All the horses
All the Pretty Horses (2000)
- Cast & crew
- User reviews
- Trivia
IMDbPro
- 20002000
- PG-13PG-13
- 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Play trailer2
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26
1 Video
62 Photos
DramaRomanceWestern
Two Texas cowboys head to Mexico in search of work, but soon find themselves in trouble with the law after one of them falls in love with a wealthy rancher's daughter.Two Texas cowboys head to Mexico in search of work, but soon find themselves in trouble with the law after one of them falls in love with a wealthy rancher's daughter. Two Texas cowboys head to Mexico in search of work, but soon find themselves in trouble with the law after one of them falls in love with a wealthy rancher's daughter.
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
15K
YOUR RATING
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Cormac McCarthy(novel)
- Ted Tally(screenplay)
- Stars
- Matt Damon
- Penélope Cruz
- Henry Thomas
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Cormac McCarthy(novel)
- Ted Tally(screenplay)
- Stars
- Matt Damon
- Penélope Cruz
- Henry Thomas
- 195User reviews
- 82Critic reviews
- 55Metascore
- Awards
- 2 wins & 14 nominations
Videos1
Trailer 2:26
Watch All the Pretty Horses
Photos62
Top cast
Matt Damon
- John Grady Cole
Penélope Cruz
- Alejandra Villarreal
Henry Thomas
- Lacey Rawlins
Angelina Torres
- Luisa
- (as Angelina C. Torres)
J.D. Young
- Grandfather
Laura Poe
- Mother
Sam Shepard
- J.C. Franklin
Robert Patrick
Lucas Black
- Jimmy Blevins
Yvette Diaz
Imelda Colindres
- Girl's Mom
Augustin Solis
- Manuel
- (as Agustin Solis)
Rubén Blades
- Don Hector de la Rocha y Villarreal
Elizabeth Ibarra
Miriam Colon
- Doña Alfonsa
- (as Miriam Colón)
Lonnie Rodriguez
- Esteban
Raul Malo
- Singer
Fredrick Lopez
- Lieutenant
- (as Frederick Lopez)
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Cormac McCarthy(novel)
- Ted Tally(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
Lacey: Where'd you git this gun?
Jimmy: At the gittin' place.
- Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Cast Away/What Women Want/Finding Forrester/Traffic/All the Pretty Horses/Before Night Falls (2000)
User reviews195
Review
Featured review
10/
10
You ain't never been struck by lightning. You don't know what it's like.
I don't think I will ever understand the disappointing backlash against this film. What I witnessed was not your typical "western" film full of passionate love and implausible events. Instead, what I saw was beautifully captured images, powerful acting by Damon and Thomas, a story that twisted further down a darkened rabbit hole than I was expecting, and this challenging character study that gave us a brief insight to a world that will never be seen by our eyes again. This was not the romantic film that it was marketed as, this was not the adventure that it was marketed as, but instead it was the story of one character and the tribulations that effect him on his journey into the real world. It is the story of a very compassionate man that sees the honest darkness of those around him and must face the consequences of his actions. It showcases amazing acting that may be a bit disturbing for the unfamiliar eye, but to me was nothing short of brilliant. Billy Bob successfully adapted the story from the page, but it was not the film that he wanted. Miramax butchered this film in the marketing aspect, which ultimately hurt it overall. I will never understand why this did not receive the praise it should have, but will never be ashamed to bring it out for friends and family to enjoy. This film was like finding a dollar in the couch, an unexpected surprise that keeps a smile on your face the rest of the day.
