I don’t know about everybody else, but my heart’s always in my throat whenever I introduce a new member to the herd, even though in this case, the herd consists of my horse, Bean, and his second-in-command, Freddie. It wasn’t always that way, however. Having been at the bottom of the totem pole for most of our eight years together, it wasn’t until he came to the farm that he now calls home that Bean finally stepped up to the plate and, after a lot of ranting, raving and chest thumping, emerged as number one. I must confess, I was secretly glad; I just couldn’t rationalize my then 14-year-old, 16.1 H Thoroughbred being bossed around by a three-year-old, barely 15 H Morgan, but horse hierarchy is anything but linear.
To that point, I’m now fostering a magnificent descendant of the Triple Crown Winner, Secretariat, I call Striker who stands 16.2 H and is as solid as The Rock of Gibraltar (I know, I gush about all the horses who come under my wing). Anyway, since I don’t have another charge on the yard right now, he has his own pasture next door to my crew. Nevertheless, I’d often notice him lingering around the fence waiting to play, so one afternoon when everyone was hanging out, I took the plunge and put him in with the boys . . . Big mistake. After watching little Freddie terrorize poor Striker, as big as he is, for three days in row, I accepted the fact that it wasn’t going to work.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a bully is, “A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people,” which rang a bell here, and which got me to wondering, how different is one species of bullies from another? That’s when I contacted Dr. Betsy Greene, Equine Specialist at the University of Vermont to get her read on the matter. Here’re the highlights of our conversation:
¨ Horses will always have herd animal instincts, no matter how old or how much training they have; their pecking order helps them feel comfortable with group dynamics, even the “bottom” horse can be happy in his role
¨ When you put a new horse into an established hierarchy, the order must be sorted out all over again, hence the challenging, kicking and fighting
¨ The highest ranking horse gets first dibs on territory, food, and water, which he might defend vehemently, so it’s important to precede with caution. Take your time and provide an escape route for the lower ranking horse to get out of harm’s way
¨ If it’s possible, allow the horses to meet over the fence in adjoining paddocks. While sniffing noses often leads to the inevitable squealing, head tossing, and pawing, it’s the process by which they begin to determine their order. But, if you need to put the horses together immediately, it’s best to turn them out after a meal to avoid disputes over feed. And, be sure to stay nearby until they settle down
¨ You may want to keep the halters on the first few times they are together, but be very cautious of trying to interfere with their natural process or you may end up in a precarious or dangerous position. Unless there is continued conflict, most horses will work out their differences in a few hours or days
¨ On the other hand, if one horse is continually disturbing or threatening the other, or if there is an out-and-out battle, which may include multiple chase scenes with ears pinned back and teeth barred, they should be separated
¨ Even when the order’s been established, the pasture should allow each horse adequate room to stand freely around the hay feeder, or divide the hay into more piles than horses far enough apart to keep the dominant horse from controlling the food. The same applies to the water tank and run-in shelter; the submissive horse must have enough room to move away
So, it just goes to show - as harsh a commentary for horses as it is for people . . . a bully by any other name is still a bully.
