▁and ▁research ers ▁focused ▁on ▁environmental ▁issues ▁recommend ▁a ▁severe ▁reduction ▁in ▁her d ▁numbers . ▁Other ▁research ers , ▁looking ▁at ▁gen etic ▁vari ability , ▁state ▁that ▁a ▁her d ▁size ▁nearly ▁as ▁large ▁as ▁current ▁is ▁necessary ▁to ▁prevent ▁in bre eding , ▁but ▁also ▁state ▁the ▁her d ▁is ▁not ▁gen et ically ▁unique ▁enough ▁to ▁war rant ▁special ▁pres ervation . ▁The ▁National ▁Park ▁Service ▁has ▁no ▁current ▁management ▁plan ▁for ▁the ▁horses , ▁and ▁their ▁one ▁effort ▁to ▁create ▁one ▁was ▁blocked ▁by ▁Jack ▁King ston , ▁a ▁Georgia ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁US ▁House ▁of ▁Representatives . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁H ors es ▁are ▁not ▁native ▁to ▁ ▁C umber land ▁Island . ▁Popular ▁myth ▁states ▁they ▁were ▁brought ▁to ▁the ▁island ▁by ▁the ▁Spanish ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century . ▁However , ▁it ▁is ▁believed ▁that ▁these ▁first ▁horses ▁more ▁than ▁likely ▁did ▁not ▁surv ive ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁lack ▁of ▁vis its ▁made ▁by ▁the ▁Spanish ▁and ▁the ▁local ▁Native ▁Americans ▁on ▁the ▁island ▁finding ▁them ▁of ▁little ▁practical ▁use . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁the ▁English ▁began ▁sett ling ▁C umber land ▁Island . ▁The ▁horses ▁seen ▁there ▁today ▁are ▁most ▁likely ▁descend ants ▁of ▁horses ▁brought ▁by ▁these ▁sett lers , ▁as ▁this ▁is ▁when ▁a ▁large ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁horses ▁began ▁to ▁ro am ▁freely ▁and ▁revert ▁to ▁their ▁natural ▁state , ▁becoming ▁fer al . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁efforts