Jealous Heart
By Dr. Ken Marlborough
Jealousy is defined as a “mixed emotion” because it is a combination of love and fear. One who is jealous is afraid he or she may lose the one they love. We all know people who have behaved in impulsive, desperate, even foolish ways out of jealousy. It is the stuff of love stories and TV soap operas. My mustang mare, India, exhibits instinctive horse behaviors that range from fear to dominance to affection. But do her “emotions” include jealousy? I think it’s grounds for speculation.
India reacts strongly with agitation and vocalizations if I walk another horse by her stall – even more so if I enter a nearby horse’s stall. She behaves nervously and whinnies constantly as if to say, “What are you doing? I’m scared you’re abandoning me!”
Horses are protective of the things they control or “possess.” The will guard their feeder or stall against intruders, chase away other horses for access to their water trough, and fight over would-be mates. A horse’s “jealousy” may stem from dominating behavior too. If a horse thinks he or she’s dominant over you they may try to keep you separated from other horses and chase them away. I’ve seen similar “Alpha” behavior from horses that were otherwise submissive and subordinate.
Teton, a four year old Morgan gelding I trained in Iowa was this way. When I entered the pasture he would face up, stay by me, and chase other horses away. Although this can be interpreted as herd loyalty, my mare, India, does the same when she is turned out with a group of horses that are very active and getting too close to me. And if you’ve ever seen two mares fight over a male horse they like, there are few better examples of jealousy and the eternal triangle.
My horse always gives me a warm greeting when I walk up to her pen. She whinnies and neighs as soon as she sees me, especially if I call her name. I get her customary greeting every day. If I am away and can’t see her for a day she greets me just as emphatically.
However, if I don’t visit the ranch for two days or longer, I will get no greeting at all. Unlike a dog who gets more excited the longer it is away from its master, a horse will pout like a spurned lover, as if to say, “Who do you think you are leaving me all alone for two whole days?” They’ll stand at a right angle to you and not approach with their usual eagerness. It really is a cold shoulder, as if they are correcting a horse for bad behavior and keeping them out of their group.
Getting back to the human condition, I once brought a gal I know to meet India. When we approached, India alerted, with head up and ears forward, as if she was watching a pack of coyotes, not a girl. I didn’t get my customary greeting that day but we did have her full attention.
We walked into India’s stall and her odd behavior continued. Usually after she greets me she faces up and tries to put her head into the halter. This time she didn’t, what’s more, she acted “clingy” like a little child that clings to their parents when meeting a stranger. India was all over me nuzzling me and placing her head on top of my shoulder. This is dominant horse behavior to be sure. I believe she was showing me just who she felt I belonged to!
A horse that rests their head on top of your head or shoulder is expressing control and superiority, they are acting like a stallion controlling and dominating a mare. India did it to me that day, though she had never done it before and otherwise is obedient and subordinate.
Some of the best horse trainers teach by mimicking dominant horse behavior. I think my horse was mimicking a jealous human and projecting her influence over me. If she was a human, she might have said, “Two’s company and three’s a crowd. I saw him first, he belongs to ME.” It may not be real jealousy or inter-species romance but it’s still nice to be wanted.