I have read several reviews that just completely dismantle Damon's acting in this film. While his accent does fade in and out randomly, it is the way that he carries himself and reacts to the situations that unfold before him that really showcase the true acting ability of this star. While I do not think that Bennifer has made the best choices to challenge his career, Damon continually proves that he has the ability to be a force in Hollywood. This film alone proves it. He built this beautiful chemistry between him and Cruz that teetered on fear and sorrow. He showed his compassion towards Blevins and Lacey continually throughout the film showing that his idea of friendship was stronger than anyone expected. His strength and will shined brightly when he was ultimately faced with death. These are all moments where other actors would have cheapened it up and tried to fake the audience instead of showing the truth. I thought Damon showed us honesty, he showed us a part of him that I was not expecting. If you couldn't tell already, he really impressed me. But yet so did everyone else in this film. I honestly thought that the kid from Sling Blade, Lucas Black, would never work again, and I was skeptical of him in this film, but he was exceptional. He took us away from his character in Sling Blade and built a whole new name for himself. He took the challenges of this character and pushed them out of the television. The same can be said for Henry Thomas that continues to impress me with his ability to capture his moments and make them so real. Finally, Billy Bob did a great job of casting the rest of this film to bring the images and feelings of the time period to light. I could feel the dusty world of Texas and Mexico through the smaller characters that he cast.
Speaking of Billy Bob, could we not agree that these actors wouldn't have been half as good if it were not for the amazing direction behind the camera. I wish that I could have seen his version of the film instead of the choppy Miramax version. He has a very gifted eye, and while sometimes he takes roles that I think blur that eye, he always seems to rebound with a very riveting performance. He is constantly experimenting with genres and styles, and this film shows that he can break traditional boundaries. The images that he captured on film help create this darkness that surrounded our main characters. The scene with the thunderstorm I thought was beautiful, as was the rolling Mexican landscape. He places us into the film as more than just observers, and that is a sign of a great director.
Finally, I would like to pose the question of why Grady was so infatuated with Blevins? There were several moments during the film where he could have simply walked away from the boy, and Lacey even suggested it continually, but they always stayed with him. I realize that a main reason may be to develop the plot, but I think there was a more symbolic meaning. I feel that Damon connected with the boy because they had a kindred spirit. Damon was this passive, controlled character that never really understood himself until later on in the film, while Blevins was this wild-hair that never controlled himself or thought about his decisions. It was as if they were polar opposites, but yet they were perfectly matched. I think Damon liked him because it was what he aspired to be. I sometimes felt that the secondary characters were not real, and sometimes they were just imaginary images of what Damon wanted himself to be more like. This thought created a much darker picture for me that forced this film to go deeper into my mind and be more enjoyable than I thought.
Overall, I really liked this film. While others will definitely disagree, I thought that the acting, story, and especially the direction deserved more attention that what was handed to it.
Grade: ***** out of *****
helpful•83
18
- film-critic
- Mar 2, 2005
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Details
- Release date
- December 25, 2000 (United States)
- United States
- Miramax Films
- English
- Spanish
- Also known as
- Espíritu salvaje
- Filming locations
- Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
- Production companies
- Columbia Pictures
- Miramax
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- $57,000,000 (estimated)
- $15,540,353
- $1,304,971
- Dec 25, 2000
- $18,133,495
Technical specs
1 hour 56 minutes
- Dolby Digital
- SDDS
- DTS
- 2. 39 : 1
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Read the book “All about horses.
A Complete Guide to Proper Care, Feeding, Maintenance, Dressage" online in full📖 - Igor Skrypnik - MyBook.Foreword
Since time immemorial, a horse has been an indispensable helper and friend for man. The horse was required everywhere and everywhere: on the battlefield and on peaceful arable land, hunting and traveling. She was dressed in armor, harnessed to royal carriages and wretched peasant droshky; for the horse "they gave half the kingdom" (sometimes in the literal sense of the word).
The legendary horse of Alexander the Great - Bucephalus - was buried with royal honors, and the tyrant-emperor Caligula even made his favorite a member of the Roman Senate. The horse was the breadwinner of the poor and the pride of the powerful.
