Aggression in Horses

Aggression is a natural and necessary trait for horses. It has enabled them, over many generations, to fend off predators, protect their young and maintain the integrity of their bands. While horses are not generally territorial, protection of food and other valued items does occur in domestic horses. In addition, humans have selected aggressive horses to be bred for war. To this day, certain breeds and lines of horses are far more aggressive than others.

For an animal, like the horse, that relies on his speed and endurance to escape prey species, fighting is a potentially life-threatening proposition, even for the victor. Injuries sustained during fighting can debilitate a horse to the extent that he becomes easy prey the next time. It also inhibits finding adequate food and water or from keeping up with his herd. For this reason the horse, like most other species, has developed a panoply of behaviors and expressions to convey his intentions to other horses so that actual fights can be avoided.

Many of the problems humans encounter in dealing with horses or other species could be avoided if we learned to recognize what they were "saying" to us. We will examine signs of aggression, dominance and submission in the horse, as well as the types of aggression seen in horses that stem from natural behaviors. Finally, we will look at physiological problems that can cause horses to act aggressively.

What is He Saying?

The horse is superbly equipped for visual communication, which is probably the primary mode for expressing feelings. The first clue to his level of excitement comes from his posture. In most situations, either both his head and tail will be up or they will be down. Rarely do the two extremes of his anatomy move in opposite directions. With increasing excitement, both head and tail tend to become higher. The submissive horse has a lowered head and tail and he will seem to be trying to slink along as low to the ground as he can. The more aggressive and dominant a horse feels, the higher the tail and head will be carried and the more confident he will appear. A somewhat elevated head, with a tucked or partially raised tail, may accompany a defensive threat. However, a sleepy horse will drop his head and tail, while a horse that is excited, eager to check out a new environment, or one that is moving at a faster pace than a walk, will also have an elevated head and tail carriage, so context is also important in judging posture.

The next set of clues to a horse's mood come from his facial expression, particularly the movements of his ears, mouth and nose. There are 13 pairs of muscles adjusting the position of each ear and 10 pairs moving the nostrils, mouth and lips. The aggressive horse's ears are laid back against his head, pushed flat against the skull. His eyes will be wide open and generally focused on the object of aggression, his body lining up to follow the forward-facing eyes. His nostrils will also be dilated drawing in air in case he is called upon to take further action. His mouth may be open and if he intends to bite, or threatens to do so, the incisor (front) teeth will be seen. If a bite or bite threat is being made, the head will drop and be extended – giving the neck a snake-like appearance.

The submissive horse's ears tend to spread out to the side or they are held backwards but not pinned against the head. In young horses in particular, a behavior that is usually described as jaw snapping signals submission. The head is extended with the mouth open and the lips drawn back. The jaws are then opened and closed, usually without the lips or teeth making contact. There may be a slight sucking sound as the tongue hits the roof of the mouth. This appeasing behavior has been variously described as either a ritualized grooming or eating display, both of which could be construed as calming, non-aggressive gestures.

The tail can also tell us a lot about a horse's intentions. The dock of the tail is tensed in the aggressive horse so that the tip of the tail flows further out behind as the tail itself is raised. If the horse is slashing his tail forcefully from side to side, or even more dramatically up and down, there is a good chance he will kick or lash out. This contrasts to the more leisurely tail swishing associated with brushing off flies.

Other signals that can help us judge a horse's intentions would include the way he orients his body. If he turns his quarters towards the object of his attention, or pushes at it with his shoulder, this would indicate either a dominant display or mild aggression. A submissive horse will try and scoot his lowered quarters away from the other animal or human. The tail will tuck under and the hindquarters will drop, while the head will deflect to the side so he is not looking directly at the other animal. If possible, the submissive horse will probably try to back away slowly. As aggressive displays intensify, a horse will:

At this level, it is clear from the lack of effort behind the motion that the movements are threats rather than intentional attacks. As antagonism increases, these movements will become more forceful.

In general, auditory behaviors tell us more about the level or arousal/excitement of the horse and less about his aggressive tendencies. Certainly high-pitched squeals may accompany aggressive displays or attacks, while throaty low-pitched nickers would be more appropriate for the horse that wishes to appease others.

