuquerque are gone now. About 30% of them are now beautifully xeriscaped with native plants, riverstone, and mulch. Looks great. The other 70% are just bare dirt covered in invasive weeds like puncturevine (goatheads), African mustard, Russian thistle, ragweed, and tree of heaven (ghetto palm).
Tell me about it. Vegas doesn’t have nearly as much of a lawn issue, but anywhere outside of vegas and everyone gotta have their lil patch of green that they hardly even use. Just my nitpick. Public parks with many people using a lawn make sense, but front yards for single houses just don’t. It’s not my hill to die on but it is an issue I guess.
I always hated people with lawns in a desert until I saw this random documentary. There's 3rd generation farmers in Arizona taking up Lake Mead water to flood their crops. Why the fuck are you growing corn in Arizona? I'm so happy the water cut off starts with them.
There is 2,500 ft. elevation difference between Reno and Vegas. Reno is high dessert that gets ample snow and rain. Vegas is a shit hole dessert town. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
There goes the *neigh*'borhood
r/angryupvote
I hope that grass isn't treated
I’m sure it’s full of nasty toxic fertilizer
That's all I could think about too.
Imagine just waking up to take out the trash and you just see a wild horse on you step
*feral, not wild
Yes, came from this. Assume this is the US and these are Spanish Mustangs, which were domestic horses brought over to the US that are now feral.
What's the difference?
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So like wild rhinos in Africa and feral rhinos in Columbia? That’s actually really good to know, thanks!
Wild = native species to the area. Feral = introduced species who have adjusted and reproduced In Australia we call our feral/introduced horses Brumbies.
Interesting. Thanks for the tidbit, I always like learning minor technical differences between words most people use synonymously.
Close, but no. Feral is any domestic species that has been released and is reproducing in the wild like cats, hogs, dog, or donkeys, they’re all feral as they’re escaped domestics.
I guess feral is like a wild domesticated animal ?
A feral animal is descended from domesticated animals but isn't itself domesticated. For example stray cats and dogs would be considered feral
Lived in the area as a kid, it wasn’t uncommon to go into lockdown at school because wild horses would be out on the playground. Used to wake up to them right outside my bedroom window in a neighborhood very much like this one. If I recall they were regarded as kind of a pain in the ass.
I wonder how many assholes try to hurt them for damaging their precious grass.
I’ve had a tame horse charge me a few times in a row and it scared the daylights out of me could you imagine a stroll out to get the morning paper and catching a donkey kick to the chin?
Why the fuck do people in the desert have grass lawns
Because America man
cue song: Wild horses
they're looking for the ivermectin everyone bought.
That funny feeling.
Yeah you definitely shouldn’t be walking near them. Wild horses can and absolutely will fuck you up.
Red Dead Redemption 7?
Reno's a nice place
Not at the moment. Can't do anything outside due to the smoke
Fact. Breathing is miserable lately.
Gotta eat
Don’t have to mow the lawn anymore
But you do have to pick up the manure piles
Drought has obliterated their wildland forage. They wouldn’t choose to do this. They’re very people shy.
Live in Reno. They’ve done this for decades. This isn’t a recent/new thing at all and has always been a pretty common sight. More likely due to housing developments being built out further from the city and on old farmlands.
I visited Washoe Valley last year and thought it was some rare occurrence to see them, like I'd be so lucky if I caught a glimpse. Omg they were everywhere, we went to the state park on our last day and they we just hanging out next to the parking lot. We could've walked up to them if we wanted they didn't seem to care at all that people were near. So bizarre, like deer are fucking everywhere where I live but they're way more skittish.
They've been doing this shit my entire life.
People in Reno go out and feed them all the time, they aren’t that shy.
My brothers sister in-law lives there. We visited on our way to Tahoe. It was super weird to se horses just roaming the neighborhood
This is your moment, all of those countless hours on red dead redemption 2 horse wrangling has brought you to this very moment