Harem

The most basic instinct for any animal, including the horse, is to survive and reproduce. Horses in the wild live in herds, which are led by a dominant stallion, and usually also have a dominant mare.

Interestingly, they show a fundamental instinct to form long-lasting relationships and to 'bond,' making the herd, or the 'harem,' a secure environment.

Once a dominant stallion has selected his 'harem,' he will rarely look for new mares and, in fact, recent studies on feral horses in America have shown that the average size of a harem is only five, consisting of a dominant stallion, two or three mares, and their offspring.

The bonding process is not restricted to that between a stallion and mare; often two mares will pair off and become close friends, spending time grooming each other.

Similarly, young stallions that have not yet established their own harems will band together, forming bachelor groups.

Within the structure of the harem or herd, the weakest members of the group, who may be bullied, will often form an attachment to a dominant member by staying close to them. In doing so, they are left alone by the bullies and assured a good food supply.