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>Personally, I do not believe, no matter what
anyone says, that a horse would go to the lengths of comitting suicide
because it's 'spoiled' or because it's so conniving that it wants to annoy it's
owner.
>To think that a horse is THAT manipulative seems to me to be
anthropomorphic to the nth degree. My understanding of horses is that they
are hard wired to be scared to death. Period.
They can, and they
do. And it has nothing to do with anthropomorphism, manipulation, or
fear. It has to do with dominance, as several other posters have
mentioned. It is deliberate wilfullness, not fearful--it is
calculated. It is no different than stallions fighting to the death for
the privilege of heading up a mare band. Mares likewise will incur
terrible damage to take over or retain dominance in some cases. When they
do this, do they intend to die? No, I don't think so. Death is
simply the opposite of not winning. But their instinct to be dominant can
be so strong that they will fight with every ounce they have, if they're so
disposed. Horses like this are not the norm (although most horses have
some degree of this instinct), but when you encounter one, they are dangerous
indeed unless you can establish yourself as the Herd Boss, as several
others have suggested.
Heidi
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