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My horse bit another horse in the throat today. What is the significance of this behavior? Is this a killer instinct of "going for the throat?" Is my horse a danger to other horses? There have been some new horses introduced lately, as it is a public barn. The horse he bit was not a new horse, but is under him in the pecking order.

Social interactions are governed by the positions of the interacting animals in the pecking order, which is already well-established when a horse is introduced into a group either by birth or placement. The ranks of the horses encountering each other in a social situation determine how either dominant or subordinate responses will be exhibited in the interaction. Aggressive and persistent horses regardless of weight, height, sex or length of residence in a herd achieve higher rank than more passive individuals. Stable relationships become evident by six months; death or removal or divided herds do not cause a change to the dominance order. No step is taken in a certain area or near a certain individual without completely being established by this “pecking order”.

Once in a group, a horse’s dominance is asserted passively or aggressively. A horse gains a dominant position over another individual by exhibiting enough superiority so that the other individual yields or withdraws. A new horse placed into a group will typically fight it out physically. Within 1-2 days, its place in the hierarchy is usually well established. This rank then becomes fixed and any attempt of the subordinate individual to not yield on its own is responded to with threatening gestures from the dominant individual, which usually results in the withdrawal of the subordinate. Aggression helps in establishing dominance, but once rank is set very little aggression is shown. When dominance is well-established, the subordinate will either tend to avoid the dominant individual or defer to him when one approaches the other.

Once a newcomer’s rank is established, it will rarely ever change. Dominance can shift, but for only brief periods of time according to special circumstances. For example, a mare with a newborn foal by her side will often become more aggressive out of her natural protective instinct, and as a result may temporarily move up the dominance hierarchy. Other situations such as extreme hunger or the presence of a certain type of desired feed can cause an abrupt surge of aggression and temporarily bump a normally subordinate individual to a dominant status.

The composition of a herd of horses can also change the pecking order. In domesticated herds, it is often observed that males do not necessarily rank above females during maintenance activities. In social groups containing geldings, sometimes a gelding will occupy the alpha position (and even assume the role of harem stallion) with mares ands stallions subordinate to him.

Generally newcomers have an uphill battle and will rank lower on the totem pole. However ranking is not always a straight line upward. Some horses can dominate others while being dominated themselves. Horses generally have a clear unidirectional dominance order, which may not be linear from end to end. In this, “a” might dominate “b;” “b” might dominate “c;” and “c” might dominate “a,” giving an overall triangular dominance order. Regardless of its direction, the social hierarchy is kept in place by subordinates and their behavior. Subordinate individuals keep the order by avoiding conflict above all things. Indeed, the frequency of aggressive encounters would be higher but for the fact that subordinate animals, once they learn and accept their position, will make a strong effort to avoid higher ranking animals altogether so that threats are unnecessary.

Grazing accounts for the majority of a horse’s time and energy and is one of the strongest ways to observe the social hierarchy. The more dominant individuals will always eat first and as much as they want. Subordinate animals that choose to argue will receive a stern reminder of their place and often eat less and last.

Space often can become a problem if it is too limited. Horses forced into small spaces for long periods of time do not have the room they need to move out of range of aggressive behavior from dominant individuals. If personal space is invaded and dominance must be established there are certain violent and non-violent behaviors involved. Non-violent actions include pushing with the head and neck bumping. Violent actions involve kicking, striking or biting.

Immature horses often exhibit snapping (tooth-clapping) when approached or challenged by adults other than their mother. This submissive gesture is especially obvious as foals approach the dominant stallion. Foals normally rank low in dominance, however, while near their mothers they share the mare’s dominance rank. Foals of dominant mothers will not be bothered by subordinate mares as long as the foal is close to its mother. If it moves then it can be threatened.

Age is most evident in the lower part of the hierarchy where the immature members tend to fill the bottom positions and older individuals fill higher positions. Age plays a role in gaining a social position but is not necessarily decisive. Size is also a factor in dominance. However in a large group age does play a key role. When they live in bands a clear social hierarchy becomes established in which the older and larger animals are usually found to be high in the dominance order.

When we attempt to introduce ourselves into a herd’s social hierarchy, or even to one individual, the bond between horse and human must be appropriately developed and maintained. Our status as the dominant member of the pair or herd must be asserted from the very beginning but in a non-violent fashion. This requires that the human supplies all necessary protection against hunger, thirst, fear, discomfort, pain and environmental stress. Only when the animal becomes defiant must a human force the horse to submit. It is important to remember that once a social hierarchy is established, with humans holding a dominant position in that system, the animals can carry on in a manner that is safe for them and us.

This answer was prepared with the help of Taymin Pena, Animal Science Research Student at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University.

A veterinarian that does not specialize in horses has told my daughter that cribbing in horses makes them "high". I have done some research and have only found this to be a theory, not a fact. Is the above statement just a theory, or is it considered a fact in animal science?

Using the term “high” is a bit of a slang term. Cribbing or wind-sucking actually produces endorphins, which give the horse a good feeling, kind of like a “runner’s high” in humans. This feeling is purely natural and produced in the body. Many people confuse wood chewing with cribbing. Wood chewing is simply chewing on stalls, fences, trees, etc. The air sucked into the throat of the horse during cribbing is what causes the “high.” Cribbing in horses can become an addiction because horses feel good after doing it, kind of like obsessive-compulsive disorders in humans. The behavior is usually initiated by boredom or a diet low in fiber. Horses will find a means of entertaining themselves and once they realize that the endorphin release makes them feel good many horses will continue the habit even after the boredom or diet is altered.

I have a three year old TB gelding that is quiet, laid back and not easily flustered. However, because he has not been transported very much, he seems to colic each time I move him to a different barn. I plan to transport him a lot this spring and summer so I planned to use a supplement formulated to ease travel stress the day of the move and for a couple of days after to get him through that “transition period”. Is there a good product I can use or any other help you could provide to help me prevent this colic?

There are many ways to reduce the stress horses experience by being shipped. The first step in solving any problem is to deduce where in fact the problem is emanating from. A horse being shipped can be stressed for a myriad of reasons: nervousness, dehydration, depletion of certain vitamins and electrolytes... and colic itself has an infinite number of possible causes as well, making this quite the conundrum.

Travel products are all different in some way. Some do not have much information written about them; some appear to be electrolyte supplements and may cost you more than they are worth. The recommendations in the fact sheet mentioned above are a good starting point.

I am concerned that your horse might be colicking because of the change in diet when taking him from one barn to another. Do you provide a slow transition between types of hay and feed? Some horses cannot tolerate a rapid switch of both grain and/or hay so I would always recommend that you keep some of your regular feed with you at all times, especially when changing barns. Horses should have a gradual change of about 2-3 weeks from one feed to another.

This answer was prepared with the help of Rachael Barton, Animal Science Research Student and Carey Williams, Ph.D., Equine Extension Specialist, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

The material provided on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any illness. Any recommendations are not intended to replace the advice of your veterinarian. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the Equine Science Center or Rutgers University and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms.