Wild Konik horses have been brought to England to help manage vegetation growth in a nature reserve in Kent. Wildwood Nature Reserve is 40 acres of woodland and home to over 200 native animals.
The horses, originally from Poland display a range of characteristics of the primitive Tarpan horses, however, DNA evidence does not show a close relationship. Koniks were previously established Holland as part of the Rewilding Europe program and some of these were brought to England by the Wildwood Trust.
A grim part of the Konik horse story is their exploitation by the Nazi regime who sought to “re-breed” the extinct Tarpan from the Konic stock during WW2. Konics were stolen from Poland and brought to Germany for this purpose and many had an inhumane end.
For more information see the links below:
BBC program on Wild Horses of Wildwood
Polish pony that survived the Nazis uniting Europe’s nature reserves
