RE: [RC] Understanding the horse partnership - Tracey Lomax
Barbara
wrote:
>>Maybe a better example
would be a zebra. They are an equid, and I understand they are extremely
difficult to train, if at all. I believe Virl Norton once trained a pair,
but from all I hear, they do not want to be trained and can be dangerous.
And they probably have the same herd hierarchy system as the horse.
Common misconception :
their herd hierarchy is quite different to the horse’s J
Zebras live in small “bands”
within a larger herd.Each band is led
by a stallion with his harem of mares. So there can be a number of stallions within
the herd, each leading his “harem” of mares.There are also young colts with no mares.
The herds are extremely large and so it’s
not uncommon for mares to be poached from within neighbouring
bands.The stallions are quite
aggressive as a result and far more controlling than in bands of horses, where
the alpha mare is more in control.
This is very simplistic, I know, but
indicates the differences between them.For more info, get hold of a National Geographic video called “Patterns
in the Grass”.It’s very
interesting.
I can watch zebra herds all day.Other folk go to the game park to look for
the Big Five, I find the herd dynamic in the smaller
species far more interesting.
