If you’re familiar with our show you’ve heard me talk about horse’s herd instinct. You may have wondered though if that instinct still survives in our domestic horses, and if so, how strong it actually is. Well, the answer is that yes, horses still very much seek out herd interactions with fellow horses. Us humans tend to be a bad replacement for another horse in this regard. In today’s episode, we’re going to be discussing aspects of how horses behave in herds and how that affects how we as trainers and riders interact with them.

Key Takeaways
If you watch horses objectively as they interact with one another you’ll see that they tend to group up. In a large group of say twenty horses, you might see three or four subgroups form as well. And not only are these horses ranked in the whole herd, but they are ranked in their subgroups as well. Identifying where your horse falls in these groups can help give you a leg up in understanding how to best communicate that you are their leader.

Communicating that you’re a horse’s leader comes down to assertiveness. You need to realize where you rank in the herd. If you’re not the leader to all of them in the herd, you have yourself a bit of a problem. But you don’t have to become snappy and mean in order to assert your position. Being the leader means consistently making decisions, following through with those decisions, and making them apply to the whole herd.

If you don’t assume the leadership position a horse high up on the herd’s totem pole might try to take it from you. In order to deal with this kind of aggression from a horse you need to form a safety bubble around yourself, and by no means let the horse into it, or shy away from it yourself.

In contrast, if you don’t take a leadership position with a horse lower on the totem pole that horse’s anxiety might increase. They’ll be looking around for potential threats while wondering who their leader is, and if it’s not you, or them, then who is it?

The best way to gain and maintain your leadership role is to make decisions that are in the horse’s best interest. You may want to head out and practice flying lead changes, but if the horse is having issues you need to be committed to building a solid foundation. When you make decisions with the horse’s best interest in mind they’ll learn over time that you make their life easier. In this way, they become more comfortable giving you the respect that comes in having a leadership position in their herd.