Answering this post first 'cause I don't have to think
much (or order cogent debating points!)... ;)
> "Robert J. Chassell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> A friend of mine told me about horses. I do not
> know anything about
> them. Debbi, how true are these statements?
>
> Unlike dogs and cats, which are predators, horses
> are prey animals.
> This makes horses very different. (Humans are both
> predators and prey.)
True. As I tell my students, a dog or a cat see
something new and wonder "Oooh, is that good to eat?"
Horses see something new and panic "OH! Is that going
to eat me!?! RUN AWAAAAY!"
> For example, horses' reason for grouping together is
> different from wolves.
> For horses, the bigger the herd, the safer each is.
Correct up to the point of available grazing and
ability of a stallion to keep mares from other males;
bands in desert or other harsh environments are quite
size-limited, and may be as small as one stud, one
mare and their young offspring (the older colts have
been driven off by the sire, and older fillies may
have been enticed away by another stallion). One
stallion can only 'claim' so many mares in the wild
state, and I have not heard of a single male holding
more than ~ 15 mares (although there are rare cases of
an alpha stud permitting a beta male to be part of the
herd, which can then be a little larger; the beta may
or may not be permitted to breed any of the mares,
however. The presumed advantage to a younger male who
holds beta status but is not allowed to breed: if the
alpha is injured or dies, he can take over without a
dangerous fight, and having been part of the herd he
is already known and acceptable to the mares.)
Technical note: researchers of mustangs will refer to
frex 'the Pryor Mountain herd' which is actually
composed of a number of
single-stallion-plus-mares-and-foals groups, which
usually are referred to as a band, yet an individual
group might be labeled "Raven's herd."
> For wolves, on the other hand, an overly large pack
> provides little
> food for each member. An appropriately sized pack
> can bring down an
> elk and feed comfortably. <snip>
> She also said that both dogs and horses are
> hierarchical, but horses
> are less hierarchical than dogs.
Hmm, I'd disagree, because when you observe a band of
horses at liberty, it becomes quite clear that not
only is there an alpha, but a strict pecking order
down to the lowly picked-upon scapegoat. Horses
constantly test one another to see who is higher in
status (except for the poor omega, who becomes fairly
resigned to er's lowliness -- unless you put them in
an entirely new grouping, and then er may try to
improve er's ranking); in fact they test humans in the
same way -- and woe to the would-be rider who does not
demonstrate her/his right to be dominant! A major
point of the plethora of 'natural horsemanship' gurus
is 'how to become herd leader.' This also factors
into the "run away" problem: if the rider has
established that under his/her leadership, the horse
comes to no harm, spooking and running away are
greatly reduced: "th-th-they aren't sc-sc-scared, so I
don't need to be either..."
An amusing canine/equine hierarchy battle: several
years ago, on a mountain trail, a friend's large part-
malamute bitch accepted unquestioningly that she
should be behind the two geldings* (who outranked the
two mares in this group), but felt that _she_ ought to
be ahead of the 2 mares. Jasmine, the higher-ranked
of the mares, would have none of it, and kept after
Lexie mercilessly (not serious biting, just
dominance-nipping) when she slipped in front of her.
Eventually (about 2 hours into the ride), Lexie gave
up and walked behind Jasmine, with omega Zadah at the
rear. (Lexie was a _very_ dominant dog; anything
smaller or female was fair game for pouncing upon.)
*Sizes being similar, I have been told that an
un-neutered male dog almost always outranks an
un-neutered female; but this is not true among wolves,
where the alpha bitch outranks all but the alpha male.
> In a herd, stallions protect the others and breed,
> but the individual
> horse who finds good grass is often a mare.
That is the lead mare, and she also decides when to
move to various parts of the herd's range; she will
discipline rowdy youngsters and keep the other mares
'in line' as well. There have been documented cases
in which the lead mare actively helped maintain an
injured or ill herd stallion's status until he
recovered. Unlike elk or deer, long-term emotional
(or for the purists, preferential) bonds can be formed
between a stallion and the mares of his herd; I recall
reading somewhere of one pair being together for ~15
years (with other mares varying), and of another mare
escaping, after a year, from the winning stallion and
successfully finding her previous mate. (This from
studies of American mustangs - I think these were in
Montana.)
> Unlike dogs in packs, in a herd, every horse breeds.
Every mare does, but not every stallion (see above).
Sometimes a mare will try to prevent the breeding of a
lower-ranked mare...jealousy?
