Who is in charge of the herd of horses?

Everyone who watched the horses noticed that the herd has a structure. Some of the horses are always surrounded by fellow tribesmen, some walk at a distance, there are “inseparable couples” and stable groups. And the horses are not moving randomly. It means that someone controls the herd, is the main one. Who is in charge of the herd of horses?

In the photo: a herd of horses. Photo: pixabay.com

How to understand who is in charge in the herd?

Scientists carefully study the behavior of animals, including horses. One of the methods is to carefully observe the life of the herd from the side and record everything that happens, including who interacts with whom and how – literally every second. You can do this too.

Don’t neglect your horses! It is sometimes surprising that people who have been in contact with a horse for many years, but at the same time see it only in training, have a very poor idea of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbhow horses behave when a person does not interfere in their life.

How to understand who is in charge in the herd? You need to record any display of aggression you see: “rat” (nodding the head with ears flattened), hitting, biting, squealing, raising a leg, reining another horse. Who threatens whom and how does the threatened horse react? The accuracy of the study depends on how attentive you are and how much time you spent in the herd.

The horses are then ranked so that the horse on the top row is never attacked by the horses on the rows below. A horse that can threaten others with impunity (it is not necessary to beat, perhaps everything was limited to slightly pressed ears or a slightly raised leg), but at the same time that no one threatens – this is the main horse (dominant) of the herd.

In the photo: a herd of horses. Photo: maxpixel.net

However, you are unlikely to get a linear hierarchy – a straight line from the leader of the herd to the lowest-ranking horse. The fact is that horses have very complex relationships, including friendship, hostility and kinship. Just like people do.