Until now, interest in the horse has not faded in the world, but at present, basically, "live horses have been replaced by steel cavalry." The equestrian business in Russia in recent years has had a particularly hard time - many stud farms have closed or vegetate in poverty, breeding work is in a deplorable state; hope only for enthusiasts, whose number is slowly but still growing over the years. First of all, these are athletes, as well as those who care about their health, the health of their children, and, finally, simply lovers of beauty.
Communication with a horse, especially for city dwellers, is primarily associated with riding. Images of horsemen were found on Persian engravings dated around 3000 BC. e. The charm and beneficial power of riding was conveyed by M. Yu. Lermontov: “I sat on horseback and galloped into the steppe; I love to ride a hot horse. Whatever grief may lie on the heart, whatever anxiety may torment the thought, everything will dissipate in a minute; the soul will become light, the fatigue of the body will overcome the anxiety of the mind. The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, in his invaluable work "Experiences", states: "I am reluctant to get off the horse, since I have sat on it, because I am healthy or sick, I feel best riding."
Horseback riding develops a good sense of balance in a person, improves coordination of movements. According to some scientists, equestrians do not suffer from pulmonary tuberculosis, because the microclimate of the stable, mobile work with horses, riding them help natural disinfection and ventilation of the lungs. In addition to a beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal and vestibular apparatus, riding helps to strengthen the neuropsychic state, reduces the risk of hypertension and myocardial infarction.
Therapeutic horse riding relieves many ailments - riding therapy (from the English ride - horseback riding), or hippotherapy (from the Greek hippos - horse). Riding therapy improves the posture of the rider, strengthens the back muscles, straightens the spinal column, which means that many types of curvature of the spine are corrected. Therapeutic horseback riding improves the well-being of those suffering from the effects of cerebral palsy.
“I think that no supercars will replace horses, just as no technology will replace wildlife. People will always need living beauty. ” These words belong to the Australian writer Alan Marshall. For him, horses became a source of sincere joy and a reliable means of transportation after suffering from polio in early childhood. The writer expressed his memories of this tragedy and his deep gratitude to the horse in the heartfelt story "I can jump over puddles."
Books about horses are always read with great interest, these noble animals look great on film and television screens. But neither the printed word nor film can replace communication with a live horse. A rare person, having once experienced the atmosphere of the stable, does not seek to return to horses, and almost every child at least once asks his parents to "let him ride a horse." Moreover, horseback riding is very diverse and exciting - it is work in the saddle, national games and competitions, horse testing at hippodromes, performances in the circus, runs, hikes, travels and, finally, work in various areas of the economy.
We invite the reader to plunge into the unique world of horses, get acquainted with the physiology and psychology of these wonderful animals, as well as learn the basics of training and the higher school of equestrian riding.
Peculiarities of horse psychology
Equine social behavior
In the animal kingdom, there are species that live individually, singly or, at most for a short time, in pairs. Other animals are completely social and live in communities with a pronounced social structure. Solitarily and socially living species can be close relatives. So, for example, foxes that live alone and wolves that gather in packs belong to the canine family. Or large cats standing very close in zoological systematics - lions and tigers; and if tigers live alone, then lions, the only ones of the cat family, on the contrary, form packs consisting of large families and consanguineous young animals. Many animals form pairs during the breeding season or raising young.
Odd-toed ungulates refer to animals living in communities that exhibit very different social behaviors under certain conditions. This is partly due to different environmental conditions, and partly due to different degrees of mental development of different species. It is believed that the ancestors of all equids 70 million years ago, when they had several fingers and lived in tropical forests, lived alone or in pairs and, in their behavior, in many ways resembled tapirs, the closest relatives of equids. Until now, with the exception of the breeding season, they live alone. If the social life of tapirs is limited only to relations during the breeding season and between mother and cub, and is relatively poor, then those animals whose families stayed together longer or who formed groups, and in extreme cases, herds, had to form a way of living together that provided unhindered coexistence. This way of living together with many options for permitted and unpermitted behavior, scientists called social relations.
