I make what Darleen and I laughingly refer to as “my living” in part by testing rifles and shotguns and writing about them, so I drive out to the local gun range on a regular basis. There is a ranch on the south side of the highway on that side of town, and one pasture, a pie-shaped piece about half a section in size, is used exclusively for horses.
Prey animals group together for various reasons, not the least of which is safety. Many eyes, many ears, and many noses provide a better chance of early warning. And if a predator should attack, multiple simultaneous potential targets make it harder for the predator to concentrate on a single individual. The horse is a prey animal, so when I drive past that pasture I am always surprised to see one horse all by himself at the farthest, narrowest portion of the pie. If he were obviously extremely old or ill it would be understandable, but he’s not old, and if he is ill, he shows no sign of it and he’s been hanging in there for many months now.
I have seen horses band together to ostracize and isolate an individual, but it rarely happens, and when it does it is usually in self-defense. When one horse is so pugnacious and obnoxious and oblivious to the rules of equine behavior, the herd will eventually pool their resources and attack the individual, driving him away. Then an invisible perimeter is established that is as inflexible as it is moveable, and if the transgressor takes one step too close the herd will remind him he is not wanted. It’s a sad thing to see—sort of the equine equivalent of prison—but understandable, just as prisons are understandable and necessary for the good of the human herd.
I don’t know if that’s the case with the lone horse in the narrow end of the pie, but it always bothers me to see him like that. Anthropomorphizing, I try to tell myself it may be his choice, that he is perfectly content, or even happier, on his own, a lone wolf of a horse, you should pardon the expression, running free and easy, making and breaking his own rules, breathing easier in unshared air. Maybe he is supremely confident in his survival skills, a master of equine mixed martial arts. Maybe he’s concentrating on the writings of Descartes and considering writing a rebuttal. Maybe he’s meditating. Anything is possible, but it bothers me to see him alone.
Mr. Parker its interesting that you brought that subject up of the horse not being accepted by the herd. Animals do this out of instinct however in the human world I believe it is what Psychology coins as in group out group bias. Ms Darlene can correct me on that one as she knows more than me in that field. Humans all to often will say oh i don’t like you because you tied your shoe wrong, we did ours the right way. There was a study done I do believe on school yard children and one group having brown eyes and the other group having blue eyes. It turned out that there was such a thing as the brown eyed stayed with one another and the blue eyed stayed with one another. Similar to the horse. The poor horse must have done something to piss the herd off there for the horse that is left alone is now in the out group. Again a lesson to be learned by observing the animals and how they related to humans in behavior.
I felt sorry for the horse too Mr. Parker.
Tena French Halifax, NS Canada
Animals are different nations just like humans are too!
my ancestors believed religulously in this for over 1400 years back and tought our every generation. we say they are Umam like us, from Ummah means “one nation”
or “one community,its use for any nation,group of people or animals.
its interesting what ideas you get when you concentrate on any animal behaviour,
as you of course know in the animal kingdom if there were two leaders the defeated one get exiled so perhaps this is the case here!
its not animal nature to be lonesome at all time! maybe you should ask people around!
funny in the pre Islamic era, some Arabs loved their horses more than thier
own children,and some used to hang on the horse’s neck an amulet-Tamima- to protect him from envy eyes! Islam forbid using Tamima for any purpose afterwards.
Naeema
So… time for reflection. Why does it bother you and is there something you can do about it?
Delphine
Mr Parker. thought you might be interested in this! hopefully smile!
A qustion was asked recently to youth in Forums about the meaning of an old but common Arab Proverb:
“with the horses Blonde!” or “Go with the Horses Blonde!”
Shagra is an Arabic word for Blonde, it comes from the word Safra means Yellow color used for humans or animals including horses with the same color to describe beaty.
this Proverb is known from Nagd where you can find the oldest breed and best Arab horses.
people use it to describe a submissive person when he mimics and imitates everything and rush with others despite the fact its not suitable for him.
