The wild horse (Equus ferus) is a species of the genus
Equus, which includes as subspecies the domesticated horse
as well as the undomesticated Tarpan and Przewalski's horse.
The Tarpan became extinct in the 19th century, and Przewalski's Horse was saved
from the brink of extinction and reintroduced successfully to the wild. The
possible ancestor of the domestic horse was the Tarpan, which roamed the
steppes of Eurasia at the time of domestication. However, other subspecies of Equus
ferus may have existed and could have been the stock from which
domesticated horses are descended. Since the extinction of the Tarpan, attempts
have been made to reconstruct the phenotype of the Tarpan, resulting in horse breeds such as the Konik
and Heck horse. However, the genetic makeup and
foundation
bloodstock of those breeds is substantially derived from
domesticated horses, and therefore these breeds possess domesticated traits.