It is impossible to fully appreciate the naturally nuanced social behavior of all equids living in communities in the case of domestic horses, since their freedom of movement is limited, as well as in the example of wild horses and free-living ponies, in whose herds one stallion. In horses living in stables, it weakens due to lack of social contacts. The need of horses for certain social relations is so strong that they sometimes do not take into account the significant differences in the size of animals, their breed, age and sex, and in extreme cases even species differences.
Arabian Thoroughbred
If we consider the relationship between mother and calf, then two horses already form a community with recognizable social behavior at certain moments. This primarily includes skin care, when both partners bite each other's body parts that are difficult for them to reach. For hair care, animals make pauses during grazing and half-sleep, lasting from several minutes to half an hour.
Animals seeking contact go obliquely to each other and show their intentions with a special expression of the muzzle (“mimicry during brushing”), which can be accepted by a partner with the same facial expressions or rejected. If the animals agree, they start at the mane and sides of the neck or the withers area, pulling the skin between the teeth, which creates the same effect as scratching with a comb. This game can take place with varying intensity, with especially thorough cleaning, you can hear the sound of chattering teeth, slightly muffled by the coat. Starting from the mane and withers, all the hair from the back to the tip of the tail is carefully combed, and the animals move slowly relative to each other until they are standing with their heads at the base of the tail. Then they walk around each other and work on the other side. Usually the animals bite each other in pairs, and rarely a third can join them for a short time.
Akhal-Teke breed
If necessary, combing of wool can be carried out even by a person. A person can, by accepting such an offer, reach the point that his compatriot will consider a horse. This desire, especially if it comes from strongly and rapidly biting horses, is technically feasible with great difficulty and is not always painless for a person. If you're trying to get a shy foal into the grooming game, then you should put on a thick old coat first, or you'll soon have to bring in a mare as a third partner. The foal must be placed in such a position that after a few pinches on your jacket sleeve, he will gradually switch to his mother. The mare is the foal's primary partner in skincare at first, so it quickly learns facial expressions and social skincare techniques.
Friendship and enmity
Horses living a natural life do not involve all compatriots equally in social skin care. Friendship and enmity, sympathies and antipathies appear in every herd community, which, like in humans, can arise quite unexpectedly; choose friends as partners. At first, the mother is the only partner, then animals of the same species are selected, and in colts, mutual biting often turns into ranked games. In older animals, grooming partners often do not change for years; mares prefer their daughters.
During estrus, social contact during grooming serves as a prelude to mating and sexual behavior for stallions and mares.
Relatively rarely, mutual biting is observed in stallions and their foals, which looks very touching in such courageous animals.
Budenovskaya breed
Two examples show how spontaneous friendship or enmity can arise between horses. They are described by Michael Schaeffer in his book The Language of Horses. One night, a foal was born in a free-living herd of Fjord horses in a pasture at about four o'clock in the morning. After the interest aroused by the appearance of a new member of the herd began to fade away, a filly about four months old remained near the happy young mother, despite all the threats, showing extreme interest in the newborn; and the mother mare had to come to terms with her presence. Although there were foals of the same age in the herd, the filly spent all the time near the newborn, only briefly leaving to suck milk from her mother, often grazing quite far away. Whether this was a manifestation of maternal instinct, like little girls playing with dolls, or simply the beginning of an ordinary childhood friendship, is unknown.
Read online “All about horses.
A complete guide to proper care, feeding, maintenance, dressage”, Igor Skripnik – LitResForeword
From time immemorial, a horse has been an indispensable helper and friend for a person. The horse was required everywhere and everywhere: on the battlefield and on peaceful arable land, hunting and traveling. She was dressed in armor, harnessed to royal carriages and wretched peasant droshky; for the horse "they gave half the kingdom" (sometimes in the literal sense of the word).
The legendary horse of Alexander the Great - Bucephalus - was buried with royal honors, and the tyrant-emperor Caligula even made his favorite a member of the Roman Senate. The horse was the breadwinner of the poor and the pride of the powerful.