So when asked about how the true story behind the proverb,answers were:
“It must be a lovely Blonde girl that rode the horses with the horsemen to mimic them”
“It must be a lovely looking Blond horse not equivalent with other strong horses but went along with them”
But the answer was:
This proverb goes back to this story:
There was a farmer who owned a group of Arabic horses and everyday he Opens his stable and let them unleashed around the farm …
he also owned so dear to his heart…….A Blonde Cow !!!
when the horses were off the cow runs at full speed behind the herd!! and only stop when they do!
surprised at this view the farmer said:
With the horses Blonde!” or “Go with the Horses Blonde!”
so it became a common proverb!!
so for a long time young men fantasized about this beautiful blonde girl riding with the horsemen but it turned out to be a blonde cow! lol!!
there is another story to this but this is the most common!
Naeema
If it’s there every time you drive along, there are 2 possibilitie. Either it’s looking for a new friend outside of the herd,some alien friend OR it’s watching you and thinking the same… oh horse, look this guy driving here again, guns his only friends, no herd to hide in, must be a lonely human, I better be here every time he’s driving by.
Tanja
…..Another possibility is that this horse was raised alone(or just with close human contact) and never learned to socialize properly with other horses. We see animals like this all the time in the zoo I work in–trying to incorporate them into a pack, or troop, or herd is often very difficult! I once knew a zebra raise by donkeys that HATED other zebras–would have nothing to do with them! He was a full stallion, too, and even rejected female zebras in estrus! But he loved(and I mean LOVED!) his donkey girls that were eventually given him for company. So much, in fact, there were several “Zedonks” born! I can personally relate somewhat(well, except for the breeding part…), since I believe I imprinted on canines rather than humans at an early age–I am MUCH more comfortable with dogs, wolves, and every combination thereof, but have little tolerance or understanding of those treacherous, confusing bipedal primates!…L.B.
That would make me sad too. Can you find the owner and find out what is going on? Would you want to take him? Maybe someone would take him and give him some attention and affection. I’m sure he must be very lonely.
This story shows again that you and Darleen are good people. And I mean that honestly from the heart. Many people go or drive along and see the horses probably never. Okay, that then people who have nothing to do with animals. That’s okay. Then the people who see the horses but they are not worried about the fact, that a horse alone stands apart from the herd.And then people like you,who see and think. I think those are the least.
Besides, if you humanize animals that’s okay. You are both rational and intelligent people who would not overdo that. I speak as a lot with my animals, they belong to my family. I watch my animals very much, especially the herding behavior of the horses and the dogs. And so at the beginning I have tampered too much because I have too much human thought. I have made many mistakes.Meanwhile I learn a lot from animals. A horse must be allowed to be a horse. And a dog is allowed to be a dog. A little bit humanize not bad. An animal is an creature that feels.
Why the horse, what you saw, was always alone? This can have several reasons. You and we can only guess. The owner of the stables, however, who should know. I hope so, because otherwise he would do a bad job. For the horse, I hope that it feels good and maybe just want to be alone.
Our herd of horses is mixed. Mares and geldings are together. Different breeds two Shetland ponies, 1 Friesian, 6 Iceland horses, 1 Haflinger, 1 Andalusians, 1 Pinto, 2 large warmblood horses. The youngest is 1 year 3 months old. The oldest is 33 years old. The smallest is 0,75 cm. And the biggest horse is 1.78 m.This herd is a herd. Neither of them will there be excluded because of its size and age.
We also have 2 horses of other people in this herd. A Andalusiermix and a Dartmoorpony. Also the two horses are a part of the herd. Comes a new horse in the herd and we notice after a while it just does not fit into the herd or not feel good, it has to go back. Our herd is very important to me and actually has any new horse a good chance to be integrated. But sometimes it just does not fit. Each stable, – and horse owner should recognize and accept that.
Here is a picture of our herd of horses
Look if you wish.In the fourth picture you can see almost all horse: http://pictures-of-hearts.npage.de/horses-3.html
Your blog post is from August. The horse is still alone?
Manuela