Tarpan

Equus ferus

The tarpan was a wild horse that once roamed the steppes and woodlands of Europe and Western Asia. It is considered one of Europe’s last true wild horse types and lived in small herds in open landscapes. Typical features included a greyish-brown coat, a dark dorsal stripe running along the spine and an upright mane.

The tarpan was robust, alert and well adapted to sparse habitats. Due to hunting and habitat loss, it became extinct in the 19th century. The animals known as “tarpans” today are back-bred horses. They are therefore not true descendants of the original tarpan, although they resemble the extinct wild horse in appearance.