Anectotal but interesting: my horse is ”central” in its herd but not the most dominant and avoids altercations. While out hacking with the herd dominant, my horse prefers to walk second in line or just a few feet behind side by side, while the dominant insists on taking the lead - except in spooky areas. Here, he sends my horse forward, a role my horse is willing to take and almost seem to expect. Once the scary item is behind the group, the dominant quickly takes back the lead😊
That's an interesting observation! I hadn't noticed that myself. May be something worth exploring in future studies, especially as there is anecdotal evidence that ponies often seem to struggle to fit in with herds of bigger horses (I've experienced that with my own pony).
Yeah, hard to be small, although Haflingers and Dartmoors are also ponies, but much larger. Maybe it's temperament. Maybe Haflingers are bossy, Dartmoors suck up to them, and Shetlands are too smart to bother trying to socialize with those guys... Or maybe the way index is measured and calculated needs to be calibrated for size?
Very interesting and important text. Thank you!
Anectotal but interesting: my horse is ”central” in its herd but not the most dominant and avoids altercations. While out hacking with the herd dominant, my horse prefers to walk second in line or just a few feet behind side by side, while the dominant insists on taking the lead - except in spooky areas. Here, he sends my horse forward, a role my horse is willing to take and almost seem to expect. Once the scary item is behind the group, the dominant quickly takes back the lead😊
Lowest centrality indices are all Shetlands?!
That's an interesting observation! I hadn't noticed that myself. May be something worth exploring in future studies, especially as there is anecdotal evidence that ponies often seem to struggle to fit in with herds of bigger horses (I've experienced that with my own pony).
Yeah, hard to be small, although Haflingers and Dartmoors are also ponies, but much larger. Maybe it's temperament. Maybe Haflingers are bossy, Dartmoors suck up to them, and Shetlands are too smart to bother trying to socialize with those guys... Or maybe the way index is measured and calculated needs to be calibrated for size?