Cinnamon was the first horse that I owned (still do). She’s a pretty chestnut who has presented us with four fine foals.
I had owned Cinnamon about nine months when we purchased two Rocky Mountain mares. These two mares had been raised together and were approximately the same age. After a few days, we decided to put Cinnamon in the same paddock as the Rockies.
Being worried that the two Rocky mares would gang up on Cinnamon, I expressed concern for Cinnamon’s safety. After assurances from my husband that she would be fine, we led Cinnamon from her stall to the paddock. As we approached the gate, the two Rocky mares looked toward Cinnamon but made no attempt to approach. I removed Cinnamon’s lead rope and ushered her into the field.
Immediately, Cinnamon let out a blood-curdling scream and ran all out toward the other two mares. She immediately began kicking and biting at the other mares who seemed to be as shocked as I was. It was all over in a couple of minutes, but there was absolutely no doubt about who the boss was!
Since then, I’ve learned quite a bit about the pecking order of horses. Each and every horse, from the oldest to the youngest, knows exactly where he or she stands in the herd hierarchy. They not only know, but they accept it and even seem to like the arrangement.
It’s easy to identify a horse’s standing within the herd. If there are seven horses in the field and seven piles of grain on the ground, no matter which horse gets there first, when the number one horse arrives, the booted horse either goes to the next vacant pile or moves a horse of lesser rank. Feeding time looks like a combination game of musical chairs and bumper cars. For a few minutes, each horse munches contentedly at her pile of grain, but when a horse finishes her portion, she nudges another horse out of the way, and unless that horse is the lowest ranking horse, then the process continues down the line until six horses are eating leaving the low man out; then there are five horses eating and two out.......and the pattern continues until only one horse is left.
Occasionally, one horse will challenge another horse to achieve a higher ranking; but, generally, horses are very accepting of the status quo. Very little contact is involved in the process. The boss horse simply approaches another horse or may pin her ears back or toss her head, and the underling horse gets out of the way in a hurry!
Lessons for Humans:
* There’s always a Boss
* Two against one does not guarantee victory
* Recognizing and accepting your role isn’t necessarily a bad thing
UP-DATE: Cinnamon was sold in 2006 and now resides with a family in Missouri. One of my Rocky mares took her place as “boss”.
