It's so important for horses to have the company of other horses and to be able to touch and interact with them. Little Indiana has got the rest of the herd wrapped around her little hoof but they have taught her so much about how to be a horse. So many horses that are kept alone develop coping and self-sedating behaviour such as wind-sucking, and the longer they are kept away from other horses, the more of a rod for their owners back they become. Not only do they start to see humans as the entertainment committee, often demanding attention by being noisy or disruptive when people are around, but they become less able to mix with other horses later without the risk of them being injured. Theoden had been kept separately from other horses when I got him and was quite aggressive around them (possibly why he was kept separately in the first place0 but now he is a benevolent dictator.
I love just spending time with the horses, watching their behaviour and intermingling with them. People often tell me that their horse loves to spend time with them when they are poo-picking. I think the lure is not just the person but the poo. As well as giving them a stack of information about who else is around and what state they are in, I think the smell of poo helps or motivates horses to poo. After each of these horses had sniffed the contents of the barrow, they stood close and had a poo. Territorial or laxative effect?
