Quantifying the global population of “wild horses” is complex, primarily due to varying definitions of what constitutes a truly wild animal. These populations include both descendants of once-domesticated animals and a single species that has never been tamed. Accurately counting them requires distinguishing between these categories and accounting for diverse habitats and management approaches worldwide.
Clarifying “Wild” for Population Counts
The term “wild horse” often causes confusion, as it colloquially refers to horses living without direct human control. Scientifically, a distinction exists between truly wild horses and feral horses. Truly wild horses are species that have never been domesticated by humans.
Feral horses are descendants of domestic horses that escaped or were released and adapted to living wild. American Mustangs and Australian Brumbies are examples, originating from domesticated stock. The vast majority of free-roaming horses globally are feral.
Przewalski’s Horse: The Sole True Wild Species
Przewalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), often called takhi, is the last surviving truly wild horse species. These stocky horses were once considered extinct in the wild by the 1960s. However, dedicated captive breeding and reintroduction efforts have brought them back.
Reintroduction initiatives in their native Central Asian steppes have established successful populations in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. The global population totals nearly 2,000 individuals, with approximately half residing in zoos. Over 1,300 individuals now roam freely across reintroduction sites, with China alone accounting for more than 900 horses.
Global Feral Horse Populations
Feral horses make up the majority of what people commonly call “wild horses” globally. These diverse populations range from well-known herds in North America and Australia to smaller groups on other continents.
In North America, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees the largest feral horse and burro populations, primarily in the Western United States. As of March 1, 2024, an estimated 73,520 animals were on BLM-managed lands. This figure significantly exceeds the BLM’s “Appropriate Management Level” (AML) of around 26,785 animals.
Australia is home to substantial feral horse populations, known as Brumbies. A national estimate places their number at around 400,000. Within Kosciuszko National Park, 2024 surveys indicated a population between 1,579 and 5,639 horses, a decrease from the 2023 estimate of over 17,000.
Feral horse populations also exist in other parts of the world. In South America, Argentina has an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 feral horses. Europe hosts several feral or semi-feral populations, including approximately 4,000 horses in Romania’s Danube Delta and 197 in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains as of late 2019.
Challenges in Estimating Populations
Obtaining precise and updated figures for wild horse populations is difficult due to several factors. Their vast, remote habitats make comprehensive surveys challenging and costly. Horses are highly mobile, complicating tracking and potentially leading to over or under-counting.
Survey methodologies, such as aerial surveys, are commonly employed, often using techniques like mark-resight or simultaneous double-counting. These methods provide estimates but have limitations, including visibility issues and potential animal disturbance. Ground counts and photographic identification are also used, but can be labor-intensive. Population numbers are typically estimates, subject to fluctuations from births, deaths, and management actions.