Most folks think the stallion is
the ruler or the boss of the "herd" of horses. This
is not the case. The truth is that the mares are
dominant and there is usually only one mare that is
the Alpha or "boss mare". She leads the rest of the
herd to food, water, and shelter. She is familiar
with the terrain and when alerted by the stallion to
potential danger she will determine the route and
take the lead as the band flees.
The stallion's role is that of protector and
sentinel. He prefers hilltops and
wide open spaces where he is not confined and can
see danger from a long distance away. He will alert
the band if he feels there is potential danger. When
the herd is in motion and fleeing from danger, the
stallion brings up the rear, driving the straggling
weak, injured or very young herd members on. There
is safety in numbers for prey animals. He acts as a
"rear guard" between the herd and a potential source
of danger. We have seen a stallion so vigilant that
he would place himself between a deer and his mares,
matching the deer's every movement so that he
continued to stay between the deer and his band.
The stallion's
place while on the range is on the outskirts of the
band where he is exposed to the weather, predators,
and less than the best grazing. He leads a
vulnerable existence and he is exposed to more
danger than any other herd member.
Gabe VS The Deer
During breeding season the stallion tends to like
his band grouped together. He doesn't want them
strung out. He may act more aggressively about
keeping the mares together and occasionally the
stallion can be seen 'snaking' along, with his ears
pinned, neck extended, nose along the ground,
driving a straying mare back to the safety and
security of the band. Rarely is more than that show
of force needed.
However, when it is actually time for the mare to be
bred by the stallion, she will seek him out. She
will travel to the stallion's world at the outer
fringe of the herd and let him know that she is
interested in what he has to offer. She will stay
with the stallion, in his self- imposed exile at the
outer border of the herd, during much of her
breeding cycle.
The stallion spends much of his time, scent-marking
manure piles and urination spots in order to make
his position as herd stallion clear. This
scent-marking also serves as notice to other
stallions that this is his territory and his band of
mares. The stallion pays little attention to the
foals. It does not matter if they are colts or
fillies. As long as they stay with the herd and do
not stray off, he pays them little mind. In the
wild, he would drive off both the colts and the
fillies as yearlings or two year olds. A stallion
that has had little interaction with the herd
dynamic often has little tolerance even for foals.
Our experiences tell us that the range stallion is
more sure of himself than the stalled stallion,
simply because of the many different things he has
been exposed to. He is confident, intelligent, a
thinking animal. He has learned to use his mind,
take things in and to think it through - not just
flee in a blind panic. Is this really a threat to my
mares and foals? He is not concerned you are going
to take him away from his mares.
The barned stallion breeds the mare and then is
removed from her until the next scheduled breeding.
The range stallion is better behaved with the mares
because he has learned from the mares that breeding
goes according to her schedule. If he gets in too
big a hurry, she will let him know that is not
acceptable. He is kinder and gentler because of
that.
We humans often try to hurry things and the domestic
stallion is all too eager to oblige us.
The range stallion gets scuffed up, but we seldom
see serious injuries such as those seen when hurried
owners choose the time of mating. The range stallion
is not the boss. He knows that he does answer to a
higher rank. He draws on his experiences on the
range, so while he is under saddle, he does not
spook at many things that stalled horses may be
concerned about like deer, birds, rabbits or
horse-eating boulders because he has seen them in
their natural habitat on a daily basis.
The range stallion has learned that people come and
go. They bring treats and fly goop, brushes, pats
and a few kind words so we are no threat to his band
of mares or way of life. He has an instinctive need
to escape danger and he could flee in the 300 acre
pasture he is in, but we are not dangerous. The
range stallion will approach us in search of
attention. He has not learned the avoidance or
dislike of being caught each day, as many stalled
stallions have. His job is to guard and protect.
However we are not a threat so it becomes his choice
to approach us, and he can leave when he wishes.
This creates a much better horse-human interface,
and a better, safer and saner experience for both
man and animal.
