How do you know if a horse is pair bonded? Does your horse have one?

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Megibo

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As title really! Does your horse have a pair bond? Can you tell?

I have two mares, Meg who I've owned for almost 8 years and Nesta who I've had 1 year 1 month. The day I brought Nesta home she was turned out with Meg so they've been together a fair amount of time. I sometimes see them in close quarters, only seen them groom once but if one is laying down the other is stood near etc.. Meg seems to chase Nesta off alot when I turn up but before I'm there she will be stood with her. Only ever seen them share a hay pile once too!
Turned our yearling out with them a few months back, perhaps not even that, and Nesta and her are always grooming and stood together etc yet if Meg goes away or vice versa the one that is left will call for them frequently. If the yearling isn't in with them then Nesta will trot around shouting, Meg is fine as long as her neighbours are out with them.
So, just normal companions or do you think they have a bond? Meg is the dominant one if that makes a difference. I personally don't think so but it is interesting to hear if your horse has one.. :)
 
Two of my mares are inseparable. I actually bought the second one because they had become so close. I love that they have each other.
 
I think of my horse and my livery horses (they run as a herd of 6) a bit like a class at school. There are:

Permanent best friends
Temporary best friends
Let's all be mean to X for the day
See if I care - I'm going to be grumpy and graze on my own
"Oh look. X is lying down asleep. We'd better all stand round and guard her/him"

My mare (also a Meg) is the dominant mare. She gets on with everyone and rules the field, with a very delicate touch for a big cob. She is a good leader in that she spreads her favours equally.

The two Shelties are a very close bond. They don't groom each other but stick closely together

The racehorse is in love with the smaller Shetland. They are look-alikes in colour and play together so nicely that non-horsy people think they are mare and foal

The Welsh Section C is a grumpy girl. She'd like to be loved by the 'class' but doesn't know how to go about it properly. Full of laid back ears and sour faces.

I don't think it's so much grooming as seeing how 'comfortable' your horse is with another. Eg if other horse bumps it by mistake does your horse get tetchy or just accept it/move aside? If your horse is in a corner and Horse B comes along, does your horse keep grazing or move out of the potential trap?

I've always been fascinated by horses' social behaviour with their own kind. It's very very complex.
 
Here is some pics of how I know my two have bonded ...

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They are turned out in a herd of about 12 :D
 
My two boys are best friends. They have been together for 4 years but best friends ever since my old boy had a serious injury and was on box rest for over 8 months. As soon as he could be turned out in a herd again, my pony (who used to be a total loner) became his life long pal.

We moved to a new yard a few months ago and at first they were totally joined at the hip, but now they do graze a small distance apart some days!! They are out with another pair, and my pony herds his friend away if he tries to hang out with the other two. They graze together, go to the water trough together and even lie down so they are touching. It's lovely to see.

My pony was neglected when he was younger and deprived of food, so he used to be very territorial over hay and feed. But with his friend he'll happily share a pile of hay, eat his dinner and I've got a lovely picture of them both sharing a field lick at the same time.

It can be a bit of a nightmare when I want to ride my horse, as my pony can get pretty stressed. I have to bring them both in as I think he'd probably jump out of the field if i tried to leave him there - but he is getting better and starting to realise that I always bring his friend back soon!!
 
Mine arrived at the yard a couple of weeks after a mate and her horse: when I turned him out, he saw his mate (had never been best mates) and galloped screaming at him! They are always together and grooming in the field. Both coloured cobs, similar heights/temperaments. Mine is less dependent and doesn't demand to come in with his mate, but the mate will try anything to come in with mine. :)

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I have 2 mares, 1 lives with my parents and is fairly antisocial most of the time the other is with me at livery. They only lived together for about 18 months 8 years ago. For a few weeks each summer the old girl comes to stay with me for her summer "holiday" the girls call across the field, sniff noses then graze happily next to each other (both normally mares that need their own space!) from that moment they are completely inseperable, have to ride and lead out, tie up to the same ring etc, it's slightly embarrasing but quite cute. Wish I could afford both on livery so they could spend their older years together.
 
Thanks for these replies, how cute are they :p
Rose Folly said:
I don't think it's so much grooming as seeing how 'comfortable' your horse is with another. Eg if other horse bumps it by mistake does your horse get tetchy or just accept it/move aside? If your horse is in a corner and Horse B comes along, does your horse keep grazing or move out of the potential trap?

I've always been fascinated by horses' social behaviour with their own kind. It's very very complex.
Click to expand...

