also: のま
noun
Refers to a horse living in the wild, not domesticated. Often used in literary or descriptive contexts.
モンゴルの草原には野馬が今も生息している。
Wild horses still inhabit the grasslands of Mongolia.
noun
pastured horse; grazing horse
A horse that is kept on pasture, often semi-wild but still owned. Distinct from a fully wild horse.
夏の間、野馬は山の牧草地で放牧される。
During the summer, the grazing horses are pastured in the mountain meadows.
野生馬 explicitly means 'wild horse' in the biological sense, often used for species like Przewalski's horse. 野馬 can also mean 'wild horse' but is broader and can include pastured horses.
放牧馬 specifically refers to a horse that is put out to pasture, emphasizing the act of grazing. 野馬 can imply a similar state but is a more general term.
Compound of 野 (no, 'field, wild') and 馬 (uma, 'horse'). The reading のうま is a regular compound reading, while のま is a contraction. The exact historical derivation of the contracted form is uncertain.