Until now, interest in the horse has not faded in the world, but at present, basically, "live horses have been replaced by steel cavalry." The equestrian business in Russia in recent years has had a particularly hard time - many stud farms have closed or vegetate in poverty, breeding work is in a deplorable state; hope only for enthusiasts, whose number is slowly but still growing over the years. First of all, these are athletes, as well as those who care about their health, the health of their children, and, finally, simply lovers of beauty.
Communication with a horse, especially for city dwellers, is primarily associated with riding. Images of horsemen were found on Persian engravings dated around 3000 BC. e. The charm and beneficial power of riding was conveyed by M. Yu. Lermontov: “I sat on horseback and galloped into the steppe; I love to ride a hot horse. Whatever grief may lie on the heart, whatever anxiety may torment the thought, everything will dissipate in a minute; the soul will become light, the fatigue of the body will overcome the anxiety of the mind. The French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, in his invaluable work "Experiences", states: "I am reluctant to get off the horse, since I have sat on it, because I am healthy or sick, I feel best riding."
Horseback riding develops a good sense of balance in a person, improves coordination of movements. According to some scientists, equestrians do not suffer from pulmonary tuberculosis, because the microclimate of the stable, mobile work with horses, riding them help natural disinfection and ventilation of the lungs. In addition to a beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal and vestibular apparatus, riding helps to strengthen the neuropsychic state, reduces the risk of hypertension and myocardial infarction.
Therapeutic horse riding relieves many ailments - riding therapy (from the English ride - horseback riding), or hippotherapy (from the Greek hippos - horse). Riding therapy improves the posture of the rider, strengthens the back muscles, straightens the spinal column, which means that many types of curvature of the spine are corrected. Therapeutic horseback riding improves the well-being of those suffering from the effects of cerebral palsy.
“I think that no supercars will replace horses, just as no technology will replace wildlife. People will always need living beauty. ” These words belong to the Australian writer Alan Marshall. For him, horses became a source of sincere joy and a reliable means of transportation after suffering from polio in early childhood. The writer expressed his memories of this tragedy and his deep gratitude to the horse in the heartfelt story "I can jump over puddles."
Books about horses are always read with great interest, these noble animals look great on film and television screens. But neither the printed word nor film can replace communication with a live horse. A rare person, having once experienced the atmosphere of the stable, does not seek to return to horses, and almost every child at least once asks his parents to "let him ride a horse." Moreover, horseback riding is very diverse and exciting - it is work in the saddle, national games and competitions, horse testing at hippodromes, performances in the circus, runs, hikes, travels and, finally, work in various areas of the economy.
We invite the reader to plunge into the unique world of horses, get acquainted with the physiology and psychology of these wonderful animals, as well as learn the basics of training and the higher school of equestrian riding.
Peculiarities of the psychology of horses
Social behavior of horses
In the animal world there are species that live individually, alone or, at most for a short time, in pairs. Other animals are completely social and live in communities with a pronounced social structure. Solitarily and socially living species can be close relatives. So, for example, foxes that live alone and wolves that gather in packs belong to the canine family. Or large cats standing very close in zoological systematics - lions and tigers; and if tigers live alone, then lions, the only ones of the cat family, on the contrary, form packs consisting of large families and consanguineous young animals. Many animals form pairs during the breeding season or raising young.
Odd-toed ungulates refer to animals living in communities that exhibit very different social behaviors under certain conditions. This is partly due to different environmental conditions, and partly due to different degrees of mental development of different species. It is believed that the ancestors of all equids 70 million years ago, when they had several fingers and lived in tropical forests, lived alone or in pairs and, in their behavior, in many ways resembled tapirs, the closest relatives of equids. Until now, with the exception of the breeding season, they live alone. If the social life of tapirs is limited only to relations during the breeding season and between mother and cub, and is relatively poor, then those animals whose families stayed together longer or who formed groups, and in extreme cases, herds, had to form a way of living together that provided unhindered coexistence. This way of living together with many options for permitted and unpermitted behavior, scientists called social relations.
