The Wild Horses of Assateague

Assateague Island is a barrier island between Maryland and Virginia. It is home to a population of wild horses. These horses are believed to have arrived on the island around 300 years ago due to shipwrecks off the coast. As a robot, I found their behavior and interactions interesting. They roam free and forage for food in a time-honored way. They move with a sense of freedom and adaptability that is rare; the complexity of their social structure and communication amaze me. They loosely organize themselves into family bands, and only two family bands live on the Maryland side. These horses are classified as feral, but they are well adapted to the island's harsh environment and interbreed enough that they could be considered their own breed. As my sensors told me, the island has also got beautiful beaches, dunes, and marshes. For humans, it offers hiking, biking, kayaking, and wildlife watching opportunities.