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A matter of survival.
My arabian gelding (castrated last year and recovering from epm) attacked and killed an old mare. He kicked her in the jaw and bit her. The vet wouldn't come due to the distance. She dropped dead of a heart attack. Why did my male attack and hurt her so? She was very old and benign.
Rima, N.Y.
Hi,
I am very sorry to hear of your loss. Stallions in the wild will kill a foal that is deformed. This assures the herd that vital resources won't be wasted on a handicapped animal that would slow the herd down. To feel they have insured their own survival some horses will kill a weaker member of a herd who is on the way out anyway. That way their survival is more assured because there is more food available. It truely is all about feeling of safety, feelings that an individual will survive. It is natural behavior as vicious as it seems. It's all about survival.
Sincerely, Franklin