Herds

- about 6 animals: A. one stallion B. mares and their young C. bachelor males sometimes tag along
- 40 to 50 herds on the island
- bachelor males may form herds
- each herd has a home range of about 3 square km
- family herds avoid each other, even at shared water holes

To protect their breeding rights, stallions must constantly defend their mares by threatening other males. This may lead to fierce fights.
	Most young are born in May or June, after nearly a year in the womb and will nurse for 10 months
A herd huddles together in the shelter of the dunes.

Death

	Death from natural causes prevents the island from becoming over-populated. After several mild winters the population increases, but many of the old, weak or very young animals will die during the next hard winter.
The number of horses changes from year to year.
Nutrients from dead horses enrich the soil, encouraging a lush growth of Marram.