Wild Horses of Antalya

The Eynif Plain, located within the boundaries of the Ormana Village in the İbradı district of Antalya, is home to one of the most significant values, the Yılkı horses, enjoying their freedom with their foals on a 90,000-acre flat plain, have been captured on camera both from land and air. During the Ottoman period, the number of horses that came with soldiers who joined the cavalry units from the village but were released because they could not work in the fields is estimated to have exceeded a thousand today. Every year, thousands of Yılkı horses in the Eynif Plain create their own rhythm of nature. The playing and running of the foals, dancing freely with their freedom, hold a special place in the hearts of tourists visiting the region. These wild horses, with an approximately thousand-year history, are almost legendary with their freedom and wild beauty. This unique geography in the İbradı district shines like a hidden gem in a corner with the Yılkı horses. These magnificent horses that attract the attention of tourists not only come from nature but also from the depths of history. With a lineage dating back to the Ottoman era, these horses, along with their herds, roam freely on the 90,000-acre Eynif Plain. Located in the region where the Taurus Mountains cut through the Mediterranean and Anatolia like a knife, the Eynif Plain in İbradı district of Antalya is home to approximately 50 herds of Yılkı horses, totaling over a thousand, attracting visitors from all around the world each year. The horses, whose lineage dates back to the Ottoman cavalry units, live freely on a 90,000-acre land. ‘Lineage based on the Ottoman Cavalry Unit’ Tolga Özgüven, an alternative tourism operator in Ormana neighborhood of İbradı district of Antalya, stated that Yılkı horses date back to the Ottoman period and these horses are known to be a breed of horses coming from the Ottoman cavalry units. Describing the Eynif Plain as a flat area of 90 acres, Özgüven said, ‘The most important feature of this place is the Yılkı horses. These Yılkı horses are horses that come from the Ottoman period cavalry units. The horses are actually released horses because war horses cannot be used in agriculture.’ ‘They live as families’ Özgüven, stating that the number of free-roaming Yılkı horses is increasing day by day, said, ‘The horses increase their numbers by breeding every year. It is estimated that their number exceeds a thousand. These horses live in families consisting of numbers like 10 – 15 – 20. Each of these families has a leader. The leader protects that family. This period is the most beautiful period because it is the breeding period. It is also a period of fighting for herd leadership. During these times, you can see that the horses are showing off against each other, fighting with each other. Sometimes you can witness challenges between families and sometimes within the family itself. Magnificent views emerge. Different guests from different parts of the world come here every year. They live freely in harmony with the cows of the village in the plain.’ ‘The story of Yılkı horses’ It is known that Yılkı horses date back to the Ottoman period and these horses are known to be a breed of horses coming from the Ottoman cavalry units. Seeing that the horses brought by the young people going from Ormana to the cavalry unit as soldiers were war horses and could not work in the fields, the villagers, upon releasing the horses, began an adventure that has continued since that day. The Yılkı horses, whose numbers increase every year, live as groups in families. Known for their attachment to freedom, Yılkı horses do not allow anyone to approach them. The groups consisting of 10-12 horses roam around and in winter, they struggle in harsh conditions and against wolf attacks and use the lower parts of the pine forests as shelters.