Boss Mare
Welcome back!
Several years ago my dear younger sister gave me a cap for Christmas. It was a denim color with Boss Mare across the front. I think there was just a little bit of attitude in the selection of this 
particular gift, but I have gotten the biggest kick out of wearing it over the past years.
Why? Because every time I wear it I think of some of the Boss Mares I have known in the past. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, it is the highest mare in the pecking order of the horse herd. A stallion will be the “boss” of the herd, but he leaves much of the direction and management up to the Boss Mare. She is usually in the lead as they travel and what she says goes!
Even in a small group of horses with just geldings and mares, there will usually be a boss mare that is either the most dominant member of the group or who attaches to the dominant gelding.
A few years ago we had a boss mare called P.K. She was dominant even as a younger horse, but by the time she was older she had every horse on the place convinced that she was in charge. She got the best feed, walked through the gate when she wanted, and the other horses cleared a path when she came by. Human logic would suggest that other horses would avoid P.K. in order to keep from getting in the way of her wrath, but horses know the value of the herd and having a strong leader.
One time we put her in the corral by herself and left the other horses loose in the pasture. After a day the outside group had still not gone out to graze. Through nickers and squeals from inside the pen, she had convinced them all to stay with her and I’m convinced that she threatened their lives if they even considered leaving. We couldn’t even drive those horses away from the corral when she was “talking” to them. They only left after we loaded P.K. in the trailer and took her away for a day of trail riding.
Anyway, I enjoy my “Boss Mare” cap and the best part is - Nobody questions me when I wear it!!
Technorati Tags: boss mare, horse behavior, mares, horses
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That is a great cap.
And I have met a couple of those boss mares over the years.
[Reply]
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
kaylee
http://www.thinkpadonline.info
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