Horses released by villagers turn wild in rural Erbil

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Hundreds of horses, no longer useful to farmers and villagers, have been released into the wild of rural Erbil's Bradost region in recent years.  

Zirar Ibrahim, a villager who once had two mares, said he set his  horses free six years ago, adding they now have joined hundreds of other horses in the mountainous areas of Bradost.

"They have no owners," Ibrahim said.

"When people abandon them or release them, they come onto the mountains... I owned two mares. This group has grown to around 20 horses. I don't recognize some of them. They’ve been left behind here, they are no longer needed. They’re not being sold anymore. The horses that are set free in this area join this group. That's why their numbers have increased," he added.

It is unclear how many people have released their animals and how big the wild horse population is in the Bradost area.

Many distinct horse breeds are identified in areas with Kurdish populations, known to Kurds as greater Kurdistan, including Jafs, Afsharis, and Sanjabis.

Historically, horses played a significant role in Kurdish life - they were the sole means of transportation for villagers in remote and mountainous areas and for Peshmerga forces, carrying weapons and food during past revolutions in the mountains.

Video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed