Wild Horses: The unknown heritage of Axios Delta

The area around the Axios Delta never ceases to surprise visitors and travellers. The entire area of the Delta Municipality is a rich wetland that, apart from the many-photographed fishermen's houses and the impressive flamingos, also hides many small and unknown stories.

One of them is especially dedicated to the wild horses that have found their own shelter in the area and if you are lucky enough you might run into one of them.

And indeed luck will be a good ally as there are now around 30 wild horses left, as a medium sized herd in other words, but once numbering around 100 horses.

But, how did these animals end up free in the wild again? The truth is that they have not always been there, but their case is quite a positive example of the presence of animals in their natural environment. The replacement of animals and humans in agriculture, with the industrialization of the 1960s, reduced and eventually made their use unnecessary, so they were set free.

Today's (few) horses are the descendants of their domesticated relatives who 60 years ago served farmers in their work. They are medium-sized horses with their roots in Pindos and Thessalian breeds, but they face risks due to lack of food and medical care. Delta Municipality and residents take the initiative and leave food in some of the horses' favorite places.

You can certainly increase your chances of seeing them up close if you are close to the islet near the dam of Axios or when they are galloping on the east bank. In any case, the sight of the lovely horses galloping in small groups or all together surviving freely will surely put you at ease, even from a distance.