by eventer » Thu Dec 08, 2016 2:12 pm
[ ● ] a herd of horses is also known as a band or a harem; a band consists of 2-20 mares, their foals/yearlings, and a single stallion. often times younger bachelors will shadow a larger herd, either just to observe and learn, or to try an mate with/steal mares from the stallion when he is not looking. some stallions will allow younger males to shadow their herds, though if they are caught trying to mate/steal any of his mares they will be chased off.
[ ● ] the dominant stallion is not actually in control of the herd, contrary to popular belief. he does not lead the herd to new locations, and he does not control the mares' within his herd. the dominant stallions' job is to protect the herd; to keep them away from predators, humans, and rival stallions. if danger arises he may try to attack a predator or lone human, though if it is, say, a group of wolves or a group of humans/much older stallion, he will attempt to snake the herd away from danger. a band stallion breeds with all his mares, and chases out any colts by the age of two-three, and any fillies by their first heat cycle to prevent inbreeding. a stallion will rarely accept another stallions' colts; he will often kill the colt or chase it away from his herd, however fillies will be seen as an investment, for when they grow they can produce him foals as well. once colts are about a year old, their father will begin to show them how to fight and snake, though ultimately have little time and emotions to spare for any of their foals. when the lead mare decides to move the herd, the dominant stallion will sweep around the sides and back of the herd in a constant motion, keeping the mares and foals in a tight group behind the lead mare as they move. if a dominant stallion is challenged by another stallion, there will be a short fight in which both males will scream, bite, and kick at each other, however they don't cause major injuries to one another- they will draw blood perhaps, but no really bad wounds. after a few minutes, one stallion will give up, and the loser will forfeit his entire herd, giving it to the winning stallion. during winter, stallions' are calmer, saving energy to look for food and such. they generally ignore each other, letting rival stallions and herds go in peace, however they will fight over the better grazing locations and un-frozen water sources.
[ ● ] the lead mare. the dominant mare. she is the boss- what she says goes, it is her herd. the lead mare is never just the stallions' favorite- the lead mare is the oldest, wisest, and most dominant mare in the herd. the dominant mare takes the herd to new meadows and water sources, takes lead during any kind of movement- be it running from danger or just moving to new grazing locations. she is the most respected horse out of the herd, and gets what she wants when she wants. the lead mare position is claimed through establishing a dominance hierarchy - through challenging the other mares and making yourself lead. mares do not get violent, however. their fights do not last very long- they nip and squeal at each other until, after a short time, one backs down. usually the younger horse. if another mare, foal, or yearling in the herd is being annoying/troublesome/disrespectful, the lead mare will chase said horse out of the herd. they will have to linger on the edge of the herd until the lead mare decides to them back in, and if she does not, they will be snaked away by the lead. the stallion has no say in this- if the lead decides to remove a horse from the herd, he must let her. the lead mare may also snake the stallion himself out of the herd if he is incapable, inexperienced, cocky, or disrespectful- he will not be allowed back into the herd unless the lead mare decides to bring him back. if she does not, the lead mare will chase the stallion away and take the herd to find a new stallion by calling out to nearby stallions. the band stallion may try to fight for his herd back, but if he loses, that's that. take note, when a lead mare is decided, most of the herd almost act like sheep, they follow their leader, they do not question her, if she wants to run them all off a cliff, they will all run off a cliff with her, that is the loyalty and respect of a horse, they obey their lead without question. (a mare won't run her herd of a cliff just to clear that up... unless they are being chased and the cliff is the only escape.. horses often loose their brain when being chased)
[ ● ] snaking. mares do not get upset just because a stallion snaked them; they may be a bit grumpy about being disturbed in such a manner, but will calm down quickly. the act of snaking is when a horse lowers their head and neck, pinning their ears back, and nips at another horses' heels/haunches/back legs to drive them in the direction they want the horse to go. when stallions snake mares into their herds, the mare may protest and run for a short time, but unless the stallion is six years or younger, will give up rather quickly and go where the stallion directs.
[ ● ] a bachelor band is a group of stallions without any mares; they group up to survive winter, and the older stallions of the bunch will often help teach the younger stallions to fight/snake/keep a herd. a bachelor band works much like a normal herd- there is a stallion who is older than the rest who leads the bunch, and the rest just follow as if he were their lead mare.
[ ● ] the mare reproductive cycle is pretty straight forward- once pregnant, a mare will carry her foal for 11 months, until full-term, then depart from the herd to give birth. the herd will wait for her to return, generally it only takes a few hours. normally just one foal is born; twins are rare, and if twins are born, it is unlikely that all three horses will survive. mares allow their foals to nurse for up to a year, though generally wean them at about six months.
[ ● ] the estrous cycle - 'heat', occurs roughly every 20-22 days, and lasts for just a few days, at which point they cycle through four stages of heat. during winter, mares do not go into heat at all. after giving birth, a mare will go back into her heat cycle one to two weeks after the birth, allowing her to be covered again.
stage one - the mare is uninterested and probably won't allow a stallion to cover her, though will probably still join a herd without much trouble.
stage two - the mare is still pretty uninterested and probably won't breed, though will not protest as much to joining a herd.
stage three - the mare is growing interested in the stallion, and will probably allow him to cover her. she will a join a herd without trouble.
stage four - the mare is very interested in the stallion, and will always accept being covered, no matter who the stallion is, even if it isn't her band stallion. she is desperate.
[ ● ] oftentimes a group of young bachelors will gang up on a band stallion and attempt to steal his herd- if they succeed, which yes can happen, the stallions will fight among themselves until just one is left, and that stallion with become the new dominant stallion. the others stallions may decide to trail the herd to try again. if the lead mare does not like the wining stallion[she thinks he is too young/cocky/rude, ect.] she will chase him out and call for an older stallion to come and take the herd.
evix/chemical wrote these <3
