by Horsewhispers, age 14

My uncle has six horses and my sisters and I regularly go up to his 60-acre farm to ride. We all have our favorites and the horses, it turned out, had their favorites, too. Favorite places in line while we were on the trail, that is.

Horses have their own special roles in their natural state. There is the lead stallion, who’s the protector of the herd. The lead mare, contrary to popular belief, is actually the one in charge on a day-to-day basis. She’s the one who decides where the herd will water, graze, and spend the night. She leads the herd and the stallion most often brings up the rear to watch for danger.

Next on the social ladder is generally the lead mare’s closest friend. Horses develop special friendships with each other and a horse that is at the bottom of the pecking order could make friends with the lead mare or stallion and suddenly be much higher up.

Other horses file in then, usually the strongest or most aggressive horses and their buddies next. Unless they have over-protective mothers, foals can be disciplined by any member of the herd, which puts them on the bottom.

On my uncle’s farm, Threat, a big paint horse, was the boss. He had to be in the front of the line all the time and he had to have his own way. If he didn’t, he’d rear or buck. Eventually my uncle had to get rid of him.

Smoke, an appaloosa, was the second horse in the hierarchy. When Threat left, he took the paint horse’s place. Smoke was a good trail horse with sturdy footing and a good sense of where he was. That probably played a part in him taking the place of lead horse, because he was the smallest of the bunch.

Shiloh, the eldest and also a paint horse, was next. He knew he wasn’t in charge and he didn’t like going out on the trail alone. That shows how dependent he was on the lead horse.

Strider, a gray Tennessee Walking Horse, was constantly trying to take Shiloh’s place. He’d push past him on the trail to be behind Smoke. Shiloh, defending his position, would push him right back.

Scout, the Chincoteague pony, tailed Strider and beware to any horse who tried to push past her! She wasn’t letting anyone have her position.

Pal the palomino was the newest member to the herd and brought up the rear. The newcomers of a herd will typically be at the very bottom of the pecking order. They’ll have to challenge other horses or befriend a leader if they want to move up.

As a stranger, the new horse will have to prove herself (wild stallions usually don’t let in roving young colts and practically never let in other stallions) to the other members before she’s accepted. Once she’s accepted, she can begin her quest to reach the top of the hierarchy.

As in all aspects of horses and equestrianship, words like ‘never’ and ‘always’ don’t apply. Horses, I’d read in many books, can’t regurgitate food, which is why colic can and sometimes does kill them. But then I read an account where a horse did exactly that and lived. Horses’ system of who’s in charge doesn’t always conform to the rules.

Hierarchy among horses is readily apparent. Shiloh can snatch food right out of Scout’s mouth and she won’t challenge him. If he tried that on Strider, the gray would fight back. Shiloh and Strider are still trying to figure out where each of them belongs in their herd.

Smoke (the leader) is so full of himself he’ll challenge his own rider if he doesn’t feel like going where they say.

It’s fascinating to study the way horses behave with and around each other. Watching displays by dominant and submissive horses alike has helped me understand exactly what the horses I ride expect of me, which makes both of us a lot happier.