23/12/2025
Dominance is Dead. Dominance theory is so dead the original researcher who studied it has disowned it and wishes he never wrote about such a dramatic misunderstanding of animal social structure. See, studying a group of unrelated adult animals thrown together with species inappropriate lifestyle and inadequate resources is not going to show you how those animals coexist and socialize in a normal, healthy way. But rather, show you extreme social dysfunction.
We previously believed "Dominance" had to do with "Leadership", where there was a clear linear hierarchy in every social unit of leadership and decision making. Ethology has found, however, that "Dominance" is about "ownership" NOT Leadership! Dominance is a method social groups use to pre-determine WHO has priority access to which resources. This way, there is less in-fighting within a social unit, so as not to weaken the group against outside attack (predation or fighting).
So, when a resource is limited, let's say a bowl of food is dropped in the center of a herd of horses, there is a clear owner of the food. The other horses know they have already lost the fight before it needs to happen, the dominant horse will have priority access to it. However, if we change the resource, let's say shelter this time, a different horse may have priority access. Maybe the horse who is more sensitive to heat/cold puts more effort into defending their shelter space than they would a bowl of food. Maybe a horse with allergies to bugs will stand their ground for access to the shady spot, when they might not be so confident to fight for food or water. Dominance is about ownership, if a resource is limited, who owns it first?
In my herd of 3 Clydesdales, I put out new hay and queen Fable crashes in chasing away Dream, but she happily shares with her sister Wisp if there is enough. I need to spread out the hay to make sure Dream can get in on that action too. However, if it's just Dream and Wisp, Dream gets the hay first, but he usually shares with Wisp too, but he may push Wisp off for the first couple minutes while he is excited about it.
See how fluid it is? Ownership of a resource is only as valuable as the resource itself. If the resource is abundant, ownership doesn't really matter. If the 3 clydes were standing on acres of fresh grass, no one would care who got the hay first.
Dominance is as fluid as the resources, as the need of the individuals, and as the shape of the herd. A horse who is loved by their friends may get away with sharing a limited resource, when a horse who is not liked by their friends, may be pushed off even when the resources are plentiful. Maybe when 2 or 3 get together they can win out against the one who usually owns this hay pile? It changes based on need, cooperation, and social changes. It's NOT linear.
Dominance is about Priority Access to Resources, Ownership, NOT LEADERSHIP!
Of my 3 clydesdales, Fable is the queen, she shoves everyone off whatever resource she decides is her's right now. But you know what? No one likes her. Dream and Wisp hang out together away from her, only being friendly to her if she comes over nicely. They don't approach her, because she's kind of a jerk. When the 3 of them go out on an impromptu adventure around my neighborhood and I need to catch them and bring them home - if I catch Fable and bring her home first, the other two breath a sigh of relief and enjoy their time without her. If I bring Dream home first, Fable and Wispy go about their day without their annoying brother. But if I bring Wisp home, who is usually the lowest priority access to resources, the other 2 follow her. They love her. They both share their food with her even though they could chase her away easily, they both groom her, they both want to be with her. But she has no priority access to anything, she's never even tossed a hoof at any of them. She's sweet and often a little lame, and so kind. They don't follow the bully, they follow the horse that makes them feel safe and loved.
Dominance is about Ownership, not leadership. I keep saying this. What does dominance have to do with training? Not a gosh-darn thing!! It matter when we talk about managing our herds, we need to make sure our horses have adequate resources spread appropriately so that no one goes without, no resource becomes too prized, and the herd doesn't need to fight. However, it has nothing to do with training.
We humans, we already own everything. We make every decision. We decide when they eat, what they eat, how much they eat, where they eat, what they wear, where they go, who their friends are, when they get to be with their friends, when, where, and how they get to move. We make every single decision. We own everything. We are already queens of the farm. We don't need to further exercise this power over our horses. In fact, we need to do the opposite. We need to readily hand over the reins (pun intended) to our horses themselves. Allow them to make decisions when and where appropriate. So much is beyond their control, we need to give some autonomy and self-advocacy back to our horses. To build their confidence, to empower them.
If dominance has nothing to do with training, then why does dominance based training methods work? Because a consistent, predictable, reliable use of gentle R- and punishment works! It doesn't need to be romanticized as language or as some fantasy story about how horses socialize. R- is behavior modification and it works. It works to teach them what behaviors we want and don't want and when to do them and that we control their behavioral choices.
But so does R+. R+ is just as effective as R-, because they are equal learning quadrants, neither is better. Both equally modify behavior. Both can be done with tact, kindness and consistency that empowers the horse. Both could be used callously and coercively to manipulate and control the horse. But R+ can extend an extra degree of choice, consent, control, and autonomy that R- alone can't do. When done well, R+ can open doors we never had with R- alone. We no longer have to be trapped within an outdated fantasy story about how horses communicate, modern ethology has cleared that up for us. Thank you ethologists!
If you want to learn more about this here are additional resources.
https://www.susanlfriedmanphd.com/blog-archive/equine-behavior-and-training/
https://aaep.org/horsehealth/equine-behavior
https://equitationscience.com/position-statements
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/why-alpha-dog-training-is-outdated/
https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/dominance-debunked
https://cbtdogbehaviour.com/alpha-dominance-theory-fact-or-fiction
https://positively.com/dog-training/article/ethology-the-truth-about-dominance
https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/dominance-when-an-outdated-theory-wont-go-away
“Social Organization in the Horse (Equus caballus): A Review” Sue McDonnell (2003), Applied Animal Behaviour Science
“Dominance in Horses — Myths and Realities” Sarah L. King (2011), International Society for Equitation Science Conference Proceedings
“Stability of Social Relationships among Przewalski’s Horses (Equus ferus przewalskii)” Feh & Munkhtuya (2008), Animal Behaviour
Social Bonds and Friendships in Horses” Cameron, Setsaas & Linklater (2009), Proceedings of the Royal Society B
