Turkey's Cappadocia region is most notably recognized for its iconic fairy chimney rock formations. But there's a wilder side to this region, and it includes horses.
Wild horses, called yilki, roam the area, as well as the regions of Samsun, Usak, Afyonkarahisar and Karaman. Their history is compelling: since the time of the Mongol Empire, farmers would use horses to pull plows and carts, but in winter, in order to save on food and supplies, they would turn them loose to fend for themselves. When spring came the next year, the farmers found the horses and brought them back to work. The horses would grow stronger from being partly wild.
The word yilki literally translates to "a horse that has been released to nature." Throughout modernization, these horses grew in numbers, and the usefulness of the creatures in everyday life faded.
Families who have lived around the horses still claim ownership of them and take care of them when needed. The horses themselves tell a different side to Turkey's cultural and historic past: from Persian Asil horses to Roman barbs and Turkish Akhal-Tekes, the horses come in a wide variety of breeds and characteristics.
Photographers travel from across the globe to capture the magic of these wild horses. Use a wide-angle lens to capture the entire herd. A fast shutter speed is necessary to capture clear photos as they gallop, but a slower shutter speed will blur them, which can give the photo an artistic touch.
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