

There is usually one dominant mature stallion for every mixed-sex herd of horses.

The stallion is usually on the edge of the group, to defend the herd if needed. When the herd is at rest, all members share the responsibility of keeping watch for danger. When the herd is in motion, the dominant stallion herds the straggling members closer to the group and acts as a "rear guard" between the herd and a potential source of danger. She also determines the route the herd takes when fleeing from danger. The leadership role in a herd is held by a mare, known colloquially as the "lead mare" or "boss mare." The mare determines the movement of the herd as it travels to obtain food, water, and shelter. Even with a band of mares, the stallion is not the leader of a herd but defends and protects the herd from predators and other stallions. Being social animals, stallions who are not able to find or win a harem of mares usually band together in stallions-only "bachelor" groups which are composed of stallions of all ages. Nor, in natural settings, do they fight each other to the death in competition for mares. Continued abuse of our services will cause your IP address to be blocked indefinitely.Contrary to popular myths, many stallions do not live with a harem of mares. Please fill out the CAPTCHA below and then click the button to indicate that you agree to these terms. If you wish to be unblocked, you must agree that you will take immediate steps to rectify this issue. If you do not understand what is causing this behavior, please contact us here.

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