Do horses become protective of their rider?

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Nitro mouse

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I have been having a problem with my 22 yr old horse. We have only one hacking route at the moment due to all the foul weather, it's road work and access to and from the yard is via a very steep road (1 in 6) we have done this route hundreds of times. Adjacent to the steepest bit there is a horse in a field, we have seen this horse many many times. But at the moment it has access to the hedge line ( its field is rotated so often in different sections of the field. For a few weeks J has been trying to jog down the steepest bit, not a good idea. Two weeks ago with me trying to stop the jogging resulted in a massive bucking fit! No sign of any pain or discomfort in J quite the opposite. Today we did same route but I got off at the top and lead down the steepest bit. Horse came over to say hello J's ears went back and he did four massive bucks aimed specifically in the direction of this horse.
Once we are passed he is immediately his usually chilled self...
Our hacking partner is fortunately unphased by this. Sooo is he just a grumpy sod? Protecting me from a possible threat?
Thoughts gratefully received! as are any hints n tips to prevent this from continuing? Getting off at the mo seems the best and safest option at the mo..
 
I don't see why he is being specifically protective of you. Of himself, maybe. Or the 'herd' (him, companion, you). If you could show he doesn't do it when you aren't there, I'd believe it...
 
Yes. My boy won't let his companion near me in the field. Ears back and chases him off! If I want them in together have to fetch in one at a time, lol!
One time horse was in the stable and I was talking to someone just outside. He kept an evil eye on the other person with ears back
 
I'd think he's just responding to a strange horse. I had similar thus week when mare was surprised by a mini stallion charging at her. Without the fence between them she'd have squashed him but she was protecting herself. But then again she's a friends horse not mine. I did have a curious thing last year when a new horse arrived at the yard. There's a very bolshy TB who tends to bully the horse I was holding so when he approached us I waved my leg at him and shooed him away..cue newby gelding siding up to me. It seemed that he recognised that I was a safe place to be :D didn't feel safe to me though being a squashed human sandwich between two cowering geldings whilst the ginger menace circled us! I thought it was odd as new horse had nothing to do with me prior to this so didn't know me.
 
I'm going to argue against myself here as I've just remembered something. When I first met my OH, he was pretty anti-horse but I eventually got him to come and meet my boy. Took him down to the field to bring in mine and a friends horse. Mine was by the gate and so I gave OH the rope to hold while I fetched the other. There were 2 others in the field, pretty aggressive and horrid (underfed and badly looked after, poor things). I was a fair distance away, and they went for my OH and my horse - cantering at them with teeth out, turning round to buck and kick at them. My horse started circling my OH - round and round in a 5m circle around him - there was no way those two were getting near. He didn't have to do that, and could easily have just run off - so I have to conclude that, yes, they can be protective. It was pretty impressive and, even better, guaranteed that my OH always loved him, and horses in general, since then.
 
My sister's horse has protected her by cantering a tight circle around her when she was knocked unconscious and bleeding once. So yes they do protect you.
My mare gets more jealous than anything though, I've had her 9 years nearly! They are stabled in an indoor barn with bars between the stables so the horses can chat. When I go in with her neighbour, my mum's rising 5 year old, she will appear with her nose through the bars and her ears pinned back at my mum's horse. :p
Also if I'm fussing her and the horse the other side comes to the bars she backs up and tries to bite him through them and squeals/kicks the wall.
 
I have been rescued in the field by my horse - he lives out in a herd of approx 19 mares and geldings and last year a new horse arrived very big 17hh throughbred ex racer who had no field manners at all. I arrived late in the afternoon to bring in a friends pony who was very old and going down hill rapidly, I had to cross a very large field to get to him. As I made my way to the pony this massive horse came up and completely blocked my way, his face literally in my face would not shoo away, and every time I tried to get past he just literally blocked my way. It was unnerving I am very experienced with horses, but this one was new and completely dense, the thought of have to transverse the whole length of this field, in rain, mud and dusk coming with this unknown horse shadowing my every move was a tad daunting. I desperately looked around and spotted Beau across the field, I called him over and he came straight away, definitely new I needed help, as though he is only 15.1hh he got in front of this horse and turned him away, this other horse still tried to get in my face but Beau just kept pushing him away, and kept on my shoulder all the way to the gate. He was definitely looking after me as he had only gone out an hour earlier, so it was not for food. He was definitely a hero horse that day.
 
