Social life of the horse.
- 16 mar
- 6 Min. de lectura
Understanding the depth of a horse's social life not only improves the quality of their lives, but also enhances our relationship with these magnificent creatures.
Horses have an incredible herd instinct,
they need to have extra eyes and ears in the wild to survive.
In the wild, a horse feels safe within a group and fears isolation, the herd gives them the company, security and social behavior so necessary to help reduce conflict and improve group stability.
We can all agree that there is a difference between horses in the wild and those in captivity.
Many abnormal behaviors observed in domestic horses are due to some aspect of the horse's social life not being able to be carried out normally in captivity.
A socially satisfied horse is healthier, happier, and more receptive in its interactions with humans and other animals.
Wild horse herds are made up of several small herds and independent herds formed
mainly by a single stallion, his mares and foals, and young horses of one or two years old. Additional males live alone or with other males in bachelor groups.
They all live in the same territory, without defending it, but rather sharing resources and encounters between the different groups. During these interactions, the stallions of the group try to maintain the integrity of their herd and prevent the loss of mares to other stallions. In addition to the stallion, there are the lead mares, who, while not forgetting that dominance or leadership is not a lifelong role, have the function of keeping the herd safe and moving. With the lead mare at the front of the herd and the stallion pushing from behind, they guide the community to food and water.
As social animals, horses interact with each other by engaging in mutual grooming and play. They nap and graze near each other, which creates strong bonds with other horses in the herd. Regular communication and interaction help strengthen these bonds over time.
When reunited after a long separation, horses may initially appear ignorant of each other. However, they often quickly reestablish their previous relationships and sometimes become close companions again in less than 24 hours. This ability to reconnect highlights the depth and durability of friendships between horses.
They can also form new friendships when circumstances change, demonstrating their social flexibility.
Herd stability is vital for survival, for example, one horse keeps watch while the others rest.
Horses often form lifelong pairs and spend more time around their friends, providing a sense of security and companionship.
This bond provides mutual protection (one can keep watch while the other sleeps), grooming (standing head to tail to swat flies), and strong friendships through play and mutual grooming. This is one of the primary ways horses form friendships—through mutual grooming, in which they stand side by side and groom each other with their teeth. This behavior not only helps maintain hygiene but also strengthens social bonds by providing comfort and reducing stress.
Play is also common in herds, especially in young horses, and helps to develop their
social skills, their musculoskeletal system, and their place within the group. Engaging in playful behaviors such as running, bucking, and nipping at each other is crucial for social development and helps horses establish and maintain friendships.
Horses live a synchronized life with the rest of the herd. If horses see a threat, their first move is to rush together before fleeing as a group. This is a way of defending the group by confusing a predator, so it doesn't know where to attack. The rules of the herd are to stay together, not collide, and to synchronize with those around them.
Horses synchronize speed and direction, and the lateral position of their eyes helps them avoid colliding. Synchronization is also useful for calmer, more peaceful moments; herds stay together, eat together, rest together, and go to water together.
Mares spend time teaching other youngsters to respect their personal space. Through observations of the mare and the other horses in the group, the foals learn to observe the social cues of the horses. They learn from the older horses in the group, and the bonds that form play an essential role in the social structure of the herd.
Evidence suggests that the fundamental social characteristics of domestic horses
have remained relatively unchanged from their wild ancestors.
Although the horse has been domesticated for over 5,000 years, domestic horses that return to the wild (wild or feral horses) or horses raised free-range will adopt the same social organization as their cousins, the Przewalski's horses, which are currently found in reserves, such as the 3,000 hectares of the Boumort National Reserve (in the Lleida Pyrenees), where a herd lives in supervised freedom.
Free-roaming horses in a natural environment have a social life from the day they are born until the end of their lives. Modern horse management can disrupt these bonds.
Throughout their lives, horses may change owners and accommodations or travel to competitions, and they are typically stabled and exercised individually. Isolated horses often display elevated levels of stress, which can manifest in various physical and behavioral problems. They develop stereotypies or other abnormal behaviors that can affect a horse's ability to learn and adapt to new situations. Isolation can even lead to physiological changes such as alterations in heart rate, breathing, and even pain perception.
Being aware of a horse's behavioral needs and learning to recognize when it is becoming stressed, anxious, or fearful is critical to supporting its mental well-being. It is important to minimize the effects of separation anxiety and explore ways to continue meeting its social needs.
Therefore, as horse owners, we must create an environment where horses can remain part of a herd and learn to be more socially adaptable. This will lead to better adaptability and relationships with people.
Many facilities aren't equipped to meet these social needs, but we can take steps to promote their mental well-being.
For example, studies have shown that, in the wild, a horse will typically have one or two close friends within a group. Being separated and housed individually isn't natural for the horse, but it can be less stressful for them when their friends are nearby.
Friendship is extremely important for a horse's psychological well-being, so making friends together can be extremely beneficial. It's also important for foals to play with others of a similar age for proper development and to prevent a lack of self-confidence and social skills later in life.
In summary, horses exhibit several social traits that reflect their highly social nature:
Herd Living: Their natural tendency to live in groups provides security and allows for shared responsibilities.
Hierarchy and Dominance: Establishing a social order within the group helps maintain stability.
Affiliative Behaviors: Mutual grooming and other bonding activities strengthen social connections.
Social Tolerance and Ambivalence: Horses display a variety of social behaviors, from affiliative (friendly behavior) to agonistic (aggressive behavior), which contribute to the creation of complex social networks.
Communicative and Cognitive Skills: Horses have developed sophisticated methods of communication and social cognition to navigate their social environments.
To respect the social life of horses, it is necessary for horse keepers to learn from wild horses and consider the stability and composition of their group when managing domestic horses. A group composition similar to the natural social system, with both sexes (subadults and foals) and stable membership among adult horses, is likely to provide the best social environment for all horses due to low levels of aggression. Frequent changes increase aggressive interactions between horses, and a lack of group stability poses a risk for potential injuries.
Appropriate management practices should aim to meet these social needs. This includes allowing horses to interact with others, providing opportunities for play and mutual grooming, and minimizing periods of isolation. When horses are kept in environments that restrict their social interactions, it is critical to mitigate these effects by providing alternative forms of enrichment and companionship.
For example, allowing horses to spend time in the pasture with other compatible horses, which allows for natural social interactions. If full participation isn't possible, ensure horses can see and interact with others through safe barriers, or even introduce non-equine companions, such as goats, which can provide some level of social support.
As horse caregivers, we must always avoid competition for resources such as food or water, confined spaces for maneuvering that make avoidance strategies impossible for horses, and constantly changing social groups. We must be clear that the ideal is to maintain a consistent mixed-sex social group, with free access to food and water, and plenty of space to display avoidance behaviors, promoting stable relationships and reducing stress.
By respecting and encouraging the horse's social life, we create an environment in which horses can thrive, fostering a deeper connection between humans and horses based on mutual understanding and respect.
