The wild horse Equus ferus is a species of the genus Equus, which includes as subspecies the modern domesticated horse Equus ferus caballus as well as the undomesticated tarpan Equus ferus ferus, now extinct, and the endangered Przewalski`s horse Equus ferus przewalskii. Przewalski`s horse had reached the brink of extinction but was reintroduced successfully back into the wild.The tarpan became extinct in the 19th century, though it is a possible ancestor of the domestic horse; it roamed the steppes of Eurasia at the time of domestication.However, other subspecies of Equus ferus may have existed and could have been the stock from which domesticated horses are descended. Since the extinction of the tarpan, attempts have been made to reconstruct its phenotype, resulting in horse breeds such as the Konik and Heck horse.However, the genetic makeup and foundation bloodstock of those breeds is substantially derived from domesticated horses, so these breeds possess domesticated traits.
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