- Abaco Wild Horse -

The Abaco Wild Horses are very unique and beautiful. They run wild on Abaco a sparsely settled island in the Bahamas, although unfortunately they were hunted to near extinction in the 1960s when Edison Key and Morton Sawyer started a cattle operation, and at the end of the slaughter only three remained. One was a paint stallion named Castle, and a bay mare named Liz with her filly Jingo. The Abaco Wild horses have a strong link to Spanish ancestors, and it has often been speculated that these horses are Spanish Barbs. The horses that reside on Abaco today live in the area of Bahama Star Farm. These horses have stayed in a more confined area since Hurricane Floyd, because their regular trails were blocked by fallen trees. Because of the limited grazing area and rich vegetation on the farm, this has led to many problems. A great number of the horses have laminitis, and many are obese because of the foliage and the little exercise area they have. None of the new foals have survived and very few have been born since Hurricane Floyd. There are only sixteen on these horses left now and an emergency wild horse preserve has been formed to help this breed.

Abaco Island has been home to these wild horses for centuries, and during the American Revolution many British loyalists moved to the Caribbean Islands. Sometimes, such as in their dwelling on Great Abaco Island, their settlements didn't flourish and very few horses were left in their wake. Several decades later, loggers cleared many of the Caribbean pines that covered the island, and horses were destroyed also.

Once the Abaco Wild Horses were a large herd, perhaps 200 strong. There were pinto, bay, and roan horses running free through thousands of acres of forest. Until the year 1998 their origins remained unclear, but then it was determined that when the British loyalists left the island after their failed colonization attempts, the horses were turned loose and left behind. More horses may have been contributed from the logging operations that went on. When the logging company cut itself into oblivion, the horses were abandoned. The DNA testing done on these horses showed that they are 99% pure, having been untampered with for over 250 years. It is rather surprising that those domesticated horses survived, because whether viewed by air or sea, the island does not appear to be suitable horse country.  And survive these horses did, as they had been bred to do. In fact, they flourished. They were of sturdy stock, with compact bodies and strong legs. They had long, flowing manes and tails that made the quite beautiful. Even in the worst droughts the water surrounding the island and feeding the springs provided the horses with water. The horses had ample room to roam and plenty of fodder on which to graze, and they grew quite sleek. Occasionally a horse or two was lost to people from the outer islands who captured a few for work at the sugar cane mill.

When hunters began frequenting the island in the 1960s, the hunters' dogs would often chase the horses instead of the boars they showed up to kill, and just as often the horses would trample the dogs in self defense. In turn, the hunters began to shoot the horses.

By 1997 the herd dropped from a refurbished 30 to a measly 16. In 1998 with the arrival and survival of four fillies, the herd number was increased to 21.

January 2011 Update on the Abaco Wild Horses:

The Abaco Horses are in deep, deep trouble.  They currently have only three mares in a preserve, and two stallions outside.  In 1999 reproduction stopped after a hurricane forced the horses to stay full time on the nearby farm, exposed to herbicides, pesticides and synthetic fertilizer.  They grew obese and developed hoof problems, reproduction stopped.  The then government gave the horses a preserve.  Unfortunately, the government changed and while the preserve still exists, literal criminal neglect by the government, has brought the once healthy herd of 35 individuals down to 5.   For 7 years applications for a permit to practice by a world class vet specializing in restoring endangered populations,  (who would work pro bono) were ‘lost.’  Promises made in July of 2010 to the vet have not been honored, she cannot work without the minimal facilities promised.  They soon hope to start a major campaign publicizing these facts. With each passing day we are closer to losing this precious resource forever.

Return to Horse Breeds page