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I remember reading a story about a girl who was riding alone in woods when a man stepped in front of her and tried to pull her off the horse. The horse attacked the man. The girl then cantered back to the yard and when the police went to where it happened, the man was long gone.

Having said that, I have never witnessed a horse being protective of an owner. My horse will chase others away from me but only if I have food.
 
Mine expects me to protect him :) There's another pony in his field he is bossed by and when I'm not there he runs away from it. However if I'm in the field and it comes up he hides behind me and pulls evil faces at it because he knows I'll shoo it off if it tries to go for him :D
 
Just this week, I was in the field shelter with the 2 ponies, having just put some hay in there, when two dogs came through the fences (barbed wire & electric) into the field and started barking at the horses and me. I came out to try to shoo them back through the fences (they were ignoring the owners), and the ponies both followed me. The larger of the 2 dogs, a retriever type ran onto the yard and was barking at our dog the other side of the gate. I was trying to grab hold of this dog but he wouldn't let me, anyway the smaller dog had got under the electric and through the wire back to the owners, and the retriever wanted to join him, but his way was barred by the 2 ponies who wouldn't let him off the yard.... So he dashed through the side of the haybarn (which fronts the yard but is fenced off with electric from the yard and field) to get past the ponies and back out into the field - only to find the NF was thundering after him at a full out gallop! Was a bit worried the dog was going to get trampled underfoot, but thankfully it did the trick the dogs have not reappeared since! I do think the NF was trying to protect me, he doesn't chase our instructors dogs, or our own he just ignores them
 
My cob has protected me from horses and someone trying to pull me out the saddle and a man who was showing his bits to me at five oclock in the morning he ran at him with ears back teeth bared. what was funny man running with trousers round his ankles. weve been together twenty years.
 
A neighbour told me the other day of something that happened to her a few years ago.

She went to get her horse in, and he wouldn't come when she called, so she trudged across the field to get him. She was nearing the horse when she noticed a naked man stood in the field just staring at her intently.

Her horse saw the man too, and started getting wound up, snorting and trotting up and down. This wound the other horses up too, they were all getting a bit snorty, but the man just stayed where he was, staring and not saying anything. Neighbour told the man to leave, he ignored her. She said she would ring the police, he still just stood there. She then realised that her horse was leading the rest of the herd in a circle around her. He then peeled off and stood between her and the man (and the circling herd), almost wrapping himself around her.

She called the police who said they were on their way and if possible she should try to make her way towards the gate and the road, where she would be safer. As she did so her horse and the herd moved with her, the herd still circling her, her boy still wrapped around her.

When the man heard the sirens he legged it, and my neighbour said she felt she owed her life to her horse.
 
My daughter went down to the field to catch her cob, Belle. Obnoxious mare also out in field gallops over to daughter, waving her hooves and gnashing her teeth and has daughter corralled against the gate. Lovely Belle puts herself between daughter and obnoxious beastie and even takes a kicking from her, but doesn't budge until daughter safely out of field again, then comes to gate and allows herself to be caught. Some years on and daughters given up riding, but Belles' mine now and is treated like the princess that she is.....
 
TBH I think most of what is being portrayed as "protection" comes more under the heading of jealousy or aggression towards other horses. Horses' actions are often completely misread by us humans.
 
It is nice to have a lovely story though. My thoughts on it would be our horses recognise us as part of their herd but also we are the food source and so will protect that, but as far as encounters with these men in fields, i would say a horse has sensed them as a predator and again as we are part of their herd and their food source they would be protecting us, but they would do the same to a new born foal if there was a predator in the midst, start circling
 
I've never experienced any worrying situations out in the field or out hacking luckily so I don't know how my boy would react. But he certainly isn't careful with me when we are out! Just today decided to jump up onto the 5ft bank along side the path in the woods with no warning the naughty boy! Never done that before.

I find it interesting that the horses know it's the human herd member that could be in danger. My horses generally always hide behind me when something worries them. Fascinating!
 
Cortez said:
TBH I think most of what is being portrayed as "protection" comes more under the heading of jealousy or aggression towards other horses. Horses' actions are often completely misread by us humans.
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I get what your saying - it's very easy to 'humanise' animals because it makes more sense to us humans, but with the incident I described up thread, the interesting thing is my daughters cob is very much a grumpy old loner, who mostly tolerates humans and always keeps herself to herself. The fact is, she flew over and put herself between daughter and nasty mare. She laid her ears back and threatened the other horse but didn't move or retaliate even when the other mare clouted her one. It is hard to believe, I know, but true.
 