> Horses have the equivalent of left and right
> handedness. That is to
> say, they have different acuities on the left side
> and the right.
> Some horses prefer to be approached and mounted on
> the right rather than the left.
True, and that preference includes rider's diagonals
at the post (sitting with either the right or left
hind foot as the horse trots), lead at canter
(striking out first with the left or right hoof), and
bending (most horses are stiffer in one direction than
another). Sometimes this is the result of an injury
(frex it hurts to have the rider sit with the left
hind but not the right), but more often it is just
"hoofedness." :)
> Horses have magnifying lenses in eyes. People and
> things look bigger than they are.
I'm not sure about this; they do have an exquisite
'motion-detector' ability, with a tied-in tendency to
run away from that movement, if they have not already
identified the source as harmless.
> Even though horses may not see colors as such,
Horses actually do have color vision: they see blue
and yellow (and grey). I posted a technical article
on this sometime last year, and could probably find it
again if you like.
> individual horses have
> a desire for certain colors. <snip>
> "Where horses' ears are, their eyes are." Horses
> move their ears in a
> manner that indicates where they are focusing their
> attention. A
> horse's ear may come back so horse can see his or
> her rider.
It is not automatic in the sense of the eyes being
_physiologically tied_ into the aural sense (IOW a
horse can focus an ear back at the rider, while
looking at something ahead with its eyes), but it is
very true that you must be aware of what the ears are
doing, as their position and focus tell you mood,
state of arousal (WRT 'fight or flight'), and where
part or all of the horse's attention is directed.
> Moreover, while horses enjoy overlapping sight, or
> binocular vision,
> they also have a 3 foot blind spot right in front.
> If you approach a
> horse in its blind spot, you may startle it.
The area of binocular vision is very small compared to
our own, as the eyes are set more on the sides of the
head compared to our 'front of the face' position, but
it gives them an extensive field-of-vision (about 300
degrees IIRC -- but I could be rather off on that
number!). There is also a blind spot right behind -
ditto the startle. I never approach a horse from the
rear without talking to it -- and if an ear doesn't
focus on me, I move to the side until it sees me.
> To jump, a horse and its rider need to team
> together: the horse needs
> to look for ahead to see the jump; when it actually
> jumps, it is showing faith in the rider.
Because of eye positioning, it actually can't see the
jump ~ take-off, so it is exposing it's vulnerable
belly to whatever monster might be hiding behind the
obstacle -- a leap of faith indeed!
> Horses are very sensitive to body language and
> smell, and if they have
> adopted a human, are very protective of him or her.
Body language is crucial in communicating both your
intentions toward and your expectations of the horse;
they are incredibly keen observers of your tiniest
move -- where are your eyes focused, as you walk up,
is your body balanced to jump sideways or run, or is
it relaxed "nooope, no monsters anywheers
here-aboots..." If you hold your breath while riding,
the horse will assume that you've seen something
dangerous, and react accordingly.
Unlike say, a Golden Retriever, which has been
practically bred to adore humans, a horse will not
just give you respect and affection - you must earn
it. It's quite possible to force one to submit, but
only s/he can acknowledge you as worthy of being herd
leader, or a friend. I was quite proud when Darby
finally chose me as herd leader (that took nearly 2
years), and humbled when he became openly affectionate
(nearly 4 years...as dominant horse of his tiny herd,
_others_ are supposed to groom _him_; he's supposed to
be aloof and superior, not silly and
attention-seeking). [That is an exceptionally long
time-frame; with other horses I've earned leadership
in a month or so, and friendship as well. That is not
quite the same as being acknowledged as immediately
dominant, which occurs within minutes or a few hours,
depending on the individual horse. And of course it
is the job of every horse to test your fitness as
leader regularly; with some, that's once a month.
Darby tests, even if quite subtly, *every* time I take
him out.]
Horses definitely bond to their favorite human; like
therapy dogs and cats, some are quite careful of and
gentle with children, the disabled, or developmentally
handicapped. I've already told the tale of 'Darby an'
Me an' Them Danged Pit Bulls,' so I won't repeat it --
but yes, horses bonded to their humans can be very
protective. [To be fair, cows have been known to bond
to their owners/handlers as well, and act protectively
toward them. I'd bet that there have been cases among
all domesticated mammals of bonding and protection -
heck, I think I saw a case of a *chicken* warning her
'human family' of danger (a fire) on one of those
'Miracle Pets' shows!]
Debbi
Briar Patch! Briar Patch! Maru ;D
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