Sapphire (yearling) can bump into Nesta and all sorts and she doesn't care, puts her ears back but otherwise forgives her..only once have I seen her kick out at her or bite her. However if they're stood in the corner and Meg comes along they'll move quick sharp! BUT not all the time. Yesterday Saff and Nesta were stood by the gate, Meg walked over and they all stood there happily. Meg is dominant but not nasty with it, she might trap them in a corner and swing round but always lets them get out of it doesn't actually kick them. Sometimes she and Saff are grazing nose to nose and Nesta is off doing her own thing.
I agree, very complex! But here's a token picture (sorry if they're huge!) of the tolerance Nesta gives Saff! She walks right up to her and under her nose... :rolleyes:



One thing Nesta likes to do is rest her chin o the stable door, so you can see in the first picture Nesta likes the fact that Saffy is bigger now as she's perfect height to rest her head on! :D:rolleyes:
 
Very strange but when I got my youngster and turned her out with the herd, my gelding attacked her to the point where I thought he would break her legs (he detests mares). Moved the youngster and gelding to a new yard and put them in different fields and they both jumped out to be with each other. Now they are in love and freak if you try separate them :eek:
 
My boy and his mare are pair bonded, but in a very securely attached sort of way, so they are very close, but each can go out on their own with no issues. They are pretty much always standing grazing side by side, in step with each other. He was sedated to get his teeth done the other day, just standing by the gate. She hung around, not too far away but not too close. As soon as he started to come out of the sedation, she came over and touched her nose to his, almost a sort of "are you OK?" :) They don't actually mutually groom very much - she grooms with one of the other geldings more often - but in the field, they're hardly ever apart. In fact, I was quite relieved when a 4th horse (another gelding) arrived in January, so that the poor gooseberry gelding gets someone to pal around with :D

It's difficult, because I don't own the mare and I would be very upset if she left or if anything happened to her.

For what it's worth, she is bottom of the hierarchy in the field and my lad is top - she gains by being his pair bond, since she gets all his advantages :) That's not to say he doesn't bite her bum regularly, but on the whole, I'm afraid she seems to rather enjoy that :D Certainly yesterday the bottom biting resulted in lots of squealing, displaying, squirting and reversing into him. He remained oblivious, as usual ;)

Sharing blades of grass...
 
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Mine is pair bonded with my best friends horse! They are in a herd of 15 and they lie down together, graze together, call to each other when one leaves, I never see them apart they even wee at the same time! and one of the more recent activities is flirting over the fence at the geldings (who don't care) and they squirt at them at the same time it's GROSS and I now call them a pair of harpies!!
 
Mine definitely are... they were born on the same day and have been together ever since. They share a stable and are the only two on the yard so have to love each other!
 
B1 has always been a bit prickly. Not nasty just aloof lonely and grumpy. Since we got b2 shes mellowed. He rubs his head on her sides and sleeps with his chin on her bum and she doesn't seem to mind. They graze nose to nose and when we moved l had to put their haynets next to each other so they could chat through the bars or neither would eat. Last time b1 had a stable with another horse in touching range she kicked the stable to bits! Big difference with b1 and b2.
 
I joke that my companion is my big horses shadow! They are never more than 2/3 meters away from each other - out in 3 acre fields, regularly groom each other.

Even more entertaining is that (in my eyes) they are the spitting image of each other - well both are flee bitten greys!

It's lovely to watch, difficult time will come when I'm back to riding again in a few months time and I have to separate them after 8/9 months being together 24/7!
 
My mare is very closely bonded to my friend's mare. They're both wind sucking Tbs, but they do everything together and very rarely have a cross word.

My mare was stabled at another yard for 2 years came back and it was like they'd never been apart, she was then away for a further 6 months and that time certainly my friend's mare was not herself for a few weeks and when my mare returned they were so sweet. I think we'll try to keep them together now, they're pretty good about leaving each other to out on a ride or whatever but in the field or stable they are never far apart and even live together in a large double stable.

Here are a couple of my fave pics of them together:


 


I keep finding the old lady standing as close to the boy as possible, like she's trying to hug him, never thought this would happen, she was evil to him when he arrived last year! once came over went to bite him and swiped her teeth across his face, pulling a strip of hair off!!


I don't want them to be too clingy though, as its only my 3 at my yard, so will be horrible if something happens to one of them!!
 
Yep, my two boys are inseparable! I can tell because they move around the field together grazing, they call to each other when they are separated (e.g when I'm out riding one) and they groom each other and lay down together in the field. :) My Appy is definitely more clingy than my ISH and gets even more clingy to him if they have moved yards, or their routine has changed.
 
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