It is impossible to fully appreciate the naturally nuanced social behavior of all equids living in communities in the case of domestic horses, since their freedom of movement is limited, as well as in the example of wild horses and free-living ponies, in whose herds one stallion. In horses living in stables, it weakens due to lack of social contacts. The need of horses for certain social relations is so strong that they sometimes do not take into account the significant differences in the size of animals, their breed, age and sex, and in extreme cases even species differences.
Arabian Thoroughbred
If we consider the relationship between mother and calf, then two horses already form a community with recognizable social behavior at certain moments. This primarily includes skin care, when both partners bite each other's body parts that are difficult for them to reach. For hair care, animals make pauses during grazing and half-sleep, lasting from several minutes to half an hour.
Animals seeking contact go obliquely to each other and show their intentions with a special expression of the muzzle (“mimicry during brushing”), which can be accepted by a partner with the same facial expressions or rejected. If the animals agree, they start at the mane and sides of the neck or the withers area, pulling the skin between the teeth, which creates the same effect as scratching with a comb. This game can take place with varying intensity, with especially thorough cleaning, you can hear the sound of chattering teeth, slightly muffled by the coat. Starting from the mane and withers, all the hair from the back to the tip of the tail is carefully combed, and the animals move slowly relative to each other until they are standing with their heads at the base of the tail. Then they walk around each other and work on the other side. Usually the animals bite each other in pairs, and rarely a third can join them for a short time.
Akhal-Teke breed
If necessary, combing of wool can be carried out even by a person. A person can, by accepting such an offer, reach the point that his compatriot will consider a horse. This desire, especially if it comes from strongly and rapidly biting horses, is technically feasible with great difficulty and is not always painless for a person. If you're trying to get a shy foal into the grooming game, then you should put on a thick old coat first, or you'll soon have to bring in a mare as a third partner. The foal must be placed in such a position that after a few pinches on your jacket sleeve, he will gradually switch to his mother. The mare is the foal's primary partner in skincare at first, so it quickly learns facial expressions and social skincare techniques.
Friendship and enmity
Horses living a natural life do not involve all compatriots equally in social skin care. Friendship and enmity, sympathies and antipathies appear in every herd community, which, like in humans, can arise quite unexpectedly; choose friends as partners. At first, the mother is the only partner, then animals of the same species are selected, and in colts, mutual biting often turns into ranked games. In older animals, grooming partners often do not change for years; mares prefer their daughters.
During estrus, social contact during grooming serves as a prelude to mating and sexual behavior for stallions and mares.
Relatively rarely, mutual biting is observed in stallions and their foals, which looks very touching in such courageous animals.
Budenovskaya breed
Two examples show how spontaneous friendship or enmity can arise between horses. They are described by Michael Schaeffer in his book The Language of Horses. One night, a foal was born in a free-living herd of Fjord horses in a pasture at about four o'clock in the morning. After the interest aroused by the appearance of a new member of the herd began to fade away, a filly about four months old remained near the happy young mother, despite all the threats, showing extreme interest in the newborn; and the mother mare had to come to terms with her presence. Although there were foals of the same age in the herd, the filly spent all the time near the newborn, only briefly leaving to suck milk from her mother, often grazing quite far away. Whether this was a manifestation of maternal instinct, like little girls playing with dolls, or simply the beginning of an ordinary childhood friendship, is unknown.
