herd behaviour
Filed in: Misc
Questions About Horses
Below are just a few questions I have about horses that I cannot find an answer. You’ve probably got your own list of things that puzzle you about them. I don’t know if I will ever get answers, but I find that knowing there are is so much that I don’t know keeps me interested.
How do two or more horses decide within seconds of meeting if they will be friend or foe?
I have wondered for a long time what is it that makes a horse decide whether or not they will get along with another horse or be mortal enemies.
Clearly there is a lot of ritual going when they first meet. But it only takes a second or two for them to make their minds up about another horse. The way they greet another horse makes me suspect that scent plays a role in the decision making, but I think it may be more complicated than simply the way another horse smells.
Why do horses that don’t get along become good friends after they have been trailered together?
I have observed many times that when two horses that don’t generally get along are travelled somewhere together they inevitably become very friendly when they arrive at their destination.
My thought about this is that they share an emotionally difficult experience and it bonds them to each other in a new tolerance of each other. I don’t have any evidence to know if this is true or not, so it leaves the question open.
How can horse A boss horse B and horse B boss horse C, but horse C also boss horse A?
It’s clear that a herd is not a simple pecking order of each horse having a set place within the herd. The position of horses can change. Some become more dominant and some lose their place of dominance. But what intrigues me is how a generally more submissive horse can dominate a generally more dominant horse.
In our own herd at home Teddy (our Shetland) is pretty bossy and can push other horses off the food. But Guy, who is easily pushed around by the other horses can push Teddy off the food. There must be a lot more going on in a herd that simply one-on-one dominance. I don’t know what it is, but I think the hierarchical nature of a herd must be more sophisticated than we understand.
What is the role does smell or smelling in communication between horses?
Smelling objects, people and other horses is a very common behaviour in horses. It almost seems that using their noses as the first form of communication. Even when two horses are the best of mates they will greet each other by sniffing. They’ll even sniff their own manure!
I’d like to know the role that smells play in communication and what information they are able to gather by smelling things.
Why is the gestational length of horses so variable?
Horses have a notoriously variable gestational length. It can vary by up to 20% from horse to horse. This is quite unusual in the animal kingdom. On first appearances it would seem to put horses at an evolutionary disadvantage to give birth to foals that are at variable stages of maturity. But it works pretty well. I’d like to know the mechanisms that allow this to happen. Is determined by placental function or development of the fetal endocrine system. Can it be affected by maternal health or nutrition status?
How does a horse that is so acutely aware of almost everything process the information without constantly suffering information overload?
This is a question that has plagued me for decades. We all know that horses are acutely aware of the surrounds. They are able to take in much more information than people. They notice the smallest changes to their environment that we filter out.
That being said and given their reasonably cognitive function, how can they absorb so much information and filter out what is important and what is unimportant? Why don’t they constantly suffer information overload? What is different about their brains that allow them to operate with so much information constantly streaming in?
These are just some questions I have that I’d like answers to. I’m sure there are others that would pop into my head if I thought about it more, but this are at the top of my thoughts. And the longer I live I believe the more questions I will have with fewer answers.
Below are just a few questions I have about horses that I cannot find an answer. You’ve probably got your own list of things that puzzle you about them. I don’t know if I will ever get answers, but I find that knowing there are is so much that I don’t know keeps me interested.
How do two or more horses decide within seconds of meeting if they will be friend or foe?
I have wondered for a long time what is it that makes a horse decide whether or not they will get along with another horse or be mortal enemies.
Clearly there is a lot of ritual going when they first meet. But it only takes a second or two for them to make their minds up about another horse. The way they greet another horse makes me suspect that scent plays a role in the decision making, but I think it may be more complicated than simply the way another horse smells.
Why do horses that don’t get along become good friends after they have been trailered together?
I have observed many times that when two horses that don’t generally get along are travelled somewhere together they inevitably become very friendly when they arrive at their destination.
My thought about this is that they share an emotionally difficult experience and it bonds them to each other in a new tolerance of each other. I don’t have any evidence to know if this is true or not, so it leaves the question open.
How can horse A boss horse B and horse B boss horse C, but horse C also boss horse A?
It’s clear that a herd is not a simple pecking order of each horse having a set place within the herd. The position of horses can change. Some become more dominant and some lose their place of dominance. But what intrigues me is how a generally more submissive horse can dominate a generally more dominant horse.
In our own herd at home Teddy (our Shetland) is pretty bossy and can push other horses off the food. But Guy, who is easily pushed around by the other horses can push Teddy off the food. There must be a lot more going on in a herd that simply one-on-one dominance. I don’t know what it is, but I think the hierarchical nature of a herd must be more sophisticated than we understand.
What is the role does smell or smelling in communication between horses?
Smelling objects, people and other horses is a very common behaviour in horses. It almost seems that using their noses as the first form of communication. Even when two horses are the best of mates they will greet each other by sniffing. They’ll even sniff their own manure!
I’d like to know the role that smells play in communication and what information they are able to gather by smelling things.
Why is the gestational length of horses so variable?
Horses have a notoriously variable gestational length. It can vary by up to 20% from horse to horse. This is quite unusual in the animal kingdom. On first appearances it would seem to put horses at an evolutionary disadvantage to give birth to foals that are at variable stages of maturity. But it works pretty well. I’d like to know the mechanisms that allow this to happen. Is determined by placental function or development of the fetal endocrine system. Can it be affected by maternal health or nutrition status?
How does a horse that is so acutely aware of almost everything process the information without constantly suffering information overload?
This is a question that has plagued me for decades. We all know that horses are acutely aware of the surrounds. They are able to take in much more information than people. They notice the smallest changes to their environment that we filter out.
That being said and given their reasonably cognitive function, how can they absorb so much information and filter out what is important and what is unimportant? Why don’t they constantly suffer information overload? What is different about their brains that allow them to operate with so much information constantly streaming in?
These are just some questions I have that I’d like answers to. I’m sure there are others that would pop into my head if I thought about it more, but this are at the top of my thoughts. And the longer I live I believe the more questions I will have with fewer answers.