On a forum I frequent we have a lively discussion on horse behaviour going. I have just written a piece following the question "So then what would they say the horse's first duty to itself is?"
Survival is of course the first duty of any organism. In fact survival of its' genes is maybe even more important, which results in altruism in some species (see http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/altruism-biological/ for a fascinating if tough read).
Further googling produced this paper on altruism in horses http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347200915252 So it would appear that for stallions altruism does not play a part in horse behaviour. Thus we are left with survival and the ability to pass on its' genes as the prime motivator in a horse.
An interesting question is then what behaviours are important in the horse in order to ensure its' survival. Pat gives them as "Safety, comfort, play, water, food". We then need to try and understand why these are selected and why in this order.
Safety is self explanatory. Without safety then the horse dies and does not reproduce.
The subsequent two items, comfort and play, I would argue are there to ensure safety.
Comfort for a horse is to be found in the company of others. Other horses preferentially but the horse is nearly unique as a prey animal in finding comfort with other species. Donkeys, alpacas, dogs and even humans (as long as the last two do not display predatory behaviour). Thus comfort implies a preference to being a member of a herd. Even non-breeding stallions form bachelor groups .
Play. In order to build and maintain relationships within the group play is used. This can include mutual grooming (friendly game) or any of the other games we learn about. Play will also be instrumental in determining ones place within the group and determine who will lead it. Thus play is important in order to become and remain a member of a herd, leading to comfort and ultimately safety.
Water and food I will lump into one category. They are well down the list as horses can go at least a day without water, and several days without food. They would not survive many hours in the wild without the herd however so the top three categories are much more important in their desire to survive and reproduce.
Survival is of course the first duty of any organism. In fact survival of its' genes is maybe even more important, which results in altruism in some species (see http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/altruism-biological/ for a fascinating if tough read).
Further googling produced this paper on altruism in horses http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347200915252 So it would appear that for stallions altruism does not play a part in horse behaviour. Thus we are left with survival and the ability to pass on its' genes as the prime motivator in a horse.
An interesting question is then what behaviours are important in the horse in order to ensure its' survival. Pat gives them as "Safety, comfort, play, water, food". We then need to try and understand why these are selected and why in this order.
Safety is self explanatory. Without safety then the horse dies and does not reproduce.
The subsequent two items, comfort and play, I would argue are there to ensure safety.
Comfort for a horse is to be found in the company of others. Other horses preferentially but the horse is nearly unique as a prey animal in finding comfort with other species. Donkeys, alpacas, dogs and even humans (as long as the last two do not display predatory behaviour). Thus comfort implies a preference to being a member of a herd. Even non-breeding stallions form bachelor groups .
Play. In order to build and maintain relationships within the group play is used. This can include mutual grooming (friendly game) or any of the other games we learn about. Play will also be instrumental in determining ones place within the group and determine who will lead it. Thus play is important in order to become and remain a member of a herd, leading to comfort and ultimately safety.
Water and food I will lump into one category. They are well down the list as horses can go at least a day without water, and several days without food. They would not survive many hours in the wild without the herd however so the top three categories are much more important in their desire to survive and reproduce.
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