Do horses grieve?

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bgray1981

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My youngster has lost his retired tb companion this morning due to colic, which we are both devasted about.
I keep my horses at home so now my youngster is on his own and I wondered if he knows what's happened this morning. He neighed continuosly while he was in but now he's out in the field and seems settled but I know when I bring him in later he's going to be unsettled again.
Should I get another companion? or leave him to grieve (if they do) for a while.
They were so close, I always called them my gay boys as they were so attached and were always grooming each other.
Any suggestions would be greatly received.
 
I am so sorry to hear this sad news. In answer to your question I think that horses do grieve and feel loss of a friend. They are after all herd animals so any separation in whatever circumstance will make them feel unsafe and insecure being singled out and on their own and vulnerable to predators so yes i would suggest that you find your youngster a companion of some sort.

Donkeys show physical signs of grief when separated from life long companions, however i don't know if this is documented with horses and think they can adjust better with loss as they don't generally form such strong lifelong pair bonds.

There are so many horses and equines in need at the moment looking for homes i am quite sure that some happiness can come from this very sad loss that you are both suffering and bring you both some joy again. Many people are struggling to keep equines at the moment companion or ridden. x
 
really sorry you lost your tb my thoughts are with you i know how hard it is
my mare grieved after loosing her friend she was really bad and lead down for over 24 hours, she saw everything that happened i even took her to see but she became more upset, my other pony who she was attached with went on the wagon to leahurst and never came home due to colic after that she refused to go on the wagon
i firmly believe that horses grief and my vet even diagnosed her with grief and depression when she fell really ill it was like she gave up on life and did not want to help herself she is a very very sensitive mare

see how he is in himself adding another horse to the group maybe to quick and may feel as though your just replacing your tb ... its a hard decision only you know what your horse is like, could you borrow a little pony or maybe even a couple of sheep/goats
 
Very sorry for your loss... After the loss of my girl earlier this year and the resulting reaction and behaviour of my youngster I have absolutely no doubt that horses grieve
 
I'm sorry to hear about your TB :( In answer to your question, yes, they do grieve - some cope better than others, it depends on the individual & how attached they were. I'd personally keep an eye on your youngster for now, with lots of cuddles & attention, as it will be difficult for him, especially if they were close - perhaps look into getting a companion soon but not necessarily right away, it may be too much for him all at once. Are there any other horses nearby? X
 
So sorry for your loss how sad and tragic for you both.

I feel that horses do grieve. A few years ago my horses field companion ending up being injured and going on box rest before the decision was made for him to be PTS. She would call for him everyday even though she still had company in the field and when the deed was done I took her over to him and she nuzzled and sniffed him all over for sometime. After that she never called for him again. I think it's good to keep them in their same routine to help with normality and I would consider another companion if he looks to not be settling. Like someone above said there are so many horses needing homes I doubt you would have to look far. It is important that you don't feel you are 'replacing' your old horse think of it as a new beginning and friend for you both.
 
I too believe they do. I lost my mare just over a week ago, and her son, who was her best friend in the world was devastated.

I let him see her when she was gone and he sniffed and licked her. He thn neighed non stop in the field the next day. The day after, he called for 2-3 hrs, and gradually less each day, until a week later he didn't call at all.

He's never been that affectionate towards me - why should he, he had his mum, but I do feel he 'likes' me a bit more now. He was definately down for that week, but gradually is getting chirpier now.

Give your wee lad time, and he will calm down, but a new friend may help things along.

BTW mine were 30 and 16 yrs!
 
So sorry you have lost your horse it is heartbreaking. I was in the same position as you a few years back and yes I do think horses grieve, my mare would stand where the old horse died, found her dead in the field but she was 35! She would just stand there and call for hours. I borrowed a friend's elderly mare to keep her company and that helped a lot. I then bought the cob a few months later and now they are best friends although I still see her standing where the old mare died looking around as if she remembers.
 
Sorry to hear about your TB, my ID mare certainly appeared to grieve when my TB was PTS even though there were only horses in field.
I wouldn't rush in.to getting
 
Oops pressed wrong button. Was going to say I wouldn't rush into getting another companion & see how he copes. Like someone has already said, being herd animals I think they prefer company.
 
