The Equus Survival Trust is a United States nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping conservation

Conservation ethic

Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...

 efforts for over 25 endangered horse breed

Horse breed

Horse breed is a broad term with no clear consensus as to definition, but most commonly refers to selectively bred populations of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a very broad sense to define landrace animals, or...

s. It is dedicated to protecting the genetic diversity

Genetic diversity

Genetic diversity, the level of biodiversity, refers to the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It is distinguished from genetic variability, which describes the tendency of genetic characteristics to vary....

 and traditional traits of historical horse, pony and donkey breeds that are currently nearly extinct. They are doing this through conservation efforts, public education and support of associations for endangered breeds. The organization places an emphasis on North American breeds and breeders. The Trust is the only conservation organization in the world that specializes in equines.

Categorization

The Equus Survival Trust categorizes its 29 breeds into six conservation slots, from "critical/nearly extinct" (meaning less than 100 active breeding mares) up to "watch" (meaning 3000-5000 active adult breeding mares). They also have categories for "Recovering", which covers breeds previously listed that have exceeded the watch category but may need additional monitoring, and "Study", which covers breeds that are of genetic interest but need more study before they are considered for inclusion on the conservation list. Besides the various conservation levels, the Trust also categorizes animals by type, including small and large ponies, small horses, regular horses, draft horses and donkeys. The breeds on the list originate from around the world, and all of the breeds have viable breeding populations in North America.

Conservation efforts

In 2006, the Trust partnered with the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...

 to carry out an equine genome

Genome

In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....

 research project on endangered horse breeds. Male members of 32 horse and donkey breeds were expected to be tested in the project. In 2007, the organization partnered with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting genetic diversity among rare breeds of livestock...

 in a project to preserve the Carolina Marsh Tacky

Carolina Marsh Tacky

The Carolina Marsh Tacky or Marsh Tacky is a rare breed of horse, native to South Carolina. It is a member of the Colonial Spanish group of horse breeds, which also include the Florida Cracker Horse and the Banker horse of North Carolina. It is a small horse, well adapted for use in the lowland...

, which is considered to be in critical condition with only 100-150 members of the breed remaining. DNA samples and photos were taken of a herd in South Carolina, considered to be the largest remaining herd, with a heritage tracing back to the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. DNA testing was undertaken in an effort to identify horses for a new studbook, reveal what DNA markers the breed carries, and map the breed's genetic place among all other horse breeds worldwide. Sixty horses were tested in the effort.

To promote the breeds that it is dedicated to preserving, the Trust holds or participates in various equine events. In 2006, they showcased the Caspian horse, Fell pony

Fell pony

The Fell Pony is a versatile, working breed of mountain and moorland pony originating in the north of England in Cumberland and Westmorland and Northumberland. It was originally bred on the fell farms of northwest England, and is used as a riding and driving pony...

 and Dales pony

Dales Pony

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 at Equine Affaire in Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

. The Trust partnered with five breed organizations to provide breed demonstrations, visitor information and public education. In 2008, the Trust organized a weekend-long event to exhibit around 120 animals representing 12 pony and horse breeds at the Kentucky Horse Park

Kentucky Horse Park

Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75 in northern Fayette County in the United States...

. The event was a combination of judged ridden events, including dressage

Dressage

Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...

 and show jumping

Show jumping

Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...

, breed demonstrations and public education.