The Social Structure Of A Herd Of Horses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nA herd is the most common term for describing a group of horses. It is essentially a group of wild horses, outdoors, that have formed a group dynamic in which they essentially \u201clive with one another\u201d, moving from one place to another out in the wild, as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This happens quite naturally, because horses are social animals. They do not like being alone, and always form groups, some of which can become quite large in number!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And within these groups, which are called herds (we might as well use the right term since that\u2019s what the article is about!), specific dynamics are formed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within a herd, some horses are more in charge than others, kind of like in human society. And horses also interact with one another, forming relationships and bonds! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a general rule, a herd of wild horses will feature one or two stallions, some mares, and any foals that are born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stallion, or one of the stallions if there is more than one, will be the one that \u201cowns\u201d the herd, so to speak, and is the one that establishes dominance and drives away any other horses that aren\u2019t part of the herd. But curiously, the stallion isn\u2019t actually the leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The leader of the herd will usually be the oldest mare, and we will call her the alpha mare. She will usually be weaker than the others, due to age,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but she has survived longer than any others, and that experience is what earns her the respect of the herd. Wherever the alpha mare decides to go, the herd follows. She sets the pace, and the direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stallion, meanwhile, will guard and protect the herd. And of course, he will get with all the mares when they are in heat, to keep producing foals, so that the hoard keeps growing and stays alive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the foals grow up, the colts will be on their way, and they will often form their own herd of bachelors, until they find their own mares with which to found a proper herd. (Quite often, they will replace a stallion from a herd, when the stallion becomes too old.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So essentially, there are herds, and the herds have a stallion, mares, and foals. The alpha mare is in charge, and the stallion protects and procreates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the colts grow old, they leave and form their own bachelor herd. Then, when they find a herd in which the stallion is too old, one of the bachelor colts will replace that stallion, and take charge of that herd. And so on! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s quite fascinating, really! Oh, and don\u2019t think that special dynamics and behaviors are unique to herds. All types of groups of horses end up forming a dynamic, with some horses establishing dominance, and some becoming submissive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is why in teams or troops of horses it is very important to implement the right kind of training, to ensure that the horses work well together and get along! <\/p>\n\n\n\n