Newsdate: Friday, June 23, 2023 - 11:00 am
Location: LEXINGTON, Kentucky

Understanding Herd Behavior for Safety in the Pasture

Woman holding small girl as they pet horse in pasture

Humans must become the alpha in the human-horse dynamic for the relationship to be safe and successful.
© 2003 by Jolante van Hemert New window.

If you own horses or spend a lot of time with them, you will spend time in the pasture – retrieving, riding or releasing your horse. Many accidents occur in the pasture, and t here are some the tips you can use to stay safe.

It is important to understand basic herd behavior to safely handle horses that are kept on pasture. Horses are highly social animals that prefer to live in groups. Horse behavior is best understood from the perspective that horses are prey animals with fight-or-flight instincts that were well-developed for survival in the wild and are now retained to a certain degree in domestication. Their first response to a perceived threat or danger is flight.

However, be aware they are known to defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is not possible, as in a smaller pasture or other confined situations. Take time to pay close attention to the group of horses with which you will interact. Watching a group of domestic horses will reveal specific behaviors, especially at feeding time.

Within a herd of domestic horses, there is an established pecking order that can change with the introduction of a new horse or removal of a resident horse. There will be a dominant horse in the field; be sure to know which one it is, as knowing this herd dynamic will help you to manage this group of horses optimally.

Body language is a horse’s principal means of communication. Horses use a combination of ear positioning, raising and lowering the neck and head, foot stomping, tail swishing, or other body movements to communicate mood or emotional status.

Aggression establishes herd structures initially, and then body language maintains discipline within the herd.

The dominant horse may pin back its ears, stretch its head and neck out as if to bite, and turn its hindquarters to another horse indicating that horse must move away. The horse being warned will move away or pay some direct physical consequence. That horse may move on to assert itself against another horse, and so forth, in retaliation.

I nstead of identifying one leader, horses rank individuals in their herd from the top down to the bottom horse. This requires the ability to not only recognize individuals but also remember their place in the hierarchy. Horses view people in a similar light – they are sensitive animals and will react differently to different people.

Just because a horse acts submissive to one person does not mean he will act the same way toward all people. Horse and human interaction, however, entails significant rewards for both. Understanding horse behavior and correct handling can mean rewarding, enjoyable time spent with horses.

Press release by Saddle Up Safely