10/23/2023
I have to euthanize my 32 year old best friend Breezy in July..my heart is still broken 💔
Do horses have emotions? If I would ask that question out loud, my volunteers would look at me like I needed a mental health check. Not only are their emotions raw and obvious but if you get tuned in, as our most avid volunteers do, the horses will not only tell you how they are feeling, but they will also tell you how YOU are feeling. Is your energy too high? Are you anxious? Are you calm and unthreatening.
We have been watching these two horses in this photo for weeks now as Carson follows Dante's band around and seems to be quite smitten with Dante and Willie's mare Guinevere. Even though Carson has a band of his own, with 7 lovely mares, he can't seem to keep his eyes off Guinevere. She encourages him with little flirtations. Dante and Willie seem to understand as they too are attracted to this pretty lady and they for some reason permit Carson to get close and sometimes even breed her. The three stallions were band brothers and raised together in Shorty's band. It is strongly suspected that Carson is Wee Willie's biological sire. They both are small but have beautiful well balanced conformation and if you ask the mares they will tell you that both Carson and Wee Willie have s*x appeal.
Over the past 11 years of observing these wild horses of the Fish Springs range we have seen every emotion imaginable. We watched extreme sadness and mourning as Rogue lost the mare Reba and he stood over her body for three days in extreme heat with his band as they mourned the loss of the bare they loved.
We watched sadness and sympathy when Blue lost his band and the bachelors stood with him to comfort him. Each standing quiet in a row surrounding him in solidarity for hours.
We watched pure Joy as we watched the filly Chelsea Ann run and buck in large circles around her family for no other reason than the light rain felt good on her and she insisted on all the other horses to join in the play.
We felt nervous concern as a foal was born and the mother didn't claim her so other mares all fought over her for two days until we could get close enough to get to her. The band stallions each supporting the effort of their mares.
We felt dramatic fear and concern as the BLM trapped 18 of our horses as they escaped the deep winter snow and came onto the plowed roads. Bodie chased Joan for the longest time to prevent her from getting to the trap as she watched her parents and the band she was born and the band members she was a member of get loaded into trailers. She cried as she watched Blondie's band and Blaze get pushed by BLM representatives. Once they were all in and being hauled away for forever, Bodie screamed in emotional pain and chased the trailers for over a mile down the dirt road as he called to them over and over. He returned to that same place with Joan every day for many many days mourning the loss of his friend Blaze and hoping he would return.
There was a love story between the band stallion Old Socks and his lead mare Old Momma. You could feel the connection similar to Blue and Lady, Mystique and Treasure and Jake and Wilma. Old Momma was stolen from Old Socks but escaped several days later and returned to him. They had a beautiful connection. But as the years went on and Old socks aged, Samson stole his band and Old Momma. Old Momma was very close to the band members, her daughter Apple and the foals in the band she helped to raise. She was torn between her love for her family and her love for Old Socks. Old Socks would follow the band from a distance and watch her for days. One day I saw her turn toward him and send him a sweet affectionate low nicker. He nickered back to her. I could tell they were saying "I love you." Samson heard the nicker and quickly pinned his ears and snaked his neck to put her in the middle of the band. She was torn but would not have left her family.
The stories go on and on in all our memories as we agree that horses feel real emotion, just like humans. All the volunteers have memories and stories to tell and all of us get tears in our eyes as we tell them.
Do horses feel real emotions? There is no doubt in my mind. What do you think?
