Are Foals Born Early in the Year More Dominant?

Researchers found that older weanlings appear to be–and seem to stay–more dominant in the social hierarchy.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Early-born domestic foals might have a cool start in life, with chilly winds and even snow welcoming them into the world. But there appears to be a payoff for those rough few months: Researchers in the Czech Republic have determined that the season’s older weanlings become—and tend to stay—more dominant in the social hierarchy.

The team found that one of the most important factors in determining a domestic weanling’s dominance level was his age, said Martina Komárková, PhD, of the Institute of Animal Science’s Department of Ethology, in Prague-Uhríneves. They observed 66 Kladruber (a breed of Czech sport horse) mare and foal pairs in eight herds over two foaling and weaning seasons, and four of the resulting herds of foals when they were three years old.

Dominant mares can be more aggressive to the foals of lower-ranking mares, and they can even help their own foals win a conflict with another foal, Komárková said. Because foals are capable of learning from their mothers, it seemed logical that the foals would learn dominance from them, as well. However, at least in modern domestic settings, that does not appear to be the case, she said.

“This doesn’t mean that foals can’t learn hierarchy status in other (more natural) situations,” said Komárková. “Foals observe their mothers (and, in nature, their fathers, too), and they learn behavioral schemes which they apply later in life. In our study, we suggest that the early abrupt weaning may disrupt the learning process

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
327 votes · 327 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!