Horse alpha mare, herd behavior (paddock paradise)

PLEASE RATE & COMMENT-- Story is told in captions.
Three horses reunited as a family act out herd pecking order. Youngest son has been away for 6 weeks, returns home to find mom and big black brother do not welcome him back. Momma alpha mare drives him away and separates him from his older brother (Description in video captions.) Youngster is very perplexed.

Arabian-percheron brothers ages 4 and 2 with their arabian momma mare who is the herd leader. It took about a day for younger brother to become accepted into the family herd again.

Horses are on track in paddock paradise-style turnout. Horse fun, behavior, carriage driving and riding on horse blog petArtistWithPeaches, at http://www.portraitswithhorses.com/blog/

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• horse
• horses
• body
• language
• herd
• behavior
• arabian
• percheron
• mare
• paddock
• paradise

[truefirehorse]

Personally I feel more like the mare (mom) is keeping the brothers apart, more to protect the bay from the darker stronger looking... it would be very likly that the bigger stronger would try to dominate and run the the other off possibly injuring him... but the mom is keeping him occupied and away from eachother until he doesn't see the bay as a threat

[horsepaintings]

@truefirehorse Interesting observation, could be the case-- but if so it was only temporary. The bay younger brother typically dominates his older brother ever since he grew big enough! He has a stronger will in that regard.

[truefirehorse]

@horsepaintings I have seen mares first hand (one mare and two males that she liked) stay between two males that would otherwise challenge each other to be the dominant one of the pasture, The mare seemed to stay with the more dominant. In one case the more dominant wasn't the stronger, but smarter and faster than the stronger of the two males in a way keeping them from trying,or having reason to dominate the one less likely to win a fight. after pecking order was established they all mingled

[horsepaintings]

@truefirehorse really interesting!

[kryptonbornson]

They left him behind to be killed? She had her favored child, it's not uncommon for weaker ones in a group to wonder off, maybe because the same commradery is not there. I wonder why he came back?

[horsepaintings]

@kryptonbornson Being herd animals, they are driven to stick together. And the brown returning horse is her favored son and soon he was again. Maybe she was mad that he left, and was teaching him a lesson?

[pummy369]

What does it mean when her leg is slightly cocked (when listening to the noise in the woods)? Pulls at your heart strings a lot. So glad he's back in.  I will sleep tonight after all.

[horsepaintings]

thanks, we luv em!

[Evalani22]

adorable!

[horsepaintings]

Yepm, within a few hours he was her favored son once again!