Horse scientists have perfected training, feeding, healing, and managing domestic horses. Our understanding, however, of free range horse behavior in groups is another matter. The ability to spend […]
Boyish Today
I’ve been putting some thought into aggression verses violence in wild animals. Looking at horses in particular, there is limited research available on violence in feral, free-range, and […]
No Water. Not Romantic.
The American West is steeped in romantic imagery and nostalgia, horses being a big part of that. The lack of water in the American West, however, is not […]
Peers in Curiosity
When being assessed by a free creature you have choices to make about your response. Though there is always a default to extreme caution, I try to allow […]
Other Nations
“We patronize the animals for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the […]
Speaking Quietly
“There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.” […]
The Wiser Horse
We are what we repeatedly do. “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort and intelligent execution; it represents the wiser […]
When Everything is Perfect
“Every summer there are a number of nights, not many, but a number, when everything is perfect. The light, the warmth, the smells, the mist, the birdsong-the moths. […]
Vigorous Display
There’s nothing like a “mare moment” to energize an otherwise laid-back stallion. In this free range setting, the stallion interacts continuously with his mares. This horse often tends […]
Darkened With Kindness
Eyes darkened with kindness, a herd stallion greets his herd mate, a gelding. Stallions will live together with civility among other stallions and geldings as long as no […]
Sweet and Salty
This stallion is forced to stay light on his feet around this big mare. One minute she naps nose to nose with him, and in the next moment, […]
All the Single Ladies
Receptive body language and soft expressions greet this young stallion when several mares are willing at the same time. Interestingly, on this occasion, he bred none of the […]
Rugged Good Looks
Without the usual heavy forelock covering his face, you can see the charming white eyelashes on this beast. He looks handsome and content.
Battle Worn
He’s looks cute, but he’s a fighter. Shoving and biting, rearing and racing, the colts use their free time to practice techniques that may help them, in the […]
Making Sense of Scents
A veritable treasure trove of information, horse manure holds clues to all sorts of social information. Used to advertise sexual status and territories for both males and females, […]
If Wishes Were Horses
… dreamers would have a vast herd of noble steeds, like this one. A beautiful image captured of a horse I admire.
Leadership
Quiet leadership from the herd stallion, on a day to day basis, can seem like an annoyance. All that driving and gathering of the mares sometimes seems without […]
Explaining His Intention
Stallions can be curious creatures, sometimes almost romantic and sometimes brutish. In a moment of introduction, this stallion confirms the receptiveness of a mare. When clicking on this […]
Five Years With A Favorite
It has been five years since I first laid eyes on this ordinary bay colt. One of the last foals of the year, born with tight front leg […]