07.11.08
Horse behavior observations 1
Watching horses in our backyard daily as I have for 16 years, I have learned a lot about how they behave. I’ve never had the opportunity to observe wild horses, but our own Herd certainly displays many of the same typical behaviors. Though I’ve probably forgotten more than I can recall, I will share under this topic random tidbits as they occur to me. You-all please add your own observations under Comments at the end of this post! And THANKS!
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- An alpha mare bosses the herd. All the other horses fit themselves into their own pecking order, and knowing his place makes each one feel secure.
- Horses talk to each other in subtle ways, or they can shout as well– their communication is almost all body language. A mere flick of an ear or swish of a tail can convey a message. It is very wise for people around horses to pay attention to their language.
- A horse can twitch its skin on almost any part of its body.
- Horses do not sleep for any long stretches of time, day or night; rather, they take short naps on their feet, or sometimes lying down, but rarely for longer than 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
- In groups of horses, when some are napping there is almost always one horse standing and staying awake on guard.
- A mare will stand over and guard her sleeping foal when it is really young.
- Foals sleep a LOT!!! We used to call our guys “pancakes” when they slept flat out in the pasture!
- A horse’s teeth keep growing into old age, their surfaces wearing down while regrowth occurs. A knowledgeable person can tell a horse’s age pretty closely by examining its teeth.
- The horse is interested in 2 things: eating, and being comfortable. For a stallion, make that 3 things.
- A horse’s lower lip droops and often quivers when he is really relaxed; this makes his upper lip hang over, he can quiver that too.
- Their lips are practically prehensile; I’ve seen them pick up a single blade of hay out of a pile of shavings, and they selectively pick grass (and leave behind the weeds!)
- He chews and licks his lips when he is thinking and learning something..
- Horses are very sociable and find security in groups with other horses, once they get to know them.
- Horses can grow so attached to each other that separating one from the others becomes difficult for the handler.
- If no other horse is around to bond to, a horse can become attached to another animal, such as a goat or even a dog.
- And yet, horses can also be aggressive towards dogs, even familiar dogs.
- They are creatures of habit, yet they can adapt to irregular routines.
- Horses love being scratched in itchy places (bug bites) and places they cannot reach themselves (the groove under their chin, withers, between their hind legs, base of mane and tail & under forelock)
- In cold climates, a horse grows its own extra thick coat of fur for the winter. Keeping a blanket on him starting in the fall prevents this fur coat from growing. The winter fur sheds out in the spring, over the course of a month or so– talk about a LOT of shedding!!!
- It’s really cute to watch a foal scratch its chin with a hind foot– even grown horses do that.
- A horse really trusts the human that it allows to approach while it is lying down.
- A horse can snort so loudly it sounds like a gunshot! I believe this shows a high degree of alarm, and could likely serve to warn off an intruder.
Horse Gal said,
July 14, 2008 at 11:12 am
Thank you SO much for the post on horse behavior!! I loved it and I printed it out so I can read it over and over and will file it into my ever-growing horse reference folder at home. I am sure a lot of your readers will love and and appreciate it as much as I do!! I have learned SO MUCH by reading your posts. You write so even someone as green as myself and understand and enjoy what you are saying, so thank you especially for that. And you make it SO interesting!!! You are just as amazing in your knowledge and experience as your Emmie is and I consider myself exremely lucky you have you both as teachers, mentors and friends!! Keep up the great work on this blog!!!!!!!!
Dave McMahon said,
July 16, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I like your observation about the alpha mare being in charge of the herd and how the other horses know their place and feel secure. I think this is an important observation in terms with how humans deal with their horses. People need to establish themselves as the leader of their horse. But this isn’t a “dominance” thing, its really more of a trust issue. And like you say, the other horses feel secure. I think its the same in a human-horse relationship. When the horse sees you as his or her leader, then the horse feels more secure with YOU and becomes safer to be around and to ride. Anyway I also spends lots of time just observing horses. I board my horses at a rescue ranch that has 65 horses divided into different paddocks, so I get lots opportunities to take time out just to watch. I think everyone who owns horses should do it.