Today’s wild (feral) horses (e.g. Mustangs, Brumbys) and breeds that still live in their original wild state, such as Dülmen ponies and the wild horses of the Camargue, are on the move for more than 16 hours a day (Blendinger 1980; Schäfer 1993).

Most of this movement is slow and steady; faster spurts associated with a flight reaction are generally short in distance and infrequent in occurrence. In young horses sufficient exercise in addition to a balanced diet is the main requirement for optimal physical development of the locomotor apparatus (Åsheim 1978; Sevelius et al.), in adults exercise is an important factor in the maintenance of locomotive and digestive health.