Socialization

 

Helping horses become friends is called socialization. Having friends is important for horses because they are “prey animals.” In the wild, they are hunted and eaten by predators like wolves, mountain lions, and bears. For protection, horses have developed special traits and behaviors that help them live together and avoid danger. Living closely together is also good for their mental and emotional well-being because they are less fearful and anxious when they are with friends.

Introducing a new horse to the group isn’t always peaceful and can sometimes be violent, but this is a natural reaction for horses. They are establishing their roles and hierarchy—who’s going to be boss, and who will be the follower. In the wild, horses can run away to safety because there is plenty of room to go, but when they are fenced in, it’s important to help them with socializing so no one gets hurt.

 

Herd Life

The group that horses form is called a herd.  A herd is a social group that lives, moves, and plays together and they’ve lived this way since ancient times. The rules of the group are called herd dynamics, and this is when injuries can happen – when horses in the herd are establishing the rules. Stronger, more dominant horses naturally want to “fight it out” to determine which horse can best protect the herd.

Hierarchy

In herds, there is a ranking order called a hierarchy. As humans, this can be hard to understand. It seems unfair because in our world, we want everyone to be treated equally, but that’s not the natural way of life for horses. In the horse world, there is a leader, and the rest are followers. The stronger, more experienced horses are higher in rank, and the smaller, weaker horses are at the bottom. As humans we might feel sad being at the bottom, but for a horse, the thing they think about most is safety, so being at the bottom means they have lots of protection from the more dominant horses in the herd.

Rankings

Horses in a herd are ranked as either an alpha horse or a subordinate.

• Alpha Horse (Leader):
  The alpha horse, or herd leader, is usually the most dominant and experienced in the herd. It’s the alpha’s job to lead the rest of the horses to grazing areas and water sources. In herds that have both male and female horses, the alpha horse is often an older female horse—called a mare. In the wild, stallions—male horses—can also be the alpha.
• Subordinate Horses (Followers):
  The rest of the herd is made up of subordinate horses that follow the lead of the alpha horse. Each subordinate horse has its own rank in the herd, below the alpha. The followers learn to follow the alpha horse’s lead and respect its authority.

 

Learning the Ropes

Horses learn the hierarchy of a herd through watching the other horses, interacting with them, and communicating. It’s an important process so that all the horses in the herd are peaceful and secure in their role. They do this in different ways:

• Watching: A new horse pays close attention to the body language of the other horses, like the position of another horse’s ears, their facial expressions, and tail movements, to understand who the leader is and who the followers are. For example, ears forward mean another horse is friendly or interested. If their ears are pinned back, they are irritated and warning another horse to stay away.
• Testing Boundaries: A new horse can quickly determine who the leader is and must then learn the ranking of the followers. In addition to body language, horses use nipping, pushing, and other physical movements to work out their dominance or submission. Physical movements can be anywhere from gentle nudges or pushes to more forceful actions, like bites and kicks. Sounds are also important. Horses whinny, snort, and squeal to express fear, irritation, or excitement.
• Submissive Signals: Just like the leader, a new horse can quickly determine who the lower-ranking horses are by observing their body language and physical movements. Submissive horses will often have lowered heads and avoid direct eye contact to show respect for higher-ranking horses. They will also yield space, which means they may move aside, step back, or turn away to create distance between themselves and the dominant horse.
• Confrontations: When body movements or vocal communications don’t work, horses may engage in physical confrontations to establish or challenge their rank. These can range from brief skirmishes to more intense conflicts, but they are usually settled quickly. Most hierarchy disputes are resolved with minimal violence through posturing, threats, and displays of strength or dominance.

How to Help

When a new horse is introduced to the herd, humans can help by supervising and assisting with the introductions. Often a new horse is separated on the other side of a fence, so it can watch how the other horses interact for a few days.  Good friendships are often formed as “fence buddies.”  Other times it helps for humans to show the alpha that we are the herd leader and we are responsible for the herd’s care and safety. This takes the pressure off the alpha to establish dominance. Treats also work!  Horses love nothing more than a treat, so rewarding them when they’re respectful to the new horse can also help. 

If you’d like to read more about socializing a new horse, click here to read Boomer’s story.  Boomer is the newest horse to come into Landslide’s herd, and his introduction had a lot of twists and turns!