Wild Horses Roam Free

Historically, wild horses were one of the first animals to be domesticated by man

, from as early as 3500 BCE. While we always think of saddling up for a ride or hitching a horse up to a cart or wagon, these beautiful creatures were once wild and roamed free. Today, you can still spot a feral herd or two in the wild - Virginia and Maryland in US are known for their annual Chincoteague pony herding where put up wild horses for sale to be auctioned off and "broken" by trainers.

The wild herd

Horses are social creatures by nature and in the wild they band together in herds. Herds consist of one male, the stallion and pack of mares, usually 10-20 females to one male although many groups will be much smaller.

While many of us may envision the glorious stallion leading his herd, in actuality, stallions do not travel at the front of their herd. Instead, a lead mare takes charge of the direction the herd travels. She is usually one of the older and more mature females in the group and takes on a matriarchal role.

Meanwhile, the stallion brings up the rear of the group, keeping an eye on his herd as they travel up front, making sure that no mare gets left behind. The stallion fends off predators or other males looking to try and steal the mares from the herd.

Male horses will also challenge each other to control a herd. This will often happen when younger horses grow stronger and are able to take on the role as the herd leader.

The "domestic" herd

Many of these herding instincts are reflected in domestic horse behaviour. Horses are best kept in groups as they prefer to socialise with other animals, so it's best to board your own animal at a reputable stable with other horses. To adhere to this instinctive behaviour, a stable generally shouldn't keep more than one stallion in the "herd". The presence of another male will cause conflict and tensions amongst all the animals.

Instead of the small groups that wild horses are used to keeping, stallion services try to optimise the number of mares that stallions have access to increase the number of likely offspring. Some stallions could impregnate as many as 200 mares in one season!

By understanding horse behaviour, you'll also be better informed when it comes to buying a horse. You should think very carefully about buying a stallion for sale if you're looking for a riding horse. Stallions are much more aggressive than mares and are naturally territorial. Inexperienced rid

by: Horsezone

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