STOLOVI, Sept 1 — A herd of about 40 mares, stallions and foals graze lazily on dry grass over the rugged Stolovi mountain in Serbia’s south-west, one out of three such bands of untamed horses within the Balkan nation.
The horses, primarily from the sturdy Bosnian Mountain Horse breed used as pack animals and in agriculture, have been delivered to Mt Stolovi within the Nineteen Seventies by their house owners who hoped to avoid wasting on feed prices.
Away from people, the animals regularly grew to become feral, reverting to behavior extra carefully resembling that of untamed horses, mentioned 73-year-old farmer Slavoljub Nikolic yesterday.
“They (horses)… foaled right here, suffered, multiplied, and so it went on,” Nikolic mentioned.
The Stolovi herd is the second largest in Serbia. One within the southern Suva Planina mountain counts round 100 horses, whereas the opposite within the Vlasina plateau numbers simply 20.
Nikolic mentioned he and different farmers generally climb the mountain to carry the horses a sack of corn or treats equivalent to carrots and apples. During scorching summers in addition they water horses from a cistern.
Slavljub Nikolic is seen with a wild horse on the mountain Stolovi in Serbia, August 31, 2023. — eNM pic
Horse breeding in Serbia declined over the a long time to round 14,000 animals in 2021, from greater than 290,000 in 1975, when virtually each different rural family had a horse, primarily as a result of modernisation of agriculture, state statistics information present.
“No one wants horses for work any longer,” Nikolic mentioned.
With loads of good grass and open areas, the animals are wholesome and primarily die from predators and outdated age.
“For 52 years I didn’t see… a single one which died… from an sickness,” Nikolic mentioned.
Wild horses roam on the mountain Stolovi in Serbia, August 31, 2023. — eNM pic
Horses from Mt Stolovi would generally escape stables when folks tried to carry them again to the valley, and return to the mountain to face wolves, bears, horse thieves and harsh winters.
“They can dig via snow (for grass), cover in ravines… they know each slope, each nook,” Nikolic mentioned.
Tourists and loggers additionally pose a risk to the herd. Recently, guests had spooked the herd and a horse was killed when it tumbled right into a ravine, Nikolic mentioned. — eNM