I think my mare grieved for her wee pony when we lost him. i let her see him and she touched his nose and neck. for the next few weeks she seemed really down and quiet. she seemed distant from me for over a week. They had been together for about 7 years.

so sorry for your loss. I hope your boy is ok x
 
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No, I don't think that they do. I shot a mare, with her 14 week old foal watching. When I'd pithed her, he walked up, had a sniff, and then didn't go near her again. I suspect that he saw her dead, and faced up to it. When I have a ewe who loses her lamb, I leave the dead lamb with her. I suspect that it helps for them to accept that they have a dead child. If I take the dead lamb away, immediately, then they seem to be distressed, and they spend days calling for their lamb.

I don't actually know, and neither does any one else!

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
No, I don't think that they do. I shot a mare, with her 14 week old foal watching. When I'd pithed her, he walked up, had a sniff, and then didn't go near her again. I suspect that he saw her dead, and faced up to it. When I have a ewe who loses her lamb, I leave the dead lamb with her. I suspect that it helps for them to accept that they have a dead child. If I take the dead lamb away, immediately, then they seem to be distressed, and they spend days calling for their lamb.

I don't actually know, and neither does any one else!

Alec.
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I don't think anyone claims to 'know', most people are just saying what they think going on what they have observed.
I 'think' animals see death differently to humans and are more accepting of it, but as sensient beings it is very possible that they miss their companion, in my opinion anyway.
 
bgray1981 said:
My youngster has lost his retired tb companion this morning due to colic, which we are both devasted about.
I keep my horses at home so now my youngster is on his own and I wondered if he knows what's happened this morning. He neighed continuosly while he was in but now he's out in the field and seems settled but I know when I bring him in later he's going to be unsettled again.
Should I get another companion? or leave him to grieve (if they do) for a while.
They were so close, I always called them my gay boys as they were so attached and were always grooming each other.
Any suggestions would be greatly received.
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Sorry to hear this




Yes they do grieve.



My mare of a lifetime was PTS yesterday due to her pedal bone dying. We let her son see her before the last inj then we put him out school before the last one.


We then brought him back to see her lying in the school, he seemed subdued yesterday on the lunge( not me i am too upset).


Today he was schooled and seemed to be subdued still. I do believe they do cats do , our little little still mournes my little kass who had a RTA in Aug
 
Of course they do! But it does help if they see the body - as Alec points out. They are creatures of instinct and they know what death means. But if they don't see the body they don't know what happened and they miss thier companion just as much as they would if they were sold or otherwise suddenly dissappeared.

When I lost my Sect A to colic just over 2 months ago I let his companions come and see the body before the Knackerman came for it. But that isn't a luxury we all have.

Horses are meant to be kept in herds. Yes I know there are the odd few (and I own one - out of three, bad luck to him!) who are really and genuinely happy without other horses. But to the vast majority a lone horse is a dead horse. Plus your youngster needs to learn from others about the acceptable boundaries of horse behaviour.

It might be worth contacting local horse rescue organisations to find out if someone has an older mare you could foster. You don't need to rush into buying something. I expect you'll feel too raw to do so anyway just now. But if you can give something else a good home for a breif time it will help both your youngster and you.
 
festnuttyfairy said:
I don't think anyone claims to 'know', most people are just saying what they think going on what they have observed.
I 'think' animals see death differently to humans and are more accepting of it, but as sensient beings it is very possible that they miss their companion, in my opinion anyway.
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Clumsy though I may have been, those were exactly my points!

OP, I'm sorry for your loss, it's horrible, and I do understand.

Alec.
 
Sorry for your loss :(

I don't think they grieve in the same way we do, but they notice the change and can pick up on the human emotions. I am a firm believer that where possible the pair bond/best mate needs to see/smell/touch to allow nature to take it's course and the remaining horse to realise whats happened. However I know this isn't always possible :(

When Rosie was PTS last year, nugz didn't call. He was very quiet (he's a haffy so very vocal normally) but this was as much to do with not being used to being 'on his own'. I am lucky in some ways that I am on a busy DIY yard, and they were still out 24/7 so once he had slept off his sedation (tbh didn't need it, but we weren't sure) over the first night he was back out with another gelding on the other side of the fence.

I would look to get a companion at some point if he is the only one, if only because he has had one before. He might settle into it, but he might only start to react in 6 months or he will stress from now onwards. Might be worth looking for a couple of sheep, or a loan youngster to live alongside him in a seperate paddock?

