Mustang Island: Evolution on the contrary

Rostov region, endless Don steppes, salty lake Manch-Hoodilo. Here almost 70 years ago, the water island turned out to be cut off from sushi herd horses.

Back in the 50s, when local collective farms were rich, horses here on the island brought to free grazing every summer. Then the island as a pasture was recognized by unprofitable, cattle was taken away, and the horses were caught. But not all. And here are the working horses of the Don breed have become the initial population from which Manic Mustangs occurred.

Photo: Vladimir Sevrinovsky

Dozens of years horses lived their free life. Wild horses of Tarpanov here, in these steppes, have already destroyed everyone up to one age 150. But scientists have made a water island to the lands of the Rostov State Reserve, and now no one bothers the horses to live in their wild laws.

And what would happen to a person with human civilization, if people did not make friends with horses? It is hard to imagine. Because the horse is really a revolution, and, probably, a more important step than the domestication of a horse, in the history of mankind was not for thousands of years. After all, thinking from the breed composition of horses; the combat capability of the armies, the power of the empires depended, because seriously historians say that the victory in the Kulikov battle was possible only when the squad of Rusich changed the breed composition of horses and could compete with nomads on equal. Because the robust our horses were not capable of competing with rapid steppe horses.

Our Platovo Cossacks, Napoleon, surprised all Europe by the fact that they came from Moscow to the most Paris, without changing the horses. Because under them there were short and strikingly endless horses of aboriginal breeds, derived precisely in the Don and Priazovsky steppes. But these were direct ancestors of our wild horses from the island!

Photo: Vladimir Sevrinovsky

Don horse, being the Range of the Don Steppe, has long contributed to the preservation of this steppe. The fact is that in the connotation case there were very tough rules and the equation was forbidden to break the steppe, the steppe had to be a virulent, intended to be saved here. And then, when the horse has lost its strategic importance, the decay of virgin and the steppe began to exist.

The only connection with the big earth, which breaks down, as soon as a strong wind blends and waves will rise. And this happens here constantly. Island length – 15 km, width – 4 km. There are no trees, no shrubs, no fresh water. So horses lick salt, eat grass, and fresh water is mined from the puddle, when precipitations fall out.

When in a particularly severe winter weakened from hunger, the horses were delivered food, they did not touch him, because they simply did not understand that it could be! Hay bales had to spill and scatter on earth, and only then the horses began to eat it. Horses eat grass, for which they have to compete with mouse-pools. The whole island is exist with Nora – it is a public wheel, which is powered exclusively by grass and soft hay. With a small amount, it sometimes achieves a huge number. Like all rodents, this number is changing from year to year. And when the coincides, say, the high number of voles with severe weather conditions, horses have to be very tight. Polelok help to destroy foxes and viper. But the foxes on the island are not more than a dozen, and the viper for the whole warm season eats 12-15 mice.

The behavior of wild horses is somewhat different from the behavior of home. Bringing out from under human guardianship, free herd begins to live according to its own laws, harsh, but functional. In horses, like most ungulates, harem polling. That is, rigid samprom competition for possession of a harem of females.

The film crew of the TV channel "Live Planet" decided to try to establish contact with the wild animals. Every morning, still darkening, we declare our hotels at the drinkers: apples, carrots, but the horses stubbornly ignore them. We should approach how animals immediately depart. Every day, however, the distance became a little shorter. Apparently, in the same way, patiently and slowly, the relationships and our distant ancestors were established.

But here is our last day on the island. Tomorrow is the last attempt. Wild horses will go to contact? The gray manany of the rustle in the tact of sleeping waves and all sighed, sighed, rushing something to remember, in the mysterious darkness of autumn night. And there was a new morning with new hopes and new, I would not be afraid of this word, wonders. Suddenly horses greeted us at the driller without a shadow of fear!