I think they key to this is The Theory of Evolution and the benefits for a species to instinctively "protect the genes". Not survival of the fittest but survival of those fit to breed and Natural selection.

Does a trait lead to anything which will preserve the species for breeding in the future? If it does, those animals with the trait will be more inclined breed successfully and survive than those with out it. A species that instinctively protects the herd from predators will be better able to survive to breed, so it is a survival trait of benefit to the herd. Of course, that only works if the instinct to protect the herd is not so strong that it leads to the protecting members getting eaten though if they do occasionally, the theory still works for the species as a whole!

What I find interesting is the occasional claim that such-and-such a pony knows it has a young and vulnerable rider and "looks after" him/her. Do ponies actually do that? I don't know but I can understand a herd or individual horse protecting it's owner against animals from outside the herd. After all, dogs, another social species, are well known for it, as are other social animals.
 
Cortez said:
TBH I think most of what is being portrayed as "protection" comes more under the heading of jealousy or aggression towards other horses. Horses' actions are often completely misread by us humans.
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I agree but many years ago, a friends young daughter used to come to tea every Sunday and then 'help' to catch , stable and feed our 1st horse, a gelding. One dark night we were walking down the road with 4 yr old girl holding the end of the lead-rope and walking between me and the horse, as I le him, when a car came towards us. Gelding got hold of her hood, which was hanging down her back and gently pulled her to walk in front of him. He obviously didn't trust me to look after her properly! I can find no other explanation than that he was protecting her, she certainly wasn't his regular food provider, there was no food in the immediate vicinity and no other horse around.
 
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MrsElle said:
A neighbour told me the other day of something that happened to her a few years ago.

She went to get her horse in, and he wouldn't come when she called, so she trudged across the field to get him. She was nearing the horse when she noticed a naked man stood in the field just staring at her intently.

Her horse saw the man too, and started getting wound up, snorting and trotting up and down. This wound the other horses up too, they were all getting a bit snorty, but the man just stayed where he was, staring and not saying anything. Neighbour told the man to leave, he ignored her. She said she would ring the police, he still just stood there. She then realised that her horse was leading the rest of the herd in a circle around her. He then peeled off and stood between her and the man (and the circling herd), almost wrapping himself around her.

She called the police who said they were on their way and if possible she should try to make her way towards the gate and the road, where she would be safer. As she did so her horse and the herd moved with her, the herd still circling her, her boy still wrapped around her.

When the man heard the sirens he legged it, and my neighbour said she felt she owed her life to her horse.
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Thus gave me the shivers xx
 
Once when trotting a very green mare over poles, she bounced me out of the saddle. I landed on my feet. Rather silly but undramatic event. Next time around-- she stopped-- and then very carefully, as if walking on eggs, walked over the poles, as if to make quite sure I would not come off again. Green horse taking care of supposedly capable rider!!!

Once when I was riding Mr X, he went down on a jump course on some deep footing. Completely down, I managed to fall clear of him. I remember so clearly our eyes meeting as we both lay on the sand. He was watching me very carefully, and only when I had scrambled to my feet and out of range of his hooves, did he try to get up. ( and yes he was OK, after a few days of box rest). I always felt like if I was threatened by anyone, Mr X would have tried to protect me. Nothing ever did happen-- but I felt very invincible with Mr X around.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I agree but many years ago, a friends young daughter used to come to tea every Sunday and then 'help' to catch , stable and feed our 1st horse, a gelding. One dark night we were walking down the road with 4 yr old girl holding the end of the lead-rope and walking between me and the horse, as I le him, when a car came towards us. Gelding got hold of her hood, which was hanging down her back and gently pulled her to walk in front of him. He obviously didn't trust me to look after her properly! I can find no other explanation than that he was protecting her, she certainly wasn't his regular food provider, there was no food in the immediate vicinity and no other horse around.
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My share mare is, you know, lovely, but tolerates me at best. I've ridden for years but she plays me up a bit. If my two young children ride her then she is a different horse, I swear she knows that they are more vulnerable and therefore she is better with them than she is with adults
 
many years ago, I was turning my daughters pony out ( on livery yard) I was in the field and had just released the headcollar. 2 other ponies came charging up to me and started to kick out , Twizzles ( our pony) stood right in front of me, and was repeatedly back barrelled by both ponies. Twizzles could have easily moved out of the way, or turned to fight back. But didn't. The minute I managed to get out of the field, Twizzles moved.

So yes, I do believe they protect you.
 
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