Do Horses Need Companions?

Sadly, one of the horses on my homestead passed away recently.

He was one of a bonded pair which did everything together, so the loss was very hard on his companion.

I immediately started looking into new companions for him, as I didn’t want him to be depressed.

I’d had them together for so long, though, that I actually wasn’t sure horses always needed companions.

Maybe he’d be happy to finally have the place to himself!

Nonetheless, I wasn’t sure, so I decided to look into it.

So, do horses need companions?

Horses are highly social creatures, and should be kept at least as a pair. In the wild, horses live in large herds, and form deep social bonds with other members of the herd. Naturally, then, domestic horses need this companionship too, and they need it through members of their own species.

Having one horse by itself is generally not advised, then.

They will be happier, feel safer, and will even form a rudimentary social ladder within their groups.

So, here, let’s look at the question in more detail, and whether horses could have other animals as companions.

Why do horses need companions?

All herd animals, indeed virtually all mammals, need some degree of contact with other animals at some point in their lives, whether its chronic and habitual or once or twice a year for mating.

Horses are extremely social herd animals, and in the wild, they can live in groups up of up to a dozen.

For this reason, they have highly complex social needs and a highly ordered emotional brain.

They need the companionship and the assurance of other members of their species.

In the wild, this has a few obvious, practical applications.

There is safety from predators in numbers, and many herd animals have realized this, too.

Furthermore, most horse herds in the wild consist of one, dominant male and 4-6 females, though sometimes, less dominant males can tag along.

These practical applications needed, then, to be backed up by highly developed social brains which could keep them intact.

Though the need for protection from predators and the right to choose a mate are lost in domestic horses, they obviously don’t just lose all the other needs that are associated with it.

They need the company and emotional mirroring of another horse, otherwise they will, in the most basic sense, become lonely.

But how many companions, exactly, does a horse need?

How many companions does a horse need?

Domestic horses are generally fine as a pair.

Though, as I said, their herds in the wild can be as many as a dozen strong, in general they’re smaller than this.

They’re usually 4-6 individual horses.

So, without the practical needs for females and protection from predators, you should generally be okay with just a pair of horses.

That said, as far as they’re concerned, the more the merrier; they will be happier in groups that mimic what they would do in the wild.

That said, you should be careful about who you’re mixing.

Two large, highly dominant males probably wouldn’t be a great option to mix together, though they may well get along.

A male and a group of females, or just females, is probably the best way to go.

Well trained horses are much better behaved than wild ones, of course, so if you’re confident they’ll play nice, two well-trained males would get on okay together.

Is it OK to have one horse?

Many people do only have a single horse, and don’t report any issues or problems with the horse as a result.

However, it’s difficult for the average person to diagnose psychological issues in a horse and, while that might sound silly, that is essentially what we’re talking about.

If your horse shows a lack of reaction to you or things, shows restlessness, calling or a loss of appetite, it could indicate that it’s lonely.

If you do keep your horse on its own, you should be very conscious of these signs.

Loneliness is a real problem and could even cause your horse to hurt itself out of frustration and discomfort.

Some horses might be okay on their own, but the general rule is that they do need companionship.

There’s little way of knowing that your horse is doing okay on its own, so the best practice is to assume otherwise.

What is a good companion animal for a horse?

All that said, your horse’s companion doesn’t have to be another horse.

Plenty of other animals make great companions. Smaller ponies, if you haven’t got the space for another horse, are a great option.

Donkeys, too, tend to get on very well with horses, as do mules.

Anything else and your horse may not feel that the animal is close enough to its own species.

Because, while horses do get on well with many other species like cows, dogs and sheep, they really thrive best on support from members of their own species.

So, however you figure out the best way of providing a companion for your horse, know that there is no good way of not providing a companion.

Horses are highly social creatures with complex emotional needs, and they need the stimulation of other members of their species.

Your horse will love and form a deep bond with you, its owner, and other people it sees, but you can’t be there all the time.

Don’t let your horse live alone.