Hi Kim, >>>I don't really know their herd dynamics, they said he might give her trouble. I'm not putting her in there. I would like to incorporate her into my herd and I started yesterday with letting them visit over the gate.
I would agree with you not to put her in their herd and I am sure she will do fine with your horses. In any hierarchy there is some dynamics and some that may be seen as leaders, but even then I see that context plays a role. Some horses really like to eat, others lead play, etc. Herd dynamics are an interesting study. I think that there are some horses that are kind of bossy that are actually quite insecure and you can really see it when they are in a herd of pretty secure easy going horses, which sounds like you have. It doesn't mean that they won't teach the filly about being a horse but they usually do it in a pretty non-violent way. The more that I study interspecies communication - when they are one-on-one, or look at horses in large group situation, I see that animals have some great ways of de-escalating aggression. They may just meet each other with an equal vocal or posturing lever (without physically making contact) and then they kind of melt the situation and walk away without have any altercation. It is fascinating to watch. Icelandic Horse Farm Robyn Hood & Phil Pretty Vernon BC Canada www.icefarm.com
