From kaikan to konik. Facts and perceptions surrounding the European wild horse and the Polish konik

The subject of this book concerns the history and perceptions of the Holocene European wild horse and the horse breed the (Polish) konik, created in Poland in the 20th century. It relates particularly to the fields of archaeology, cultural history, nature management and animal morphology and ecology. During the last glacial, wild horses were typical inhabitants of the grassy steppes, then existing in Europe. When these steppes significantly decreased in size, as a result of climate warming, a forest vegetation developed in nearly all of Europe. The living conditions for wild horses are much less favourable in forest areas than in steppe areas. The area of grass is much smaller, whilst horses need a lot of grass due to their digestion. Nevertheless, wild horses managed to survive in relatively small numbers in forested Europe.