The Herd Dynamic

A moment of power negotiation between two horses of the Chiron herd, Sorento and Spirit.

Sorento (bay), a lower ranking herd member approached grazing Spirit (black) who is the leader, and started nagging him

They spent about a minute standing face to face with their heads high and muzzles almost touching (about quarter of an inch apart). All was rather gentle, without a bite, movement, or a sound. Then Spirit asserted himself as the dominant horse and made Sorento step away.

What was more interesting than the not-so-surprising outcome was how Sorento responded to being put back in his place: he went and took it out on Belle Amie by chasing her away.

#theherd #powerdynamics