‘Till death do us part
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TRUDI DEMPSEY is an IAABC and ABTC certified equine behaviour consultant and contributor to online equine course platform understandhorses.com
“Each horse will react differently, and some will not show outward signs of struggling with the loss of a companion”
AS HUMANS, WE feel loss deeply, whether that is losing someone we love or an animal, but how do horses cope with being separated from a companion or witnessing the death of a herd member? A good place to start is looking at how horses cope with death in their natural environment, without human restrictions.
“It appears that horses may spend some time processing the loss of a herd member, but the rhythm of life continues fairly quickly, and the need to keep safe from predators in the wild would ensure this,” explains equine behaviour consultant Trudi Dempsey. “The study of a feral mare being urged to leave her dying foal by the lead stallion does not make comfortable reading,
