In preparation for the herd at Le Villaret we put careful thought into the habitat type and genetic lineage of the horse herd.
Habitat
Le Villaret is located on a limestone plateau called "Causse Méjean". This site is a place in western Europe where natural conditions are close to those in Mongolia. Summers are hot and dry, winters are harsh and long. Rainfall is higher than in Mongolia but the shallow limestone soil does not retain water, vegetation therefore has to face conditions similar to those of the arid rangelands of Mongolia. Some plant genuses are common to the two places, such as Stipa grass. Finally sheep rearing has shaped the steppe landscape on Causse Méjean similarly to Mongolia.
Landscape of the Causse Méjean can compete with Mongolia! © C. Feh
Genetic lineage
The gene pool of the founders of the Le Villaret herd is representative of the global Przewalski's horse captive population:
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