Aggression Directed at Other Horses

Horses are herd-living animals, and allowing them opportunities to interact with other horses tends to promote good health and behavior. They will be less likely to engage in obsessive or stereotypical behaviors, such as cribbing or stall walking, if they can spend at least part of their day turned out either with other horses, or at least where they can observe them over the fence.

In general, horses in a group have a fairly loose dominance hierarchy. The more dominant horses are usually deferred to by the less dominant but, with any hierarchy, an animal may defer over some issues and stand up to a more dominant animal to protect more valuable resources. For a mare, this might mean defending her foal from bullying or injury. If the horses get their grain ration at turnout, a more submissive animal might defend this resource, but not hay. Some horses can definitely be bullies. They may move other horses around constantly so that the others cannot settle and graze, they may defend water or food piles from others, or they may show truly aggressive, antagonistic behavior to others.

Most of the fighting seen in an established group, however, tends to be play fighting. Domestic horses are more likely to engage in such shenanigans than their wild counterparts, where the behavior is usually restricted to young colts. While bites and kicks tend to be inhibited, they may still result in injury, whether intentional or accidental. Horses should be watched at turnout and separated if the play gets too rough. If one horse is consistently picking fights or acting the bully, he should be removed from the group, although it may be possible to integrate him into a group of more self-assured horses. Likewise, if one horse is always the scapegoat, he, too, should be removed and placed with more congenial companions, or allowed to watch the group from the safety of a different paddock.

Horses that have been raised in isolation from others of their species have a particularly hard time in groups, as do blind animals. They have not learned, or cannot see the signals of mood and intent being given by their peers, and are liable to act in a socially inappropriate fashion.

A situation that is more likely to result in aggressive behavior occurs when it is time to introduce a new horse, or reintroduce a former companion after an absence, to the group. It is preferable that horses become used to a new horse over the fence. It is also helpful to introduce the newcomer to a few of the animals in the middle of the current hierarchy first – neither the most dominant nor the most submissive – in order to smooth his passage into the herd.

If possible, it usually works best if domestic herds are composed of either all geldings or all mares. Many geldings retain enough sexual memory that they can become pests when mares are in season, and they may not only annoy the mare but get into fights with each other. It is extremely unusual for stallions to be turned out together, although some may tolerate a gelding as a companion. Stallions may also be turned out with mares, although there is a risk that an unwilling or feisty mare might injure too ardent a suitor. Mares with foals are likely to be more defensive with either geldings or a stallion present.

Aggression of Horses Towards People

Many of the behavioral problems between species occur because the two species signal their mood or intent in different ways. Horses are wonderful at picking up subtle nuances in our body language because that is how they communicate with each other. If we appear to be behaving submissively, they are liable to feel more confident and, in some cases, become more aggressive. If we appear too dominant, a self-assured horse may decide to display his position to us. If our posture doesn't change, the situation has the potential for leading to an aggressive standoff or escalation. Given that even the smallest pony far outweighs us, getting into a battle of brawn with a horse is never a good idea.

Much of what we perceive as aggression may just reflect a lack of education. Horses need to be trained from their earliest interactions with humans to respect our space and accept our leadership. This is particularly important with orphaned foals. While their bumping and jostling us, mouthing or even nipping, may seem cute when they are tiny, they will not be appropriate when the horse is older, and they will be much harder, or in some cases impossible, to eliminate. Kind, but firm, handling of foals is appropriate.

Certainly, getting a young foal used to being handled all over, accustomed to having his body manipulated and to strange sights and sounds at an early age, will make these experiences easier for him when he is older. He should remain relaxed and cooperative for these exercises. Any resistance on his part should not be bullied into submission but shaped gradually. Whether it is essential that these exercises are done immediately at birth or whether they can wait for the succeeding days has been much debated. Provided they are completed in a timely fashion and the mare is not disturbed by human intervention, performing this program immediately after birth appears neither to prevent the foal receiving sufficient colostrum nor the formation of an appropriate maternal bond.

With older horses, certain interactions with humans tend to be more likely to produce aggressive responses. Often these reflect a lack of preparation or warning to the horse so that it is taken by surprise. Things which often result in handler directed aggression include:

Horses may aggressively demand treats and bite and nip if they are not delivered promptly. The problem arises because the horse has been permitted to get away with this behavior, and even rewarded for it when the owner swiftly coughing up the treat to ward off an attack.