Yes, I do. Most of the time, they are the most peaceful animals, but have the ability to crush you in an instant if they choose. They prefer the placid life of the grazer and will generally walk away from disputes with humans if they aren’t confined.
They have a very sophisticated language and beautiful eyes. If they really want something, or are insulted by your behaviour, before they take measures they’ll tell you first with their ears, tails and the angle by which they stand from you. Many humans can’t read this language and are shocked when a horse loses patience and appears to suddenly get violent for no reason. There’s always a reason with a horse. They can hold a grudge for days until you spend a little time gently talking to them and petting them. Always end the dispute by blowing into their nostrils. They are extremely forgiving if they haven’t experienced long-term abuse by other humans. But they have long memories.
As an herbivore, their first instinct is to run from danger unless you’re messing with their young, or a stallion’s herd of mares. They are an advanced animal intellectually, and each has a distinctive personality with little quirks of their own. These differences accepted in the herd, for the most part, but if one’s behaviour disturbs the herd, a quick bite and short chase by an older mare or the stallion solves the problem right away. This is how a mare teaches her young equine etiquette and to get along in the herd.
A dispute over the alpha position by a younger male means it’s time to have a knock down, drag out fight and either take the herd from the alpha, or find their own. Human sons do this with their fathers at the advent of puberty beginning subtly and often ending badly because humans are so far removed from their nature. We have more intellectual capacity for broader understanding, but we rarely use it. I believe we’re perverted from our true nature.
You learn a lot by watching horses. Once the initial trust issues are solved between a horse and a strange human, a blow into their nostrils is an intimate way of saying I love you. I start the day, every day, this way with my mare, Cheyenne.
If you have an orphaned or rejected calf, lamb or foal that wanders away from the herd, it means they haven’t been adopted by another older female for some reason. They just stand out there and bawl in loneliness and abandonment. It’s heartbreaking. Get them, hold their head gently and breathe into their nostrils for a bit, and they will follow you anywhere forever. You’re their new mama. Your job now is to never abuse that trust by providing a foundation of security and safety to this young one so they don’t grow up neurotic and have a life of rejection by their own. I wish more parents understood this. It’s a big responsibility and key to their future happiness.
With few exceptions, a herd practices the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child”. They are distinct individuals, but their behaviour is always for the greater good of the herd. God, I wish more Republicans understood how that works.
These are the few things I’ve learned by owning and observing my horse and other horses, reading books about them, and having discussions with seasoned horse people like Coloma just in the past year or so. I’m a newbie at this, but I think my relationship with horses will be deep and life long. My horse and my dogs are the only thing that keeps me for wandering the sea aimlessly, as the sea is my first love.
TJBM has a favorite animal species.