The Original Horse

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Five diminutive wild horses are settled near elite quarter horses at the Moncrief Ranch near Aledo. Three of them run together, often staying along fence lines to remain as far from two-legged sapiens as possible. 

They trot back and forth with short, stubby legs in a gait-like fashion, and this constant movement has created small trenches near the barriers of their enclosure on this rainy morning. They have a frightened and timid disposition; they are, no doubt, wild. 

These pony-size undomesticated equines are Przewalski’s Horses, also called Mongolian Wild Horses or “P Horses,” and they are the last remaining wild subspecies of horses on earth. They are also endangered, which is why philanthropist and Fort Worth native, Kit Moncrief, is so dedicated to breeding them. She feels a responsibility to protect this unique animal.

The last wild horse

Far from home on a ranch just a few miles from an urban sprawl, P Horses once populated the steppes of Mongolia and China for thousands of years. That is until the 20th century when human interference, loss of habitat, and other factors dwindled their numbers in the wild to near extinction. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute says P Horses were last seen in the wild in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia in the 1960s. 

Breeding programs at zoos have helped prevent extinction, the Smithsonian says of the approximately 1,900 P Horses alive today — all of which have descended from the 14 horses caught in the wild between 1910 and 1960. Because of such a small gene pool, fertility can be affected, and P Horses are notoriously difficult to breed successfully.

With a quick glance, P Horses can resemble a stripeless zebra. They’re short, sturdy beasts with a large head, thick neck, fur-like coat and a brushy mane. They’re dun-colored with a dark stripe running down their backs, and their muzzles are white. These horses actually possess two more chromosomes than domestic horses.

Currently, several hundred P Horses have been reintroduced to the wild in three remote sites in Mongolia, and breeding programs continue to grow the population at select ranches and zoo locations around the world. Though the wild horses continue to struggle with disease, fertility, poaching, and other challenges, in 2008, they were moved out of the “critically endangered” category and into the “endangered” category, thanks to the hard work of conservationists on a global scale.

Kit’s mission

Kit Moncrief is a philanthropist, a preservationist of Western history, a patron of the arts, a health advocate, and a lover of animals — both wild and domesticated. She sits on half a dozen boards of key organizations in our city, including as co-chair of the Fort Worth Zoo board of directors. Charlie Moncrief, Kit’s husband, is also interested in animal conservation, as were the couple’s parents — Charlie’s father, Tex Moncrief, is still involved at age 99, and Kit’s dad, Harry Tennison, was chairman of the board at the Fort Worth Zoo for many years. The pair are also recent inductees into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, and Kit serves as the president of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

Kit breeds and owns world champion cutting and reined cow horses that have tallied more than $2.24 million in winnings. While their equine credentials are certainly worthy of all the recognition they receive, Charlie and Kit have also raised “super exotic” and often endangered animals. These include Grévy’s zebras, Kudu antelope, Pére David’s deer, and what Kit says is the largest number of Nubian wild asses in one location in the world. 

When she heard of a group of P horses that needed a new home from noted Texas A&M executive professor Dr. Jim Heird and Dr. Glenn Blodgett, veterinarian at the legendary 6666 Ranch, she jumped at the chance to help.

“They both know that I love animals and am very interested in endangered species,” Kit says. 

The four horses originated at the San Diego Zoo and were raised at two other facilities before finding their way to the Moncrief Ranch in early 2018. Moncrief ranch manager Mike Luttrell says, originally, they’d thought to crossbreed with quarter horses to try to breed a horse that could be domesticated.

“When Kit found out how rare these horses are, she wasn’t interested in crossbreeding them when they’re so hard to reproduce,” Mike says. 

Care and conservation

While under Kit, Mike, and his wife Barbie’s care, the stallion bred with one of the three mares. She delivered her foal — a colt — in the spring of 2019, and Kit is delighted to have already increased the worldwide population of these extraordinary animals by one.

It’s been challenging caring for these undomesticated horses, Kit said, because they don’t trust humans. Mike, Barbie, and Kit have worked closely with expert conservationists to create the best environment for their charges.

“They’re wild, of course,” Kit says. “The ones at the Smithsonian are tame, but it’s taken years to get them there.”

The older horses are most likely going to stay as wild as the day they arrived, but Kit and Mike hope that working with the youngster, who has been recently weaned, will help him more readily accept care and medical attention.

The small herd lives in a pasture at Moncrief Ranch, where Kit and Mike can observe them, but they still have freedom to graze and roam around near other horses. They’re gently herded into a cattle chute for medical care and receive parasite control through an oral supplement.

“You can’t just throw a halter on one to move it from pasture to pasture,” Mike says.

Future plans

With two male P horses and three females, Kit hopes to continue careful breeding of the animals, although the two stallions will be housed in separate pastures to encourage healthy dynamics. Recent DNA testing of the young colt has shown him to be 100% P horse with no domesticated blood, which confirms that at least mother and father are pure wild horses. This is ideal for promoting further breeding of the endangered horses. Kit also plans to collaborate with other P horse breeders to reduce inbreeding.

“Our goal is to keep breeding them and work with other people who are breeding them to try to bring their numbers up,” Kit says. “I hope to do the best I can to help the breed.”

Kit feels a special responsibility for the tough animals and considers it an honor to be able to raise more of these horses. She also wants to encourage education and awareness about endangered species like the P horse and the importance of conservation.

“They are the original horse,” Kit says. “They were here before we [humans] were. They’re part of our history. I am thrilled they have survived, and I hope to make a difference by trying to save this breed.”