Horse Herd Order

As I watched the horses brought in for dinner one cool spring evening, I considered the separate herds. Each herd knows the order that they will be brought in to the stalls at night. They establish this order themselves. If the handler respects this rule the horses are quiet, calm, and patient but if routine is interrupted they become agitated. Suddenly they pick on one another, trading spots at the gate in an attempt to reset the order. I reflected on this behavior and how it relates to human interaction. In our own unique intelligence, we are still very much like these horses.

.... Many different personalities make up a herd but when new horses are introduced, they may spend the whole day readjusting. Some are allowed in almost immediately while others are sent out to retry over and over again to belong. Once they are invited into the herd they are also given a place in this order. They may stay in their position for a very long time or change as their confidence grows. These two character types caught my eye earlier that spring day. Two new horses were introduced to the herd in the morning. One was a bay and the other a grey.

While watching the herds I’ve discovered some horses that are allowed and accepted quickly are relaxed, easy to get along with, and submissive to the lead horse or horses. They also will make a connection with one or more horses right away. This type of horse shows no resentment towards others, is forgiving by nature, and submits easily to dominant, more assertive personalities. I find that these horses also do not use a lot of energy and can quickly find a comfortable place to graze among the herd. This is exactly what the bay horse did. He did not challenge at all even when the other horses chased him or flattened their ears and eyes at him. He just kept himself out of distance of the more assertive horses. It was not long before he had picked another horse to comfortably graze with and was indifferent to the more dominant personalities.

The grey horse seemed to spend all day retrying to enter the herd. He would pace and run, challenge the leaders, and show disrespect to those that have already been in the pasture. He would get chased off, sneered at, and would run away just fast enough to not get bitten. It was not until he actually stopped trying so hard and dropped his attitude and defensiveness that he was forgiven by the herd and accepted in. This type of horse may try this same game for a few days until the herd has “told” it where it will be and the horse complies. Until the grey made this change, he grazed a few yards away from the herd staying alert. The process looked very nerve wracking because the grey was in a heightened state of anxiety.

When I took notice of this herd behavior I felt as if I was watching a replay of so many past lessons. I was also receiving clues to life lessons I may still need to learn. I felt sad for the horse that was not allowed in right away. I watched his efforts over and over as they waned into acceptance and a much more relaxed state. How many times have I tried the same thing over and over only to realize later that without changing myself and my actions I get the same response every time. It is at that point that I stop trying so hard. I open my mental eye and see for the first time that the answer was right in front of me the whole time. I had ignored it because I had my own ideas about how the situation should pan out instead of looking for the obvious answer so that I could grow with intention and grace.

Thinking of the horse that was easily accepted splits my thoughts in two. When I am feeling like I am not valued or I am using up all my energy in too many areas of my life, this horse actually makes me feel like it should be fighting harder to rise to a higher status. It brings up resentment and disrespect. Why doesn’t it just tell the lead horse off? Where is the bravado? Doesn’t this horse respect itself? This horse is so soft and weak. It allows itself to be tromped upon by the dominate horses, and current leaders.

When I am feeling happy, comfortable, proud of myself, I see this horse as saving its energy, getting along with the group, and, interestingly enough, eating, playing, and enjoying itself right away. And then I think, why would you want to expend more energy than needed to try to be relaxed when you can begin that way? This horse is so nice and soft about its intentions. How interesting that this horse I can perceive so differently.

Take time to sit and watch the herd for awhile. By taking internal checks on yourself as you watch the herd, you can learn much about yourself. It takes a lot of energy to walk into the unknown and lead right away especially if trying to use the same old tactics over and over again. New ideas and intentions must be formed as different situations are presented. It can be very humbling to let go of old ideas in order to allow new ideas to form. This is a large part of accepting change. With confidence and respect for yourself the approval of a herd is no longer needed but ironically easily received. When a person can meld into new situations calmly and enjoyably, there is less stress and worry. I find that I can then open myself to learn and grow. There is a sense of innocent excitement when you are ready to gracefully respond to change.

There is so much to be learned just by watching horses in action. I came home a different person from my observations that spring day excited to have the chance to apply my perceptions. I also knew that if I sit and watch tomorrow, I may witness a whole new set of dynamics while the horses test their places in the herd. Until tomorrow to watch again!

Kim McClelland is a trainer and horsemanship instructor focusing on Natural Horsemanship and Centered Riding techniques. She travels in Washington state to present demonstrations, hold mini-clinics, and give private instruction. You can reach her at (425) 248-3861 or horsemail@verizon.net .