Forgot to say - you need to grieve though. I found having nugz helped as it kept the routine for Nugz and me. And horses tend to give the best hugs and offer no judgement (although I think Nugz got bored of me, he's learnt to sigh very loudly now :D)
 
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I am another who has lost a horse of a lifetime over the passed few days.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss, know exactly how you feel.

Yes I think they grieve, in their own way. One of my lads doesn't like touch, patted etc. likes his own space which quite frankly, is a big space. Since the weekend he has wanted patted, is following me about and is overall quite insecure looking.

The other lad is just depressed looking. Usually quite a perky horse but just standing with his head down. Clearly the change in the herd has affected them and going from having a mare to now being just two lads has disrupted their dynamics and no doubt security.
One of the lads is the herd leader so they haven't lost a leader.

They called a lot at daylight the following day. They never saw her body but saw her lying flat out so knew something was wrong.
 
I know mine have when we have lost one of the herd. Most recently was a youngster that lost his field mate and he went off his food, was wandering around calling for him. This lasted a few weeks and it was horrid to watch. I do think if they see them dead they accept it more its when they go out of the field and never return, they must wonder where they have gone.

Mine call at each other when they go out on hacks etc and on their return so it must be sad for them when they do not return at all.
 
After my friends experience I would always consider putting a horse who was its dead mates friend/pair bond, etc in with its dead friend so it can establish that it is dead for itself.

My friend had a mare who for over 20 years had been close to another horse who was a gelding. They shared a large stable albeit with a low partition between them, and they ran together in a field. When the mare was put down suddenly due to colic at the grand old age of 40+ her friend couldn't understand what had happened to her. He pined for days and would run up and down the fence line calling for her.

He already had a health problem which them manifested itself into another problem and within days she had lost him. If your post was written today and the horse has not been collected yet, let the other horse in with it and allow it to paw at the body or do whatever it needs to do.

this is what happens in nature.

If its too late I'd get some Star of Bethlehem and mix the required amount of drops into your horses feed. This is a Bach flower remedy which works for bereavement. This can be obtained from large health food shops/chemists and some supermarket pharamcies.
 
Shay said:
.

When I lost my Sect A to colic just over 2 months ago I let his companions come and see the body before the Knackerman came for it. But that isn't a luxury we all have.
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Well done, it was the best thing you could have done for the other horses. Sadly most people would squirm in disgust at the mention of this as they don't understand or woudn't even attempt to.

Sadly, people can be rather set in their ways as I have found out over the years.
 
Alec Swan said:
No, I don't think that they do. I shot a mare, with her 14 week old foal watching. When I'd pithed her, he walked up, had a sniff, and then didn't go near her again. Alec.
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I am really curious Alex.

How are you able to shoot your own animals? Why would you want to do that? Or are you a licensed slaughterman?

I found this on google:

Do I need a slaughter licence?
A slaughter licence is not needed when:
• slaughtering your own animal for your own consumption
• using a licensed free bullet weapon (the firearm certificate must state the species you intend to kill)

A slaughter licence is needed when:
• you kill animals for other people
• using a captive-bolt instrument, unless it is an emergency


As you don't fall under either of these catergories I am curious to know the answer. Not having a go, just really interested.
 
When our old mare died I found her flat out in the field with my mare standing over her so she was aware that Sandy had died. She walked along side Sandy's body as the JCB moved her to where she was to be buried and when it was over she laid on the grave and squeeled. She wouldn't move from the grave for a few days and called now and again. I think that proves she was definately grieving in her own way, she did settle more when I borrowd a frien'd retired horse to keep her company though. Couldn't stand seeing her on her own they are a herd animal and need company of their own kind.
 
starryeyed said:
I'm sorry to hear about your TB :( In answer to your question, yes, they do grieve - some cope better than others, it depends on the individual & how attached they were. I'd personally keep an eye on your youngster for now, with lots of cuddles & attention, as it will be difficult for him, especially if they were close - perhaps look into getting a companion soon but not necessarily right away, it may be too much for him all at once. Are there any other horses nearby? X
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There are some horses in a nearby field but he can't see them and if he neighs they don't know back so not much help to him at all.
 
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