Supporting Successful Herd Integrations

Alexa Linton, BSc, EST, DOMP

In my talks with multiple equine professionals, and countless horse owners, about enrichment for horses, the overwhelming answer about the most enriching thing for horses is…

FRIENDS! 

Horses thrive with friends. They are a community, a socially-oriented being, who thrives with interaction and relationship. In fact, for the many hours you are not at the barn, this is your horses main source of stimulus, co-regulation, entertainment, and interaction, even if they can’t touch one another. Whenever I see horses in stalls with no ability to see or interact with each other, my heart breaks knowing how empty their lives are without their horse friends. The reality is, your company is not enough, and stall living is not enough, by a long stretch. Isolation for horses can lead to many issues, as it is not in their nature to be alone, and creates a great deal of internal/external stress in most horses. I have met only a handful of horses that are happier on their own, and it generally due to substantial trauma and/or dysregulation.

One of the main reasons to build a track system is to facilitate these essential relationships, and to provide an environment which promotes herd living by creating a space and shelters that flow and allow free unhindered movement, free feed hay and water in multiple locations that reduces resource guarding and sense of scarcity. 

 

It can feel scary but it’s worth it (especially for your horse)

 

The hardest part of this for any horse person is often the introduction and integration of horses into shared living. It can be so scary for some, that they choose not to ever do it, preferring to keep their horses separate. Unfortunately this creates a frustrating catch 22 – if a horse has not been with other horses, their reduced social skills make them more prone to incident and injury. There are many horses that are lacking in basic social skills, with their last direct interaction with another horse often being their mother. These horses can be harder to integrate into a herd, but it is absolutely possible to support them in learning social skills and creating good situations where your current herd can also teach them how to be a horse.

I hope that by the end of this section you might feel greater confidence in making this shift that can be so beneficial physically, emotionally, socially and mentally for your horses. 

In my soon-to-be-released online course I have included several case studies showing different herd integrations with all sorts of different types of horses, including those that are under-socialized, miniature horses, show horses. I hope you feel inspired and encouraged by them (sign up below to get all the info about the course release)! 

 

In all of these case studies, several aspects were consistent and led to successful herd integrations, preserving relationship and supporting positive connections: 

 

  1. Well-regulated humans, meaning humans that are able to settle their systems, access their breathing to de-escalate themselves in stressful situations, ground their feet and bodies, be real about and work with their anxiety/fear, and generally find a state of calm and trust.
  2. Humans who can read and understand herd language and relationship cues. Sometimes an integration can look scary, when in fact normal horse behaviour is occurring, causing us to pull the plug and not continue forward. There will often be things to work through that we cannot control, and being able to read behaviour allows us to know when this is happening, and when the behaviour is entering a space of dysregulation and stress that requires an interruption. It will also let us be more in the flow of the process, understanding when the herd is ready for the next step or needs more time to settle and adjust.
  3. Well-regulated horses. Ideally a herd integration is boring and uneventful, and this is more so the case when at least one of the horses is well-socialized and has a good understanding of herd dynamics. This also requires you to have good observer skills and read behaviour to understand what connected and regulated looks like in your horses, and what stress looks like. If the horse you are introducing is not well socialized, your work will be to support them in learning basic social and settling skills through ground work, training and building more capacity for regulation through stress.
  4. Time. I have been guilty of herd integrations that were way way too rushed, very stressful and just generally not fun for anyone. I don’t do this anymore, now that I understand nervous systems and herd dynamics. Time is our friend. My colleague Elisse Miki has taken up to a month for an integration onto her track system, starting with the horse in an adjacent paddock and allowing the horses to get acquainted over a safe fence line and be able to take space or interact as they choose. Then the integration is done in small doses over a number of days with careful observation on the state of the herd and the newcomers. Time allows for baby steps and titration, giving their systems the opportunity to adjust.
  5. A well set up space. Be sure to eliminate any corners or places where a horse could become trapped. You may decide to shut the stalls temporarily, open more gates than usual and place panels in strategic places to support flow. Lots of forage available, including loose hay and possibly grass. I often thought that having a great big space for introductions would be best, but I’ve learned that this can provoke an escalated response because there is lots of room to run. Setting up a space that somewhat limits them getting up to speed, but doesn’t have any tight corners can be a good solution. 

Want to learn more? Sign up for our new comprehensive Build a Horse Track System (on the West Coast) online self study course.