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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Martin Meissner

AP PHOTOS: A herd of wild horses with origins in the 14th century still roams the German countryside

Germany Wild Horses Photo Gallery - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A herd of wild horses that traces its origins to the 14th century still roams the countryside in western Germany.

The herd is known as the Dülmener Wildpferde in German, or the wild horses of Duelmen. These days, nearly 400 horses make up the herd that lives on the Merfelder Bruch reserve at Duelmen in western Germany, north of the densely populated Ruhr industrial region.

The earliest record of the herd dates back to 1316. The dukes of Croy set aside the roughly 3.5-square kilometer (1.35-square mile) reserve in the mid-19th century.

On Saturday, recently-birthed foals cavorted with the rest of the herd in the springtime sunshine.

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