Re: 3 alpha horses (4, including me)

[avpinc@bellsouth.net]

Hi, everyone.
   I've really enjoyed this discussion on herd mentality and have
found it familiar in many ways to what I observe with just my
three horses.  All my horses have their own habitats.  They
can play with fences between, and touch each other, even
do battle, but with the insurance of some wooden barriers
to offset serious kicks and bites.  However, what I do is to
make sure that when they are turned out onto the rest of our
property ( their paddocks are roomy, but they like to really
stretch out and do some grazing), I make sure that the comb-
inations are safe.  In other words, the two geldings who are
8 years apart in age, and equally matched in speed (my Walker
is bigger, stronger, and younger, but my Arab is quicker and has
more nimble moves) are turned out together, and my older mare,
who is 28, is only turned out with the older gelding who is her son.
Those two have been together for 19 years, and he accepts her
unequivocally as the Boss Mare.  Unfortunately, she considers
herself the boss of everyone, including the younger gelding.  If
she and the Walker are alone together, he usually treats her with
deference, but if the two boys are out with her, she always instigates
a kicking episode, and I can't take a chance of her being injured.
She gets to boss the Walker around now, but she has to do her
"mare squeals" , striking out and kicking from the other side of
the fence.  He is not impressed, but she feels like a big shot.
    My biggest problem in training my horses and in my own
training has been to see myself as the Alpha horse, and act
accordingly.   When I remember to do this, things work much
better for all of us.
    I also try to rotate the habitats every month or so, so that
the horses don't get so attached to their territory.  They seem
to be better behaved together when they are switched around,
and the smells and feel of their environment does not keep such
a personal meaning to them.  I don't know if this is a valid assumption,
but it seems to work.
                                                            Linda in O.B.,FL

MBlanchrd@aol.com wrote:

> Hi, campers,
>
>     One way of possibly defusing wars between two horses that will NOT give up
> th battle for dominance....YOU must be the Alpha horse, and thus you must
> decide who will hold what position. If you have a bay and a grey, for
> instance, who are both doing nothing but fighting.....you must decide between
> the two wo is going to be of higher rank, and then stick to it.
> If you decide the bay is the higher of the two, always feed her first, make a
> fuss over her first, do things..ANYTHING to her FIRST. The grey will see this
> and realize that you as Boss have decided the structure and will, eventually,
> accept it. She may not like it, but...that's how horses think and behave.
> Michelle