Pasture Politics, Social Skills, and Wild Horses

Feral Chincoteage Ponies foraging together in a social group

Technically, wild horses are extinct. Luckily, many countries have feral horses (“wild” descendants of domestic horses) or semi-domestic herds that roam free. Studies of these horses, living in diverse conditions without human interference in their social order, show that the social behavior of free-roaming horses is very different from that of their domestic cousins.
Free-Roaming Horses
Mares live in "natal" bands with their young off-spring, and 1 or 2 stallions. These bands are family units. Turnover is low; a mare might spend her whole adult life in the same band. Rank is most often determined by age, and does not change. Aggression is rare, and mainly related to personal space. Long-term friends hang out together, groom each other, and look out for each other’s foals. Most interactions are peaceful, because groups survive on cooperation, not competition. Foals are free to run, play, and explore the world. They are weaned gradually, rarely earlier than 8 months, and possibly as late as 2 years of age. From older horses, youngsters learn the social skills essential to communicate, form friendships, and be responsible members of a cooperative social group. The band stallion protects and plays with foals. Stallions without mares live in bachelor bands. Membership is more fluid as some stallions leave to form or acquire their own bands, but friendships are still important. Much of the “aggression” among bachelors is mock fighting as they hone skills needed to defend themselves and their families. Leadership is shared. Any horse is free to go anywhere, and others are free to follow or not. Different individuals might initiate different activities, such as heading off to the water source, or looking for shelter. Following is optional; older, more experienced horses are more likely to be followed.
Domestic Horses
Human intervention normally disrupts this social order. Foals are weaned early and abruptly, often isolated in stalls, with limited physical activity, socialization, or opportunity to explore the world. In other species early weaning and social isolation are defined as abuse because it causes stress, interferes with social development, and sets the stage for fear-related aggression. Turning youngsters out in same-age groups is akin to leaving elementary school children without playground monitors. Without adult guidance, those who emerge as “leaders” are often poorly socialized bullies. If adult horses are lucky enough to have turnout, it’s often with a changeable cast of characters not of their own choosing. In addition to artificial social groups, domestic conditions include two other factors known to create aggression in horses: confined spaces and introduced food.
Raising Healthier Horses in a Domestic Environment
Re-socializing adult horses is dicey at best, but researchers have identified clear strategies for raising physically and emotionally healthier youngsters in a domestic setting. 1. Wean as late as possible, allowing mother to wean if possible. 2. Allow maximum turnout from birth onward. Playmates, room to play, and opportunities to explore all contribute to good mental and physical health. 3. Provide the companionship of 1 or more well-socialized adults. Well-socialized is critical, since their role is to lower stress and improve socialization without endangering the youngsters. The result is fewer injuries, better physical health, and horses who not only get along better with each other, but with people, too. References at end of article....

horseherdbehaviorfreeroamingsocializingyoungweaning

Brandy and Sapphire eventually became good friends

Our Herd
I once assumed, based on popular myths of wild horse behavior, that aggression reflected normal competition for rank. When I discovered that competition for rank is not natural horse behavior, I began to connect my own horses’ behavior and histories to problems created by domestic environments. Sapphire, my husband’s old palomino, was always “boss mare”. She lunged at other horses, apparently at random, making them scramble. She was particularly aggressive around food and feeding time. Why? Sapphire once lived in a large group at a boarding stable where feeding time was a free-for-all. Bronzz, my Arab gelding, alternately terrorized pasture mates or got himself beat up the year he lived at a boarding stable. Apparently his dramatic posturing makes other horses feel attacked. Perhaps this is because Bronzz spent most of his growing up years pastured with another gelding his own age, and no adult males from whom to learn clearer social signals or better manners. Shiloh, my husband’s younger mare, seemed to settle in so easily with Sapphire and Bronzz that we thought her social skills must be good. That happy illusion was shattered when we turned her out with a little mare our friend planned to board here. Shiloh charged at the other mare, kicking and biting, then tried to trap her in the turnout shed. It became clear that Shiloh’s aggression was based on fear when we separated them, and Shiloh rushed to me shaking in terror. Why would Shiloh be fearful of strange horses? She was sold 4 times between the ages of 16 months and 2 years. Imagine the fear and confusion of a filly hauled off by strange people and thrown in with strange horses not once, but over and over. The only wonder is that she managed to get along with Sapphire and Bronzz! Brandy gets the prize for social skills at our farm; the pony who was found wandering loose, so feral it took months to capture her. We risked pasturing her with Sapphire only because Sapphire needed more grazing time. In the 8 months they were together, Sapphire grew calmer, both with Brandy, and with people. She and Brandy began to hang out together, groom each other and, most amazingly, share hay piles. Brandy pulled this off quietly, with no fuss or drama. She did not care about rank; she cared about having a friend. When Sapphire passed away, we put the remaining three together. Brandy calmly leaves Shiloh the space Shiloh needs to feel safe, yet treats her like a herd mate, whinnying to her when she’s out of sight. Bronzz swiftly learned that if he tried to push Brandy around, she’d let him have it with both barrels. He also learned that if he wanted a hay pile to himself, all he had to do was flick his nose at her, the polite version of “leave me alone.” Brandy and Bronzz are now good friends, often grazing side by side. Brandy’s relationships with Bronzz and Shiloh continue to grow, as did her relationship with Sapphire, showing that there’s much more to pasture politics than rank.

References:
C.R Heleski, A.C. Shelle, B.D. Nielsen, A.J Zanella, "Influence of housing on weanling horse behavior and subsequent welfare"
Adults may be used to alleviate weaning stress in domestic foals

Lucy Rees, Horses in Company

F. Heitor, M. do Mar Oom, L. Vicente, “Social relationships in a herd of Sorraia horses Part I. Correlates of social dominance and contexts of aggression”, Behavior Processes, Sept 2006. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16815645?dopt=Abstract

Rikako Kimura, “Mutual grooming and preferred associate relationships in a band of free-ranging horses”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Sept 1998. http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(97)00129-9/abstract

S. M. McDonnell, J.C.S. Haviland, “Agonistic ethogram of the equid bachelor band,” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 43 (1995) 147-188 http://research.vet.upenn.edu/Portals/49/95Agonis.pdf)

Cathrynne Henshall, Paul D. McGreevy, “The role of ethology in round pen horse training – A review”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, June 2014, pages 1-11. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159114000811

Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir; Machteld C. van Dierendonck; Sigurdur Snorrason and Anna G. Thórhallsdóttir, “Social relationships in a group of horses without a mature stallion”, Behaviour, Volume 140, Issue 6, pages 783 – 804, 2003. http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/156853903322370670