Horse memory

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  • February 16, 2011 at 5:08 pm #42454
    Marshall
    Participant

    As most of you know last fall I bought an 8 year old haflinger mare. This saturday I am going to pick up her colt she had two years ago. They have been apart almost a year. The woman that had them said they didn’t like to be seperated. My question is will they remember each other. I would like to put them in a double tie stall but I don’t want to have problems. In the past with different horses they didn’t always get along in a double stall. Any thoughts?

    February 17, 2011 at 11:09 am #65765
    LStone
    Participant

    Based upon my experience with my gelding’s older brother comming to my place for a play date last summer and watching how they interacted. I would say yes. They seemed to at least have some kind of familiarity with eachother albeit over a fence. We teamed them together and had no issues just as they had been teamed before, maybe 4 years ago. My guy would have been a yearling at that time and his brother 4.

    As to whether or not they knew they were brothers? I am inclined to believe horses are not capable of that kind of rationality. There seems to be too much going on in the flight / fright department of the brain housing group to waste effort and energy on emotion. I am not a horsey head shrinker but certainly it can’t be anything like the emotional bond that is experienced with humans. Surely there are good mothers etc. but I tend to favor justification of instinct. Merely a familiar “similar” creature in the same pasture. Social support and potential help with protection against predatures if they are not threatened by eachother. Are we talking about a stud colt or gelding? You may be concerned about the wrong set of problems.

    February 17, 2011 at 12:12 pm #65766
    jac
    Participant

    Hi Marshall.. while I agree that brothers may not know they are related, I firmly believe the mare will know her son. The matron instinct will recognise him I think.. the colt on the other hand might see her for what she is and as LStone said it will bring other issues.. good luck with it anyway,…
    John

    February 17, 2011 at 1:26 pm #65763
    Marshall
    Participant

    He is a gelding. He had the procedure last spring sometime. I don’t really care if they don’t remember each other as mother and son. What I am hoping is they will remember that they like each other and one won’t pick on the other in the tie stall. We will find out.

    February 21, 2011 at 2:07 pm #65764
    Marshall
    Participant

    Well I was surprised. Not only did they recognize each other but it was like they were never seperated. She became protective when the other two tried pushing the little guy around. When I put them in the tie stall she kept watch to see were he was until I had him tied next to her. I think all will be well.

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