page_title: Horse behavior
section_title: Hierarchical structure
hierarchical_section_title: Horse behavior / As herd animals / Hierarchical structure
caption_attribution_description: Hengstauftrieb Rauris: Die besten Noriker-Deckhengste werden gemeinsam auf der Grieswiesalm den Sommer verbringen. Um Auseinandersetzungen auf der Alm zu vermeiden, wird bereits vorher der Leithengst ermittelt.
context_page_description: Horse behavior is best understood from the view that horses are prey animals with a well-developed fight-or-flight response. Their first reaction to a threat is often to flee, although sometimes they stand their ground and defend themselves or their offspring in cases where flight is untenable, such as when a foal would be threatened.
  Nonetheless, because of their physiology horses are also suited to a number of work and entertainment-related tasks. Humans domesticated horses thousands of years ago, and they have been used by humans ever since. Through selective breeding, some breeds of horses have been bred to be quite docile, particularly certain large draft horses. On the other hand, most light horse riding breeds were developed for speed, agility, alertness, and endurance; building on natural qualities that extended from their wild ancestors.
  Horses' instincts can be used to human advantage to create a bond between human and horse. These techniques vary, but are part of the art of horse training.
context_section_description: Horses have evolved to live in herds.  As with many animals that live in large groups, establishment of a stable hierarchical system or "pecking order" is important to reduce aggression and increase group cohesion.  This is often, but not always, a linear system. In non-linear hierarchies horse A may be dominant over horse B, who is dominant over horse C, yet horse C may be dominant over horse A.  Dominance can depend on a variety of factors, including an individual's need for a particular resource at a given time. It can therefore be variable throughout the lifetime of the herd or individual animal.  Some horses may be dominant over all resources and others may be submissive for all resources. It is important to note, that this is not part of natural horse behavior. It is forced by humans forcing horses to live together in limited space with limited resources. So called "dominant horses" are often horses with dysfunctional social abilities - caused by human intervention in their early lives (weaning, stable isolation, etc.).
  Once a dominance hierarchy is established, horses more often than not will travel in rank order.
  Most young horses in the wild are allowed to stay with the herd until they reach sexual maturity, usually in their first or second year. Studies of wild herds have shown that the herd stallion will usually drive out both colts and fillies; this may be an instinct that prevents inbreeding. The fillies usually join another band soon afterward, and the colts driven out from several herds usually join together in small "bachelor" groups until those who are able to establish dominance over an older stallion in another herd.
caption: Fights for dominance are normally brief; sometimes, displays which do not involve physical contact are sufficient to maintain the hierarchy.
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