Europe's wild horses likely became extinct many hundreds of years ago. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Tarpan emerged as a possible remnant population. There is indeed some genetic distinctiveness of the Tarpan relative to the domestic horse; it may have been a mix of wild and feral domestic horses. But alas, the small population went extinct by the end of the 19th century.

Efforts have been made to "reverse engineer" the Tarpan from a variety of domestic breeds, and to reintroduce these horses to wild areas. The horses in these photos represent one such effort. A mix of Konik and other breeds, these horses roam the Studen Kladenets Special Protection Area, and adjacent reserves, in Bulgaria. Unfenced, occupying a mix of dense forest and meadows, protecting themselves from predation by wolves, these beautiful horses do seem very much at home, and will play an important ecological role in maintaining the balance between forest and meadow now that humans no longer live in the reserves.

There are two distinct herds in the SPA. The one in this photo is very friendly, when they saw our truck they immediately came over to visit, and were not remotely skittish. A second herd, which I also photographed, is distinctly more wild. They gave warning snorts to each other when they caught our scent, stayed at least a hundred meters, and viewed us quite warily. June 2023.