News of The Abacos
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The following feature has been supplied by and reproduced with permission of What's On. For subscription information, please CLICK HERE. The Wild Horses of The Abacos - Preservation and Protection
Editorial by the staff of What's OnGREAT ABACO, Bahamas ... Once they were a mighty herd, perhaps 200 horses strong: pintos, bays, blacks and duns rippling over thousands of acres of pine forest and beach. They were as free as the sea winds that blew across the island whose harshness they had conquered.
Their origins remain unclear. Perhaps some came from domestic animals brought by Loyalists. Others came with logging operations and these may have come from Cuba. When colonies failed and when the logging ended, the horses were abandoned.
Few people would have expected those animals to survive after years of human care, but they did. On a sun-drenched and salt-seared island they found food, shelter and water in the thick pine forests. Succulent grasses grew from seeds dropped by migrating birds. Rocky limestone ground kept their hooves pared down and strong. Fresh water was available in puddles, hollows, springs and in time of drought, from the surface of a blue hole. Only a few horses were lost to people from the outer islands who captured them for work at sugar mills.
In the 1960's disaster struck. Not a storm or disease, not fire or drought, but a simple road; cut from one end of Great Abaco to the other by a logging company. The shelter of the pines was shattered. Suddenly humans had access to abandoned but still passable logging roads. Boar hunters, who once had to walk in after their prey, now could drive pick-ups full of dogs, men and guns right into new territory. Where once they had to carry out on their shoulders one heavy animal they now could slaughter and carry six or seven. They could also run the horses down the roads until they were close enough to be roped out of the windows or until they dropped from exhaustion. Many of these animals became legends, for their anecdotal lives, the vicious cruelty visited on them, their tragic ends. Often, the hunters' dogs would chase the horses instead of the boars. The hunters began to shoot the horses. But few people other than the hunters knew about this at the time and the wild horses of Abaco were eradicated.
Yet in 1994 the wild horses, slaughtered to the point of extinction in the 60's, numbered about 30 on the Bahama Star Farm at Treasure Cay. Senator Edison Key said in an interview in 1992, "When we were clearing the land for the fling the horses. It could be wild dogs; in one case a horse appeared to have been caught in a pig trap. One horse might have been poisoned. It is all conjecture. Wild dogs still torment the herds, and will prey on newborns when they can. A vet found that they carry no parasites. They are robust, well fed, with coats that gleam in the sun. They appear to be in excellent health. The only sure fact is that the horses are dying, or being killed.
In March, representatives from the Humane Society of the United States, Equine Protection Division, and the Pegasus Foundation, visited Abaco to see the horses. The conclusions drawn were that the horses are of the Spanish Barb type, they only have five lumbar vertebrae. All other domestic horses have six. Marc Paulhus, of the HSUS said, "These horses are incredibly beautiful, and are potentially unique in the world, pending DNA testing." The horses would be unique because they would have been 'untampered' with by man for the past 250 years, making them very close genetically to the first horses that came to the New World.
Some of the horses also appear to be related to the now extinct Narragansett Pacer, a breed developed in the U.S. at the time of the Revolutionary War. These horses were known for their smooth ride and were exported all over the Caribbean. It is speculated that the Tennessee Walker and the Standard Breed might have been related to these horses. Some of the Abaco horses appear to be gaited. It is hoped that videos currently being taken will show whether or not some of the horses are pacers. Paulhus said "These horses are a National Treasure." Not only are they beautiful to see, something tourists and Bahamians alike could visit and appreciate, they are a rare part of the world's biodiversity.
In 1992 an American, Milanne (Mimi) Rehor began to study the wild horses and to identify them. During her 1996-7 trip she realized that the herd was decreasing again. One mare died while giving birth. Her foal, a rare Medicine Hat pinto, survived and was being raised by hand when someone killed him. He was 10 days old. Corpses and bones began to turn up in alarming numbers. This year, in February 1998, Rehor counted 16 horses. Three more had died over the summer. One foal has been born, bringing the current number up to 17. No one is sure about what is killing the horses. It could be wild dogs; in one case a horse appeared to have been caught in a pig trap. One horse might have been poisoned. It is all conjecture. Wild dogs still torment the herds, and will prey on newborns when they can. A vet found that they carry no parasites. They are robust, well fed, with coats that gleam in the sun. They appear to be in excellent health. The only sure fact is that the horses are dying, or being killed.
In '94 Rehor started the Abaco Wild Horse Fund, Inc. a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the wild horses of Abaco. A grant from the HSUS in '97, and donations from supporters of the herd, have enabled her to continue to publicize the plight of the horses and to map out plans for their preservation. Ways to help control the wild dogs are being worked out with local government. Programs are being discussed to find ways to make every Abaconian aware of the need to control wild dog and cat populations.
As local interest in preserving the horses grows, it is hoped that a special area will be set up for the horses. If a reserve is established it will be possible to take people to see the horses on a regular basis. Anyone interested in helping to preserve these beautiful and rare animals can contact Rehor either through her U.S. address at: 2809 Bird Ave., #170, Miami, FL 33133, or care of General Delivery, Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas. She can be faxed c-o Batelco at 242-367-4756. A large web site about the horses is available at http:www.netrunner.net-~arkwild. Rehor cannot, at this time, access e-mail. T-shirts, artwork and other gift items are available in the Abacos as well as through Mimi's website to help with fundraising.
In the Bahamas, send donations to: the Abaco Wild Horse Fund, Inc, c-o Milanne Rehor, General Delivery, Marsh Harbour, Abaco.
