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Origins steeped in Mystery
To this day most of the guesswork probably centres on
the origin of the horses. There is agreement only on one
point: they are not indigenous, because originally there
never were horses in southern Africa. They were first
imported by Europeans in the 17th century. Therefore the
Wild Horses of the Namib are the descendants of domesticated
animals which, similar to the mustangs of North America,
have adopted a feral existence. |
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how come did domesticated horses stray into this
area? And how did it happen that they turned feral?
Some theories point to a ship with a cargo of horses
and other domestic animals which was wrecked on
the Skeleton Coast in the late 19th century, about
25 km south of the Orange River mouth – roughly
200 km from Garub. Others refer to the stud farm
at Duwisib owned by Hansheinrich von Wolf - about
250 km north-east of Garub. However, a farm manager
was in charge when von Wolf was absent during the
First World War and after he was killed in action.
And according |
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Thousands of horses were shipped to the German colony
of South West Africa. |
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to the farm’s
bookkeeping no horses were lost until the late thirties,
whereas reports about Wild Horses near Garub already appear
in the twenties. Furthermore, neither of these theories
takes into account that horses do not migrate over large
distances but usually stay in the area they know. |
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Thus it can be concluded that the Wild
Horses are descendants of horses lost in the vicinity
of Garub and Aus. But the basis of the herd existing today
can hardly have been formed by a few run-away horses.
The number of animals and the diversity of their characteristics
rather suggest that the initial group was fairly large. |
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Horses in the diamond area southeast
of Lüderitz. |
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Turmoil of War
According to yet another theory horses were left behind
by German colonial forces during the First World War as
they retreated from advancing South African troops. Up
to 2,000 horses were indeed kept at Aus. It is said, however,
that the retreat largely proceeded in an orderly fashion.
At the same time reports contain another reference to
the presence of large numbers of horses: 10,000 South
African soldiers with 6,000 horses had pitched camp at
Garub in March 1915. There was a borehole to replenish
locomotives at the nearby railway line. German forces
blew up the borehole but it was repaired quickly enough.
Just imagine: around 8,000 horses within a radius of just
under 30 km at the edge of the desert! |
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But it gets better still. A report, compiled
later, says:
“In the morning of 27
March the indefatigable pilot officer Fiedler flew to
Garub and caused great bewilderment by successfully dropping
bombs onto the enemy camp and among about 1700 grazing
cavalry horses” (Hans von Oelhafen: Der Feldzug
in Südwest 1914/15, Berlin 1923, page 117).
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German pilot Paul Fiedler (middle)
posing in front of his Roland biplane in 1915. |
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The South African forces were about to
start their offensive and had orders to follow hot on
the heels of the retreating German soldiers. Most likely
there was no time to catch all of the dispersed animals. |
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Amateur historian Walter Rusch came across
another piece of the puzzle which completes the picture:
in photo albums which belonged to Emil Kreplin, the mayor
of Lüderitz from 1909 to 1914, he found pictures
of a stud farm at Kubub, south of Aus. Kreplin bred workhorses
for mining – and racehorses for flourishing Lüderitz.
The similarities between stallions from Kubub and Duwisib
are striking. The photos of the Kreplin Stud show horses
with characteristics which even now, 90 years later, are
still prominent in the Wild Horses. The characteristics
are mostly those found in the Kap-Boerperd, Hackney and
Trakehner. |
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'Namibs'
as a Breed in their own Right
Substantiated biologically and historically, several theories
can thus be brought together. The core of the herd probably
consists of horses which belonged to the South African
army, the German colonial forces and the Kreplin Stud
(with connections to Duwisib). Animals which were dispersed
or left behind in the turmoil of war gathered in the mountains
around Aus, where many natural watering places can be
found; in those days there were no fences yet. It is possible
that these groups were joined by horses which had been
abandoned during the depression and as a result of the
automobile’s triumphant progress.
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It is probably thanks to the diamond finds
at the coast that the horses were not caught again later
on. As early as 1908 the German colonial administration
established restricted areas which extended about 100
km inland and were strictly controlled. The surroundings
of Garub were part of 'Sperrgebiet II'. Nobody was allowed
access, with no exception made for hunters or horse-catchers
either. Garub with its borehole and the horse-trough,
set up later, became the pivotal point in the horses’
existence. |
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It was only in 1986 that the Restricted
Area II was declared open and annexed to the Namib Naukluft
Park. For 90 years the feral horses were able to develop
in almost complete isolation and by now may therefore
be regarded as a breed in their own right, the 'Namibs'. |
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© 2007 Nature Investments (Pty) Ltd |
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- More pictures at www.namibhorses.com
- For a detailed media release see
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www.gondwana-desert-collection.com
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