Safaris worldwide often offer a combination of walking and driving. These methods of viewing wildlife have both pros and cons—a walking tour allows visitors to more intimately experience the animals they see, but it comes at the cost of potential safety breach; a driving tour will let travelers get close to the Big Five, but the automobile noises may cause the animals to flee. There is, however, another safari option.

The primary difference between a horse safari and a typical experience is that you no longer have the grind of an automobile engine under your feet. Gone are the doors and windows that may protect from unexpected animal attacks (though those are few and far between). With a horseback safari, you breach the line between observer and nature—you become a part of your surroundings. Running alongside giraffe, wildebeest, and antelope is an experience you will not soon forget. This is as close to nature as you will ever get.

Horseback safaris exist worldwide, but there is a concentration of availability on the African continent. Canter through the Okavango Delta in Botswana and the Great Dyke Mountains of Zimbabwe, the beaches of Mozambique and the desert of Namibia. Like with traditional safaris, riders can choose between single-day trips and longer excursions—most usually up to eight or nine days.

Though horseback safaris will bring you closer to nature, you will likely pay a bit more for the intimate experience. Additionally, all attendees should have some experience (or extreme confidence) with horseback riding. Though most companies spend months training their stable, horses—like the surrounding wildlife—are animals; you can never be certain that you can trust its judgment, especially in the presence of big cats and other predators. In addition, even if you are an experienced horse rider, you are most likely experienced on a small set of horses. On a horse safari, you are going to be on a horse that is new to you and you will be new to him. Take that situation combined with animals and a new landscape and it can be tricky.

While we have given you the bad news, the good news is that most of the horses are trained and experienced and only make the cut if they are truly gentle and are good with people and around these animals. Think of the kinds of deer around golf courses or parks that are less skittish because they are just used to seeing people. Not quite the same, but you understand.

The true magic of a safari on horseback is that you can get to places and see things that you just cannot in any other form. If a guide on a game drive parks a vehicle in a spot where you can’t get a great view, you are a little stuck. If you are on horseback, you can move around and get into a great position. Plus you are just more inserted into nature and don’t have to listen to the noise of the engine.

Known as the Mongolian wild horse or Takhi, Przewalski’s horse is the last wild horse species alive. Native to Central Asia and the Gobi Desert, this animal has never been domesticated. It is rare and endangered; in fact, they were once extinct in the wild. The last Mongolian Przewalski’s horses were seen in 1966 but were reintroduced into their natural habitat several years after.

Every Przewalski horse presently living is descended from 9 of 13 horses captured in 1945. Two of these animals were hybrids—one sired from a wild horse stallion and domestic mare, the other from a wild stallion and a tarpan mare. These 13 horses were descended, in turn, from approximately 15 animals captured around 1900. A cooperative venture between the Zoological Society of London and Mongolian scientists resulted in the successful reintroduction of these horses from zoos into their natural habitat in Mongolia. Currently, there are around 300 Przewalski’s horses in the wild.

The native population declined in the 20^th century due to a combination of factors. Copetition with livestock, hunting, capture of foals for zoological collections, military activities, and unusually harsh winters are considered to be the primary reasons for the Przewalski’s horse population decline.

This horse, when compared to domesticated horses, is short and stocky. Their typical height ranges between 12 and 14 hands—around 48-56 inches, and they can be around 7 feet in length. Their coat is generally dun with pangaré features and can vary from dark brown around the mane to a yellowish-white belly. While other horse species have 64 chromosomes, the Przewalski’s horse has 66.

Though unknown to many (including horse enthusiasts!), there is a difference between wild horses and feral populations. The term “wild horse” is meant to describe horses that have never been domesticated—such as the endangered Przewalski’s Horse. This is the last remaining true wild horse in the world; all others have been driven to extinction.

Therefore, a feral horse is considered to be domesticated, in a sense, because its ancestors have been domesticated. Though some populations of feral horses are managed as wildlife, the term “wild horse” is a misnomer. Feral horses are descended from domestic horses that escaped or were deliberately released into the wild.

As a result of its existence in nature, feral horse behavior has shifted over time; they more closely resemble the behavior of wild horses. They live in groups called bands, herds, harems, or mobs, and are often led by a dominant mare. The rest of the band is composed of additional mares, their foals, and immature horses of both sexes.

Like with most wild herds, band makeup shifts over time as young animals are driven out or welcomed in. Within a closed ecosystem, however, the ability to maintain genetic diversity necessitates a large group size—the minimum size for a sustainable, free-roaming horse population is between 150 to 200 animals.

These domestic feral horses were likely introduced by the Conquistadors in the 15^th century AD; some horses escaped and formed the feral herds we now know as mustangs. Australia has the largest population of feral horses in the world—with an excess of 400,000 feral animals, it is not hard to spot one or a group cantering together. Though unusually controversial (livestock producers are often at odds with horse enthusiasts about habitat impact), the domestic feral horse populations will, likely, continue to thrive.

The horse has evolved over the course of 45 to 55 million years—from small, multi-toed creatures into the large, single-toed animal we know and love. Humans began to domesticate horses around 4000 BC, and their domestication became widespread a thousand years later—around 3000 BC. The earliest archaeological evidence for this domestication comes from sites in Ukraine and Kazakhstan, but there is a sharp increase in horse domestication in Europe some two thousand years later.

The horse’s natural anatomy drove its domestication—their bodies enable them to make use of speed to escape predators, and they have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response. Horses, historically and in modern times, have been used for leisure activities, sports, and for working purposes.

Moreover, their natural disposition and speed made horses an apt choice in warfare. In fact, they have been utilized in war for most of recorded history. The first archaeological evidence of this dates to between 4000 and 3000 BC, and their use in war was widespread by the end of the Bronze Age. They continue to be used in battle—most notably by the Janjaweed militias in the war in Darfur.

Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories. These groups are based primarily on general temperament: “hot bloods” are considered to be fast, enduring, and spirited, “cold bloods” are suitable for slow or heavy work, and “warmbloods” are most suited for riding purposes. Horse use, over thousands of years, has driven breed development.

Horses require a lot of maintenance and care. Routine hoof care and vaccinations should be administered, and dental examinations are essential. Regular groom is helpful for maintaining good skin health, and they require daily exercise. Caring for a horse is a massive undertaking, but it is well-worth it!