The Emotional Needs of Horses

Horses are gregarious, and need the emotional security of a herd. They also are flight animals, and their first response to an unknown or frightening situation is to run away. If a horse is deprived of company or not allowed to express its natural instincts, it can become stressed and start to behave unpredictably. If your horse suddenly starts to act out of character, consider whether its normal environment has been changed and an emotional response has been triggered.

  1. The Need for a Herd

    • In the wild, a horse herd has a strict hierarchy, composed of one alpha stallion, several breeding mares, young stock and foals. As the young stallions reach maturity, they are driven from the herd and form separate "bachelor herds." Stallions from the bachelor herds eventually may challenge the alpha stallion of the family herd. Each horse knows its place within the herd, and new foals are quickly taught the boundaries of good behavior. Domesticated horses put together in a field will quickly develop their own version of the herd environment, with the most dominant horse (male or female) taking on the role of leader.

    The Need for Company

    • When a horse is kept on its own and is denied the chance to form part of a herd, it can become stressed. Lonely horses can start to develop behavioral problems such as stable vices -- chewing doors, kicking and nervous tics -- and also lash out unpredictably. If you are forced to keep a horse on its own, provide non-equine company such as sheep or goats, or stimulate the horse as much as possible with plenty of exercise and regular visits. Such horses often will form strong bonds with their handlers as a replacement for the herd.

    The Need for Protection

    • Sometimes, horses put into an established herd will not be accepted. This is a problem when a new horse owner moves to an established barn and turns a horse out with an existing herd. The newcomer can be bullied away from water troughs and food, and often is injured in the process. In the wild, the new horse would leave the herd and try to join another, but in a domestic environment it is denied that option. Such horses can start to become bad-tempered and exhibit other signs of stress. Owners can resolve this by fencing off a section of the pasture where the horse can still see the herd but is protected from them.

    The Need for Flight

    • Another cause of stress in horses is when they are denied the opportunity to behave in a natural manner. Horses instinctively run from unknown situations, and usually riders will try to prevent that flight reaction. For example, if you are trail riding and a branch falls suddenly from a tree, your horse normally will try to flee. If the horse is well-trained or there is a strong bond between horse and rider, the rider can usually arrest the flight instinct and reassure the horse, taking the place of the alpha stallion. If there is another, older horse present, the nervous horse normally will try to stick close to it. Occasionally though, the horse becomes so stressed that preventing it from fleeing makes the situation much worse, and the horse will try to buck the rider so that it can escape.