Even more unexpectedly, a feud arose among the horses, which lasted more than two years, between one "warm-blooded" and one trotting mare, Schaeffer writes. One day, three-year-old Aisha rushed for no reason at all to a trotting mare who had just arrived in the herd. When other animals tried to approach the newcomer, they were subjected to a brutal attack from Aisha, until she managed to ensure that the newcomer was left alone to stand aside. When the mare Clara some time later, and then the other members of the herd, already began to pay attention to the newcomer, and she could freely be among other horses, then many times a day one could observe how her sworn enemy Aisha suddenly suddenly realized that she must expel “alien”, began to look for the defeated animal in order to isolate it again with a furious attack. With the passage of time, the trotting mare, which initially stood at a rather low level in the hierarchy, rose significantly, but did not reach the level of the younger Aisha, who later never missed the opportunity to bite or hit her enemy.
Friendships among horses usually arise between "like-minded", or, in other words, between animals with similar temperament, movement needs and character. So, four colts of the same age, described by Schaeffer, instantly formed two distinct play unions in twos. Moreover, the Arabian foal, more thoroughbred, instantly chose another “warm-blooded” foal as a comrade, and the stronger Arabian haflinger preferred a simpler, more comfortable company. This grouping persisted until the sale, after which the foals left without a partner were forced to play together for the first time.
Vladimir heavyweight
Don breed
How important herd associations are for a good mental state of a horse is well known to experienced breeders. There is a similar trend in thoroughbred horse breeding, therefore, in the herds of young horses, they try not to allow an odd number of animals. As experience shows, a foal left without a mate lags behind in development, although it is in the same conditions and does not need anything from the physical side. In this case, this is a vivid example of the lack of "spiritual" communication.
Hierarchy
Despite mutual skin care and friendships that usually arise, even in a small forced community of two horses, a hierarchy is very quickly formed when one animal is subordinate to another. The subordinate always enters the stall or approaches the feeder last. If you do not know how relations actually develop, then you might think that life in nature is better, more beautiful and fairer than in human society with its foundations, privileged and unprivileged strata. There is no equality in nature, therefore our socio-political slogans about equality of opportunities for everyone and everyone are fundamentally unnatural, no matter how attractive ideas they are based on.
There is no equality in the animal community. On the contrary, all species living in communities have a well-defined hierarchy, which is strictly maintained. Such a clear order gives individuals at the lowest position in the hierarchy (and they are not at all depressed and unhappy) a sense of security, since their place in the herd is clearly defined, they know what they should and what they are allowed to do. Therefore, it is wrong and absolutely not conducive to maintaining peace in the horse community - to give preference to horses standing on the lower levels of the hierarchy. A person, based on his ideas, gives tidbits first of all to the youngest or smallest.
A grazing herd of horses remains a peaceful community as long as the hierarchical relationship between its members is clearly established. If you place a new animal there and leave everything as it is, the fiercest ranking struggle will immediately begin, which will stop only when all the animals take a certain place in the hierarchy. Each animal sorts things out with each until (and this happens quite quickly) the strongest one is revealed. This is not always the most powerful and physically strong animal, sometimes simply surpassing the rest in temperament and reactivity. And starting from it, a new hierarchy is formed. This sometimes quite fierce struggle can last for several days, after which the most ambitious and fighting horses form the “ruling elite”. More weak-willed animals easily recognize the dominant mare and the animals following her in position in the hierarchy and determine the further rank order among themselves. Some time later, one can again observe a calmly grazing herd, where fights occur in exceptional cases.
Oryol trotter
In nature, it also happens that in the process of ranking struggle, several animals unfamiliar to each other are forced to stay together longer than for a short period of gathering when other laws are in effect.
In a family organization of society, wild equids and domestic horses of the same breed or type normally have a sex hierarchy - stallions are higher than geldings, then there are mares that dominate depending on size, weight and age. The older have precedence over the younger, a right on which the most zealous try to insist as long as possible. Michael Schaeffer writes that he almost felt sorry for certain horses when some old, hitherto high-ranking mare tries to get to the passage in the fence as quickly as possible in order to be the first to go to the pasture.
