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At 10:40 PM 3/7/2006 Tuesday, you wrote:
> One other interesting thing, I think horses are snobs!
> Besides the "color" sorting, the working horses seemed to have a 
> higher status than the rest.   If one of them joined the workers, or 
> an unbroke horse started under saddle, they moved up the pecking order.
> Was a real lesson in "horse herd" social interaction.

Hello Dot,
Very interesting about the sorting by colors, I never noticed but I 
only have three. About the status thing, I don't think it's a case of 
the working horse being a "snob" rather it's the working horse 
gaining confidence thru training and learning his job and that 
confidence moves them up the pecking order. I retired my enduro horse 
5 years ago and started a 4yo. The new guy was afraid of everything 
and bottom of the pile in my little group of 3 for years with new 
bite marks every 2-3 days and he never stood his ground. Now I rarely 
find any marks and he humps up and play kicks the others when they 
come after him. He has also become a good steady enduro horse with 
confidence to go most places I point him. He is still on the bottom 
but now it's mostly a tie between him and my retired guy with my 
wife's little gelding (the alligator) running the show. The new guy 
is not picked on anymore so he has definitely improved his position. 
Herd dynamics are very interesting even with only 3.
Don Huston 



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