Why do I find this just adorable?
I'm not too familiar with horses, not had too much interaction with them.
They seem rather intelligent, like giant Dobermans in a way.
It's interesting that this one sought out the company of your horses which I assume they have little or no contact with?
But probably know each other's scents well living so close?
Have you ever considered letting them mingle?
Is there risk of injury or? Unwanted new little horses? Disease?
Just curious as a complete horse know not.
Oh, gosh, you want to get me started talking 'horse'!? lol I could talk for hours!
First off, let me say, I am not an expert. I have never done shows or ridden a 'winner'. But all the years up to the day I got my first horse (Cheyenne) I thought I knew a lot! I didn't.
I have ridden my whole life, read every book I could get my hands on as a child, begged my parents for a horse daily, had jumping lessons, rode English and Western. I thought I had a lot of experience the day I brought my horse home. But what I learned was, there is no experience like first hand. Having a horse on your property where you care for it day and night teaches you a LOT.
They all have personalities and you get to know each one well. I can tell you what each one will do in any given situation! And you learn about injuries and how to treat most yourself.
My first observation is they can be a lot like a dog, if you treat them that way. If they are just a fixture in your barn that you throw hay at, no. But I interact with them a lot. I don't feel it's all about riding them. I like them to listen to me, move for me, come to me. And I play with them with that. If I bring them out loose inside the barn, they know where the treat box is, just like a dog. And just like a dog I can say, uh uh uh, and they stop. Yes, intelligent. More intelligent than most non horse people would think or even give them credit for.
VERY trainable. Just watch the Cavalia show!
The days of old where they beat horses into submission are gone. Some smart man (probably a woman! lol) finally realized these creatures respond to gentleness more than beatings! They are herd animals, just like a dog, so they respond to a Pack Leader, just like a dog. We have an 'order' out there. It's Me (head mare over everyone
) then Cheyenne (head mare over her herd) then its Sandy and then the lowly gelding, Stilts.
Although he has exerted some orneriness at times to Sandy. He wouldn't dare touch Cheyenne!
And because they are pack animals, they will seek out other horses to be near. Just like dogs and, I feel, just like most
people.
There's always the loner, but I feel people need people too. If you have one horse they say that even having other horses nearby within sight is good for them. If not that, then having them in an area where they can see you or other animals. Just like dogs and people, horses get bored. They enjoy watching activity around them. My three will play with each other a lot during the day and they get a view of the Fjords next door, sometimes the horses to the other side and wildlife passing through. I go out there a lot too. And we spend most of our time in the back property so they always have something to see.
Have you ever considered letting them mingle?
Is there risk of injury or? Unwanted new little horses? Disease?
Because of their pack orientation and pecking order, adding a new horse can be tricky. We could never just throw all of hers and ours together. At least not in a small space! lol Its just like adding a new dog. There will be squealing, kicking and nipping until the pecking order is figured out again. But it gets worked out. Sometimes not without injury. I was worried about that when we bought Stilts. He was the last horse we bought and I worried about the introduction. I put the mares out in the pasture and him in the corral so they could get to know each other over a fence. Sound similar to our dogs? lol Well, here's a little story that shows how much they are pack animals.
The first day I had Stilts, my mom needed me. At the time, she lived an hour away. My dilemma was what to do with the horses while I was gone, so I decided to keep Stilts in the corral and the mares in the pasture. Hours later, I come back home to find the mares all the way at the far end of the pasture, happily eating grass. And Stilts? He wanted to be with them so bad and they had moved so far from him, that he
jumped the fence and was happily eating grass too! Only he was at the far end of the property with them.....on the OUT side of the pasture! Yea, loose. But happy just to be near them.
In fact I've wondered for many years about the mind of the horse – particularly whether a horse that spends so much of its time just standing there is "happy."
Unless you know what kind of life he's living, you may never know if he's happy. And what I mean by that is, horses stand around a lot. Just for a lack of something to do. If they are getting enough stimuli from their owner or other animals, standing around can just mean he's resting or even sleeping. And if in the company of other horses, all standing around, they are usually quite content. Just
because they are with their buddies. But then there may be the one horse standing there looking forlorn, bored, unattended to and lonely. Those are the ones that would tug at my heart. But one never knows as you drive past them that there isn't someone in the house coming out with a carrot and some love right after you leave. I look at the body condition just like we would at a Doberman or any other animal. If the body looks great then, mostly likely, he is well cared for and happy. They are creatures of habit and once they get used to a routine they are quite happy.
