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Behavior of Wild & Domestic Horses at Whispering Winds Ranch
Since Susan is sending me these great field notes, I thought it would good to share with others. The behavior of the the geldings ( acting like stallions) and the mares are normal from my experience. I will post our e-mails for others to read and learn too.
"The girls are really calm -- seems to be the theme of horses that arrive here. That last girl, Loki, was not able to be caught in the open. I walk up to her daily and love on her. Just something about the herd dynamics.
It's been an interesting Spring so far. I have to mustang geldings running free with the loose mares. Each has "snaked" their band mates and stay on separate parts of the ranch. When it's hay time the more aggressive of the 2 geldings brings his mares in first while the other band stands off in a separate area waiting their turn. If for some reason they should get too close to each other that particular gelding will "snake" his girls back to their area. It is simply amazing to watch.
The only ones that don't play the game are the domestic mares that are pretty independent. They wander with both herds, but aren't joined up with either gelding -- guess they haven't come into heat yet!
One of the geldings, the gorgeous appy mustang we have, literally has been breeding with the mares. I'm praying that he was just cut late at the age of 5 and is not potent. I'll be sooooo upset.
This has been the best education in the dynamics that I could have ever asked for -- right in my own backyard!!!"
MA - This is great information. Yes, your herd is following normal functional behavior --even though all the vet schools teach that reproduction is only hormonal based and that gelding will not act like stallions. So far, every case I have has undone this theory even with my TB gelding who never bred in his life, but the mustang girls taught him his role and responsibility --he herds them and covers them which is why they are all separate now as the kicking on the Shamber's end for "not getting the job done right" has escalated over the years.
Fascinating. May I share this in our wild horse study group -----or would you like to post it on the horsewomen.com site. ?
Susan -- Please share. I just thought it was fascinating, since it is my first first-hand experience up close. Not like visiting the Calicos for a day or two just to hope you get a chance to see a few herds.
After everyone was done with their nibble of hay (since they all come in when I feed the pasture horses I toss them a bit to share) they have disappeared in their separate areas. One group up into the hills where it's cool and there's plenty of grass. The other gelding (the appy) came back for one mare that had gotten sidetracked, drank a bit of water out of the creek, and took her back out to the open fields on the other side of the property with his band.
Is it common to have a lead mare, that isn't really aggressive but all move away from her, to move the mares around? I have one Sheldon mare whose presence near the food makes the others move away but then move back to eat with her. Yesterday I watched her move one of the mares from one of the bands away from the gelding. I've also seen her try to mount? Is that just an aggressive move taking the lead position?
MA- The behavior of the mares is normal too. Leadership is relative usually to "spatial awareness". This means the other horses pay attention to her and when she lets them in close, it is fine to close the distance, but an ear or a look of her eye can send the horses out farther. Mounting behavior of mares to other horses is not seen as often as it is in cows and dogs, but yes it is normal and I think as it is with other social mammals, a dominance or a way of reinforcing leadership. This is great data. Keep up the field notes and I will post. Thanks. Mary Ann
"The girls are really calm -- seems to be the theme of horses that arrive here. That last girl, Loki, was not able to be caught in the open. I walk up to her daily and love on her. Just something about the herd dynamics.
It's been an interesting Spring so far. I have to mustang geldings running free with the loose mares. Each has "snaked" their band mates and stay on separate parts of the ranch. When it's hay time the more aggressive of the 2 geldings brings his mares in first while the other band stands off in a separate area waiting their turn. If for some reason they should get too close to each other that particular gelding will "snake" his girls back to their area. It is simply amazing to watch.
The only ones that don't play the game are the domestic mares that are pretty independent. They wander with both herds, but aren't joined up with either gelding -- guess they haven't come into heat yet!
One of the geldings, the gorgeous appy mustang we have, literally has been breeding with the mares. I'm praying that he was just cut late at the age of 5 and is not potent. I'll be sooooo upset.
This has been the best education in the dynamics that I could have ever asked for -- right in my own backyard!!!"
MA - This is great information. Yes, your herd is following normal functional behavior --even though all the vet schools teach that reproduction is only hormonal based and that gelding will not act like stallions. So far, every case I have has undone this theory even with my TB gelding who never bred in his life, but the mustang girls taught him his role and responsibility --he herds them and covers them which is why they are all separate now as the kicking on the Shamber's end for "not getting the job done right" has escalated over the years.
Fascinating. May I share this in our wild horse study group -----or would you like to post it on the horsewomen.com site. ?
Susan -- Please share. I just thought it was fascinating, since it is my first first-hand experience up close. Not like visiting the Calicos for a day or two just to hope you get a chance to see a few herds.
After everyone was done with their nibble of hay (since they all come in when I feed the pasture horses I toss them a bit to share) they have disappeared in their separate areas. One group up into the hills where it's cool and there's plenty of grass. The other gelding (the appy) came back for one mare that had gotten sidetracked, drank a bit of water out of the creek, and took her back out to the open fields on the other side of the property with his band.
Is it common to have a lead mare, that isn't really aggressive but all move away from her, to move the mares around? I have one Sheldon mare whose presence near the food makes the others move away but then move back to eat with her. Yesterday I watched her move one of the mares from one of the bands away from the gelding. I've also seen her try to mount? Is that just an aggressive move taking the lead position?
MA- The behavior of the mares is normal too. Leadership is relative usually to "spatial awareness". This means the other horses pay attention to her and when she lets them in close, it is fine to close the distance, but an ear or a look of her eye can send the horses out farther. Mounting behavior of mares to other horses is not seen as often as it is in cows and dogs, but yes it is normal and I think as it is with other social mammals, a dominance or a way of reinforcing leadership. This is great data. Keep up the field notes and I will post. Thanks. Mary Ann
Tags: acting, behavior, dominance, geldings, herd, in, like, mares, normal, stallions
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