Although unfamiliar animals establish a hierarchy, but if the opponents are relatively equal in strength, then frequent clashes are inevitable. In zoos, when, for example, a new zebra is placed in a neighboring enclosure, the animals sniff each other through the net, look around and get used to each other. So it is with horses: they are first placed in adjacent paddocks next to each other. It is always beneficial when neighbors like each other, and later the ranking struggle between them is only symbolic, although one animal gains an advantage. Unfortunately, sometimes the opposite is true. Horses initially cannot stand each other and spend all their time teaching each other a lesson.
The superiority of one horse over others is expressed in the fact that it can threaten others with impunity, takes the best place at the feeder and is the first to choose a place to sleep. From her position, she jealously observes everyone, and any mistake of an animal standing in the hierarchy at a lower level, if it is not enough just a warning (threateningly pressed ears, sometimes set apart, and rotational movements of the tail) from the superior animal, is punished with bites or even hind leg kicks. Equality is out of the question. The respect for the superior horse is very great. When, for example, the dominant mare stops in the passage leading to the pasture, then other animals cannot pass her, even if they are driven from behind with a whip. With rash human behavior in such situations, it can easily lead to injuries: horses occupying a higher position in the hierarchy begin to kick during the stampede in order to maintain individual distance. Even during the daily pasture to pasture, strong individuals rush forward at a gallop. In a long-standing community, the older animals make up the top, the younger ones easily overtake them, but they risk performing such a maneuver only at a sufficiently large distance. Experienced breeders of racehorses are very eager to buy such yearlings, as they, due to their activity, strength and strong nervous system, will try to occupy the highest possible position in their herd, and then such animals most often become good racehorses.
The social balance in an already established herd can be disturbed not only by the introduction of a new member of the community. The new horse will be frightened and insecure in a strange environment for a day or two, and then will begin to fight for a corresponding position in the hierarchy or unconditionally take a lower position in the new community. Young horses from time to time forcefully achieve a change in the existing situation, first of all the covered and foaled mares, who, rising in the hierarchy, are nevertheless forced to take their place among the old animals.
The social position of the horse within the herd community is determined not only by the environment; it is influenced by mental characteristics that are inherited. It is interesting that the offspring of horses occupying a high position in the hierarchy subsequently also occupy a high position, and the offspring of horses standing at lower levels in the hierarchy, as a rule, remain subordinate. The qualities of character necessary for a mare to occupy a high position (activity and even aggressiveness) are inherited, as well as conformation features, and later appear in foals.
Also included is the environmental fact (which makes one wonder) that a suckling foal occupies almost the same position in the hierarchy as its mother. This means that each member of the herd respects the foals of high-ranking mares in almost the same way as their mothers, so they can afford to be bold, because in case of danger they are under the protection of the authority of the mother. Such cubs grow up with a much greater sense of confidence than foals of weaker mares, who find it much more difficult (not due to physical factors, but psychological reasons) to achieve a higher rank than after birth.
Equality of opportunity does not always exist in nature. Natural foals are not separated from their mothers at the age of four to six months, as in most stud farms. Their close contact with the mother is interrupted only after the birth of a new offspring, and the rank-dependent behavior of the mare affects their own behavior for a rather long time.
If a person wants to safely communicate with horses, then he should take the place of the animal that stands highest in the hierarchy. Depending on the situation, he will have to perform the functions of a dominant mare or herd stallion. If the owner or breeder of horses is not able to really consistently fulfill the role of leader (and this is by no means done with the help of brute force!), Then he remains to rely completely on his animals and, with rare exceptions, be afraid, since a harmless indication to a person from a horse high in the hierarchy can, under certain circumstances, have dire consequences.
Horse families
All mares obey the stallion unconditionally, and his mere appearance is enough to restore peace between the fighting mares. This feature of behavior, known to most horse lovers, is used when free keeping of hardy pony mares together with one stallion, which is well suited for our conditions.
According to scientists, two types of social organization are distinguished among equids found today. In both, the basis is the territoriality of one dominant stallion, while he marks a more or less vast territory on which he has all the rights and the boundaries of which he strictly protects from his neighbors.