What horses need and their natural behaviour

Although horses and ponies have been domesticated, their needs are very similar to when they were wild. They have been evolving for over 55 million years and have only been domesticated for the last 4,000 to 6,000 years. In evolutionary terms, this is quite a short time so domesticated horses still have many of the traits that their wild ancestors had.  

By understanding how horses would behave naturally, you can make sure your horse is as happy and healthy as possible in your care.

Why is it important to meet your horse’s basic needs?

By law, all horse owners and keepers must make sure their horses are cared for and their essential needs are met. But it can also support their mental and physical wellbeing. When your horse’s needs are met, they’ll feel more comfortable when approaching training or new situations.

What are the basic behavioural needs?

There are five basic areas that horse’s need to meet for their physical and mental wellbeing. These needs are often referred to as the five domains model.

• Health
• Environment
• Socialisation
• Nutrition
• Mental state (how your horse is feeling and their response to their situation)

It's essential to include all of these in your horse’s daily management.

Health

Its important horses are given routine health care (such as a vet or a farrier) when needed. This will ensure that your horse has the correct care and treatment to live a happy and healthy life.

Poor physical health can have an impact on their mental wellbeing. Carrying out daily health checks can help you to spot any abnormalities. You should check their:

• skin and coat
• eyes
• nose
• legs and feet
• appetite and thirst
• droppings and urine
• behaviour (are they behaving differently than usual?)

If you notice anything you’re unsure about, it’s a good idea to contact your vet for advice.

More on daily health checks

Environment

Having the right environment can affect your horse’s mental and physical wellbeing. In the past, horses would have roamed many miles across open land. To this day, the freedom to move, graze and interact with other horses is still essential. It’s important to give your horse plenty of turnout on a grazing system that encourages them to move and graze as much as possible.

When horses are not given the freedom or space to move for too long, they can suffer from rebound behaviours. This is when, after a period with little or no movement, they will show flighty behaviours (such as cantering, bucking and rearing) when they can move again.  

The right environment will also let your horse socialise with their companions. Group housing (such as a barn or outdoor shelter) allows horses to be kept in a large space together. Because of this, they can perform social activities, such as eating, drinking and grooming together, just like they’d do in the wild.

More on your horse’s environment

Socialisation

Horses are very social animals. Being around their kind is important as they are prey animals and need other horses nearby to feel secure. In the wild, horses would live in family groups where they eat, sleep and interact with each other.

Domesticated horses that are kept on their own in confinement have been shown to have higher cortisol levels (a hormone that is produced when stressed). Studies have shown that stables where horses can see through and touch noses showed lower levels of the stress hormone. Areas where they can socialise, touch and perform acts like mutual grooming will help horses feel more at ease.

If your horse needs to be confined to a small area (eg because they’re injured), a companion horse nearby can help them to feel more secure.

Food and nutrition

In the wild, horses would graze for 14 to 18 hours a day. It's important that you feed your horse a high-fibre, low-sugar diet (such as hay, herbs and grasses), similar to how they would eat naturally. This diet gives your horse the nutrients they need and satisfies their need to forage.

Gastric acid is constantly being produced and secreted into their stomachs, so if they go for too long without food this can cause ulcers in their stomach. Make sure to feed your horse little and often. They should also always have access to clean, fresh water.

More on feeding and watering your horse

Other things to consider for your horse

How horses sleep

Adult horses and ponies require between two to five hours of sleep a day.  

• Slow wave sleep (dozing) can be done standing up or lying down
• REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, where they lie completely flat, only requires 30 minutes. This is taken in small doses over a 24 hour period.  

As a prey animal, sleep can leave horses vulnerable when lying down because they can’t run away as quickly. Horses always prefer to have at least one lookout horse watching for threats. Horses that cannot get full REM sleep can suffer from sleep deprivation so having those lookouts is vital for horses.  

How horses exercise

Horses need to move for their mental and physical wellbeing. In the wild, horses would travel up to 30km a day to find grass and water. This gives them the nutrients they need, and helps to prevent obesity. Because of this, eating and moving goes hand in hand.

Horses also run and play with their other herd members. Females normally play from when they are a foal until they reach maturity, but males usually play throughout their lives. Making sure they have opportunity to display these behaviours is important for socialising, developing and learning.

More on exercise for horses

Enrichment for horses

The right environment for your horse includes different areas of enrichment. This could be:

• different herbs for them to smell
• objects they can scratch on
• wood to chew on – bark makes up to 10 per cent of their foraging diet
• having different terrains to investigate
• safe, new objects can be great for them to explore and learn about

More on enrichment for horses