The lead stallion watches over his band of mares and their foals. He alerts them to danger and runs off potential rival stallions. He breeds with the mares and when young horse colts are old enough he turns them out of the band to form their own group. These young stallions will eventually find mares of their own or steal some of the main band to start their own. Some may also challenge the lead stallion for rights to the band and from there, it is survival of the fittest.
In a wild herd of horses, there will be a lead stallion who breeds the mares, plenty of mares and foals make a herd and it's stallion look powerful, when a male foal gets to old or strong it will be either driven away or take of the role as lead stallion.
Contrary to popular myth, the stallion is not the leader of a herd, but defends and protects the herd from predators and other stallions. The leadership role 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. She also determines the route the herd takes when fleeing from 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. When the herd is at rest, all members share the responsibility of keeping watch for danger. The stallion usually is on the edge of the group, to defend the herd if needed.
A male horse used for breeding is known as a stallion. Stallions are selected based on their pedigree, conformation, and performance to pass on desirable traits to their offspring. They play a key role in continuing and improving the breed.
Simple answer, they don't. Every herd has a lead mare who is the actual leader of the herd. She decides when the herd should move and where to. She's also the first to graze and the first to drink from a watering hole. When the herd participates in mutual grooming, she will either groom with the stallion or her foal. The stallion's role is to breed and to protect the herd from rival stallions or predators. When the herd moves, he can be seen at the very back spurring on the slow ones and making sure no one falls behind. I've heard from somewhere that if the herd is running away and a foal can't keep up and the mother slows down with it, the stallion will actually kill the foal to get the mare moving (Sounds harsh, but it makes sense in the wild) If a stallion actually leads a herd while running, he will probably lose it very quickly as mares decide to stop following him.
In a herd the stallion will protect the mares and foals from any danger. (other horses and preditors) The stallion will either fight the intrudor or call out to the mares and they will run from the danger. in the wild a stallion will usually wait 2 hours after the foal is born. if the foal is not up and walking within that two hour period the stallion will usually kill the foal. He does not want to put his herd in danger by having a sick or slow foal slow down the herd. And he doesn't want it to suffer by being attacked by a different animal.
In the movie, 'The Spirit' the main protagonist, a young stallion whose role is to keep his herd safe. Unfortunately, humans have come to invade the western part of America in the Indian Wars. In the end, the stallion overcame the humans and returned to his family.
In most cases, the father of a foal does not play a role in raising or caring for the foal. The responsibility of caring for and raising the foal falls mainly on the mother (mare). The stallion typically continues with his normal activities within the herd or separately.
Horses, no matter where they live or what breed they are, their social structure almost never varies. In the wild there will be one stallion per herd. His role is to breed the mares and run off other stallions. The rest of the herd consists of mares and their young offspring. The herd is run by one 'alpha mare'. After her is the regular pecking order of most dominant to least dominant. Once the male foals called colts, turn 1 year they are run off usually by the alpha mare and the lone stallion. This is natures way of avoiding inbreeding. Horses are big on body talk. Every ear flick, eye roll, tail swish, cocked hoof and 'squeal and spin' speaks volumes to any nearby horses. It all means something to them. And it works pretty good. Death by fighting within the herd is rare. To bad people can't say the same.
the role of the male horse is to gaurde the foal/filly while the mom is out
Stallions may show protective behavior towards their young, but they typically do not play a direct caregiving role in raising them. In the wild, foals are usually cared for by their mothers and the herd as a whole. Stallions might provide leadership, protection, and discipline within the herd to ensure the safety and well-being of the young.
a role-play game horse
The foal's mother is called its dam and its father is its sire. Although an adult male horse in general is called a stallion. The mother is still a mare. If she was under four years old before she gave birth, she will now be called a mare even though she is still young enough to be considered a filly. During her pregnancy she is said to be 'in foal' and after the foal is born she is nursing or has a foal at foot. A mare that is constantly used for breeding (usually covered again on her first heat after foaling) is called a broodmare. She'll revert to simply being called a mare however after the lead stallion chases off the colts (the male foals at age 4) and the fillies when they're at a particular age.