The idea of wild horses is one thing: a romantic and untethered experience. Seeing an actual wild horse is... well exactly like seeing a regular horse. During our stay the Klein Aus Desert Horse Inn (700km south of Windhoek), I pined to be that rare individual who'd get to see horses tearing through the rocky desert, or enjoy them walking right up to the car window to eat an apple- some people get all the fun. But, I had to settle on watching them stand stock still, and from a very far distance. The theories of how Namibian wild horses came about though, are quite interesting, according to the lodge's poster presentations.
One theory stems from the time of WWI when South African troops were stationed in Garub, an area with a single borehole in the Namib Desert. Today's map shows Garub is located 15 minutes west from Aus. Something like ten thousand soldiers and six thousands horses loitered here between 1915-1925, next to the railway extending from Karasburg to Luderitz. South Africa had sided with the British, whereas Germany was fighting against them (against Russia, France, and Belgium as well) which meant inevitably, even in Namibia, Germans would fight against South Africa.
German forces bombed the heck out of Garub destroying camps and fences, sending the people and horses to run for their lives. Such madness ensured several hundred if not thousands of horses escaped into desert-clad mountains.
Theory two was based on a man who had a horse stud farm south of Aus in an area called Kubub. This German stud farmer, Emil Kreplein was also once the mayor of Luderitz from 1909 to 1914. Kreplin bred horses for the diamond mines and racehorses for Lüderitz, but during WWI, Kreplin was held as a prisoner with the South African troops. During this time, his farm went unsupervised and fell into disrepair. Horses escaped and went in search of food, eventually making their way to Garub, the place with an established waterhole.
One theory stems from the time of WWI when South African troops were stationed in Garub, an area with a single borehole in the Namib Desert. Today's map shows Garub is located 15 minutes west from Aus. Something like ten thousand soldiers and six thousands horses loitered here between 1915-1925, next to the railway extending from Karasburg to Luderitz. South Africa had sided with the British, whereas Germany was fighting against them (against Russia, France, and Belgium as well) which meant inevitably, even in Namibia, Germans would fight against South Africa.
German forces bombed the heck out of Garub destroying camps and fences, sending the people and horses to run for their lives. Such madness ensured several hundred if not thousands of horses escaped into desert-clad mountains.
Theory two was based on a man who had a horse stud farm south of Aus in an area called Kubub. This German stud farmer, Emil Kreplein was also once the mayor of Luderitz from 1909 to 1914. Kreplin bred horses for the diamond mines and racehorses for Lüderitz, but during WWI, Kreplin was held as a prisoner with the South African troops. During this time, his farm went unsupervised and fell into disrepair. Horses escaped and went in search of food, eventually making their way to Garub, the place with an established waterhole.
Perhaps it was there, that the stars aligned and Kreplin's horses mixed with the escaped South African horses and started a life of unbridled banditry in the wild desert. And, because of the restricted area (diamond country) extending 100km inland from the Atlantic Ocean, the horses were, and have been essentially isolated and protected. It been drought that has constantly been the biggest issue for the horses' longevity. There's an estimated 150 Namib Desert Horses at this time.
How can you tell which horses are wild and which aren't? Unless you are a horse expert or in the specific Garub area, it's hard to tell with 100% certainty. In 2001, genetic tests "indicated that Namib Desert Horses are one of the most isolated horse populations in the world, with the second-lowest genetic variation of all horse populations that have been studied to date," according to Wikipedia. Most of them are brown or chestnut colored and some have a darker midline stripe extending to the tail. The are capable of traveling large distances in search of food, and rarely play in efforts to conserve energy. The horses are accustomed to tolerate a certain amount of dehydration, a big and necessary advantage compared to domesticated horses.
On the way back from Luderitz, we detoured to the Garub watering hole. We found 6 ostriches skirting the landscape, and about 30 tourists silently watching the empty watering hole, binoculars clasped tightly in their hands or camera lenses poised for magnificence. No horses would be seen on this particular day, so we left the patient spectators and saw a group of horses sauntering on the railroad tracks a bit further up. Maybe they were wildlings, maybe not- but knowing their history did leaving me feeling these guys are tough SOBs living in the desert, no matter what type of animal you are.
How can you tell which horses are wild and which aren't? Unless you are a horse expert or in the specific Garub area, it's hard to tell with 100% certainty. In 2001, genetic tests "indicated that Namib Desert Horses are one of the most isolated horse populations in the world, with the second-lowest genetic variation of all horse populations that have been studied to date," according to Wikipedia. Most of them are brown or chestnut colored and some have a darker midline stripe extending to the tail. The are capable of traveling large distances in search of food, and rarely play in efforts to conserve energy. The horses are accustomed to tolerate a certain amount of dehydration, a big and necessary advantage compared to domesticated horses.
On the way back from Luderitz, we detoured to the Garub watering hole. We found 6 ostriches skirting the landscape, and about 30 tourists silently watching the empty watering hole, binoculars clasped tightly in their hands or camera lenses poised for magnificence. No horses would be seen on this particular day, so we left the patient spectators and saw a group of horses sauntering on the railroad tracks a bit further up. Maybe they were wildlings, maybe not- but knowing their history did leaving me feeling these guys are tough SOBs living in the desert, no matter what type of animal you are.
More reading: http://www.gondwana-collection.com/blog/index.php/tag/garub-water-source/
http://www.wild-horses-namibia.com/social-structure/
 |
| Garub watering hole, in the middle of nowhere. |
 |
| World's loneliest watering hole. |
 |
| Hey girl. |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.