How grazing horses help protect forests from wildfires

Horses are stepping up as unlikely allies in the fight against wildfires. Across southern Europe, hotter summers, shrinking rural populations, and land-use changes have left forests packed with dry brush and undergrowth. That buildup is perfect fuel for fires.

Firefighters can’t tackle the problem alone, so scientists are turning to natural solutions. One of the most promising approaches? Letting horses graze their way through risky landscapes. It turns out these animals may be far better at managing forests than most people ever imagined.

Horses are unexpected forest managers

Most people think of horses as animals you ride, not as ones that help maintain the land. But in certain parts of Spain, wild and semi-wild horses have been quietly munching their way through fire-prone landscapes, trimming grasses and even woody plants before they can become dangerous fuel.

For years, studies have focused on using goats and sheep for this kind of work. Horses, on the other hand, were considered too picky.

Most experts thought they stuck to grasses and avoided shrubs and woody plants. But new research shows that’s not the full picture.

Horses adapt diets to the landscape

A new study has found that horses are actually far more adaptable than expected. Depending on the breed, their environment, and how they’re managed, horses can shift their diets in smart and useful ways.

That adaptability makes them strong candidates for use in forest management – especially in the Mediterranean, where fire risk is high.

The study was conducted by researchers from several institutions, including the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the University of Lleida, along with groups like Boumort Wildland and the Miranda Foundation.

The researchers looked at three different horse populations in Spain. Each one lived in a different kind of setup, and the goal was to see how the horses’ eating habits changed based on their surroundings.

Diverse horses, diverse wildfire roles

In the Boumort National Game Reserve, Przewalski’s horses live in near-wild conditions. They roam freely over a wide area that includes forests, scrub, and open meadows. Their herd density is very low – only about one horse every 125 acres.

These horses mainly eat grasses and have a small impact on woody plants, but they help keep the landscape open and reduce grassy fuel throughout the year.

In Garraf Natural Park, researchers studied a rustic breed called the Pottoka. These horses graze year-round in semi-wild conditions, with a moderate density of about one horse every 12 acres.

At first, they feed on fine, dry grasses – the kind that catch fire easily. As those grasses run out, they start eating tougher, woodier plants, which helps manage the brush more completely.

The third group was made up of crossbred horses in a more intense, short-term grazing setup. These horses were fed in a much smaller space for about six weeks, with extra food provided.

Because there were more of them – roughly one horse per acre – they moved quickly from eating grasses to chewing through shrubs and small trees. That kind of fast, targeted grazing could be useful in areas that need urgent fuel reduction.

Eating the problem

To figure out exactly what the horses were eating, researchers didn’t just watch them – they studied their droppings. Using 50 fresh fecal samples, they ran detailed lab tests to identify plant remains.

“We used microhistological analysis of plant epidermis in feces and advanced statistical models to obtain a precise assessment of the shifts in diet of these animals”, said Araceli Gort-Esteve, a researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

The results showed a variety of plants, including woody species like oaks (Quercus), junipers (Juniperus), and mastic trees (Pistacia), along with herbaceous species like Mediterranean false brome (Brachypodium retusum).

“The results with Pottoka and crossbred horses clearly show that horses, considered grazers with a preference for grasses, can quickly adapt to available resources, including woody species,” said UAB lecturer Jordi Bartolomé Filella.

This flexibility makes them a valuable resource for fire prevention strategies in Mediterranean landscapes, complementary to sheep and goats.

Grazing helps create fire breaks

Keeping landscapes “open” is key to preventing large fires. Forests that are too dense with undergrowth create huge problems during fire season. But with fewer rural workers and less active land use, natural fuel builds up quickly.

“Rustic breeds, often less valued today, have a great adaptive capacity that makes them key in silvopastoral tasks,” said researcher Ariadna Nieto-Espinet.

“Our study shows that horses can not only contribute to undergrowth control, but also to the maintenance of open spaces and mosaic landscapes.”

New hope for wildfire prevention

This study is one of the first to show, with real data, how horses fit into wildfire prevention strategies. But the researchers say we still need more long-term studies.

They want to measure exactly how much flammable material horses can remove and how this varies between seasons and landscapes.

Still, in a time when climate change is turning wildfires into year-round threats, horses offer a tool that’s been hiding in plain sight. They don’t just live in the landscape – they shape it. And that could make a big difference in keeping Mediterranean forests safer.

The full study was published in the journal Agroforestry Systems.

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