Horse Herd Dynamics- Equine Behavior

 Herd Dynamics 

There is a continuous rotation of horses here on the farm as equines arrive from all parts of the country staying various lengths of time depending on their individual needs in their re-education and often rehabilitation. 

 One of they key aspects is herd dynamics. To be blunt, humans have "taken" the horse out of the horse. 

 They are fed processed feed, live in contained areas, have limited herd interactions, ween from their dam super young, have no variety in the terrain they are exposed to, and I won't even get into what we've done to their genetics. 

 So with that all in mind, we cannot assume horses will be socially capable or functional in a herd. 

 I'm 100% intentional in how and when I deem a horse is ready to interact with others, and always set up a "buddy system" within the herd, and never have feed options too close in proximity. 

 I never cease to be amazed seeing horse's instinct "reawaken" and the once socially inept grow into respectful herd participants. 

This shift is a two-way occurrence with rehab time with the human helping diminish the horse's initially hyper-alert, defensive, or fearful behavior flows over into how they interact with other horses. And the more socially sound they become, the more mentally available to the human they become. 

 On the downside, often with the aggressive, socially dysfunctional horse that is experiencing pain and fear from human experiences, the trickle down effect is displayed by his dysfunction when he is in the herd. 

 When was that last time you prioritized and valued observing the horse?