Training Tip: Why You Need Your Horses’ Respect When Feeding in a Group

Herd dynamics rule your horses’ world, which makes walking into a herd of horses with feed dangerous. While some horses are downright disrespectful and push into your space and run you over in an attempt to get to the feed, most feeding accidents happen by you being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

There’s a pecking order that starts with the most dominant horse and trickles down to the most passive horse of the group. The most dominant horse rose to the top of the pecking order by proving to all the other horses that he could move their feet. Horses within the herd are constantly jockeying for position—no one wants to be the guy at the bottom of the totem pole because he gets pushed around by all the other horses and gets to eat last.

Nothing brings out herd dynamics like food. If horses in the wild don’t fight for their share of food, they die. It’s the survival of the fittest—the strongest, most dominant horses survive while the weaker ones die. Even though you feed your horses enough hay and grain for them all to get their fair share and would never let one of your horses go without food, that survival of the fittest mentality is hardwired into them, which is why things can get ugly when food is involved. So while one horse may be kicking out at another horse to move his feet away from feed, you could be in the wrong place at the wrong time and get kicked. Your horses may not mean to harm you, but accidents happen quickly. While that kick may have barely stunned another horse, it could put you in the hospital for a week, or even kill you on the spot.

That’s why no matter where I am or what I’m doing with my horses, I demand their attention and respect and expect them to stay out of my personal space unless I invite them into it. It all comes down to safety. Anytime a 1,000-pound animal gets disrespectful toward you, whether that be crowding your space, biting you or kicking out at you, you’re in danger of being seriously injured.

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