Lonely Pregnant Mare

by Hester
(Mozambique)

I know very little about horses. I have had my first horse now for 3 weeks. I live in a remote area - do not have much advice close by. My horse came from a riding school. She was very obedient for the first week and a half doing anything I asked. We went riding out on the farm etc. My horse became gradually more scared. She twice frightfully jumped and turned around today when I tried to take her out of the camp. There was a big truck trailer standing close by that was not there previously. She would get a fright and then put her nose against me for comfort. Could it be that she is lonely - no other horses - I spend 2 hours with her each day or because she is pregnant? - due in 6 months. She is even frightened by distant sounds.




Hi Hester,

At least you have access to the internet which is a wealth of information! And your intuition is correct she is feeling very venerable being alone especially because she is pregnant. All horses need another horse to feel safe because they are a herd animal counting on each other for security plus in her present state she would want the safety of a herd more than ever. Horses are also very social animals and isolation from their own kind is not a natural situation.

I know that spending 2 hours a day sounds like quite a bit for us humans but then there is the other 22 hours left in a day she is alone. So in her reality she is 92% alone and only 8% with company. Unlike us human who will seek to have "time alone, or privacy", horse will not ever do or want this.


Three weeks is not enough time for a horse to get used to their new living environment (or a new guardian). It usually takes months in total. Often what happens is horses are brought home, they are great for a very short time and then they show their true emotional disposition! The new guardian is different too in many ways than what the horse is used to and thus communication starts to diminish. We must keep in mind that they are not a machine where we can assume that if we just put gas in the engine it will work perfectly every day. In the end, horses are very sensitive creatures with emotional states that change while trying to adapt to their environment.

Since I do not know the age of this horse, her physical condition or if this is her first or fifth pregnancy and because she is going into the latter part of her term, cautionary measures should be considered regarding riding, diet, the amount of exercise and most of all limiting stress. Please consult with a veterinarian for all her physical needs.

Keep in touch and let us know when the baby arrives!

Elaine Polny