Hello horse lovers! Today we satisfy the curiosity of those who wanted to see competitive moments within the herd and those who were interested in stallions.
Have you ever observed encounters between stallions in the wild? Tell us about your experience!
Within the large herd of the meadows, dynamics change from year to year and new balances are constantly being established. The horses are moved from one pasture to another a couple of times a year, and each time the structure of the herd changes. Some individuals are moved to other herds, others are taken to various destinations, then in the spring season births take place and the foals of previous years grow, increasing the number of interactions that in the first phase of life are mainly limited to contact with the mother.
Another important dynamic is the rotation of stallions, which the owners of the herd carry out to ensure variability and avoid inbreeding. Thus, from year to year, especially in the spring season, 2-3, sometimes 4 herds are created, each protected by a different stallion from the previous year.
Each horse has its own character, and this is particularly evident when it comes to stallions, as their interactions with each other and with the rest of the herd are much more dramatic than the daily interactions of females and young horses.
The dynamics that are triggered depend greatly on the character, age, experience, and temperament of the stallion. It also depends on the role of the stallion within the herd, i.e., whether he is the dominant stallion or a subordinate. When the groups are very large, even in nature, the dominant stallion may accept the help of a subordinate in defending the herd. The subordinate sometimes gains the opportunity to mate with the females. This depends greatly on the temperament of the dominant stallion. Some stallions are much more tolerant and allow both the young males within the herd and the subordinates to approach the females. In any case, the subordinate gains experience as a deputy, which trains him for the day when he will have a herd of his own.
All these variables influence encounters and clashes with other stallions and young males in the herd, as well as with females. The limited space in which the large herd grazes rarely allows for the creation of bachelor groups as occurs in nature, but young males tend to stay together within the herd and train continuously with war games that prepare them for future clashes.
Most encounters consist of more or less pronounced disagreements between stallions, but invariably involve marking territory with feces or urine and mutual inspection of each other's markings. Often, encounters and clashes end with yawning and shaking, which serve to lower the tension built up during the clashes. Typically, after the encounter, each horse gathers its herd and moves it away from the point of confrontation. It must be said that very often these confrontations are more ritualized than anything else: they are not real fights but a reaffirmation of their respective positions as bodyguards of their respective herds. Other times, more rarely, they are real fights where the horses can suffer damage and even serious injuries.
In the first video, two stallions, leaders of two different herds, face each other in the woods. Both have strong characters, which is evident in the substantial balance within the confrontation. The Appaloosa has a much more nervous and aggressive character within its herd, while the other is calmer.
In the second video, we see the confrontation between Pedro and Pinto. They are also both leaders of a herd. The first is younger but has a fairly strong character. The second, the piebald, has more experience and over the years has learned to modulate his character, which was initially too impetuous and aggressive.