Distances travelled by feral horses in ‘outback’ Australia.

The research article details a study on the patterns of movement and distances travelled by Australian feral horses in two different wilderness environments. The study is significant as it is the first to measure these parameters, comparing the results with those of domestically managed horses and wild equids.

Research Methodology

• The researchers studied two groups of Australian feral horses in two distinct outback environments, one covering 2000 square kilometers and the other 20,000 square kilometers.
• These horses were tracked for 6.5 consecutive days using a GPS device mounted on a specially designed collar. The collars were put on the horses after they were darted and immobilised.
• After a minimum of 6.5 days, the horses were re-darted to recover the collars and the data they contained.
• Using this data, the average daily distance covered by the horses was calculated.
• The researchers also studied the horses’ range use and watering patterns by overlaying the GPS tracks onto satellite images of the study area.

Findings

• The study found that the average distance covered by the horses was 15.9 ± 1.9 km/day, with the range being between 8.1 to 28.3 km/day.
• Some horses were recorded up to 55 km from their watering points. Some walked for 12 hours from their feeding grounds to reach a water source, exhibiting their ability to withstand long periods without water, a factor enabling their survival in semi-arid conditions.
• The mean watering frequency was once every 2.67 days, though this varied between 1 to 4 days among individual horses.
• Horses in Central Australia showed different watering frequency and range use compared to those in Central Queensland. Central Australian horses often travelled great distances in straight lines to reach scattered food sources, whereas the Queensland horses grazed close to water sources and moved in more or less circular patterns around them.

Conclusion

• The study concluded that feral horses in Australia travel far greater distances than those observed for domestically managed horses and other species of equids.
• The research provides important, previously undocumented, data regarding the movement and survival strategy of feral horses in wilderness environments.