What We Can Learn from Horse Herds About Team Leadership and Trust

Horse trainers are going to have their hands full over the next few weeks. Preakness Stakes follows quickly after the Kentucky Derby.

Is it possible that the Preakness Stakes live odds will be topped by the trainer who knows how to be the best mare? For decades, a key component of raising horses has been for the trainer to insert themselves as a leader in the horse hierarchy. Recently, that idea has been called into question.

Trainers, of course, lead horses, but within herd hierarchies’ leadership is rarely so rigidly fixed. Is it possible that horses could teach us something about ideal leadership dynamics?

The Alpha

Horse herds do develop hierarchical leadership systems that are topped by two “alphas”. If that sounds unpleasantly like the sort of language you’ve heard touted by a “men’s rights” activist on Reddit, you can relax. While the word “alpha” is associated with aggression in modern culture, it can just mean assertive. Competent. Capable as a leader.

Generally, the lead mare is an older female, chosen not for dominance but for wisdom. The way that she leads can be subtle.

The alpha or lead mare typically initiates what experts call “departure behavior.” She will move in the direction that she thinks is right for the herd, and other horses will follow. Research indicates that the role is not necessarily fixed. An interesting study conducted in Germany last year observed that multiple lead mares could initiate movements within the same herd over just a several-day period.

Male leadership—”alpha stallions”—on the other hand, is a little more fixed. The alpha stallion and the lead mare can work in the same group, but the stallion will generally attempt to herd other horses rather than lead them.

The complex social structures of horse herds demonstrate sophisticated communication systems that have evolved over thousands of years of their development as prey animals in open environments.

What Does Horse Leadership Accomplish?

Horses, in their leadership roles, act with the safety of the herd in mind. The male and the female typically work together, with the mare setting the pace and direction while the stallion keeps everyone together. Their coordinated efforts create a remarkably efficient system that ensures both protection and progress for the entire group.

The potential for different horses to slip into leadership roles throughout the day is an interesting component of herd hierarchy. Individual horses may temporarily assume responsibility based on their specific strengths or awareness of particular threats. It is difficult to imagine a Senate seat fluctuating throughout the year based on who is best prepared for the task at hand. Sometimes, it is hard to imagine competency as a criterion for modern human leadership at all.

The alpha stallion and lead mare also lead with a type of empathy that seems instinctual yet sophisticated. Together, they remain aware of all the horses in their herd, constantly scanning for signs of distress or unusual behavior. Subtle environmental shifts are important horses are prey animals. Baked into their equine brains is the natural understanding that the needs of one are intertwined with the needs of many.

The mare and stallion will constantly evaluate the status of the herd to take in “feedback” from other horses. Using this feedback, they adjust for safety.

Trust, Strength, and Common Goals

Trust, strength, and common goals: those are the secret ingredients to successful horse leadership. They are also three things that many human leadership environments lack. Within equine communities, these elements create a foundation of mutual respect that enables decisive action when needed.

Now, there are tons of valid reasons why herd dynamics couldn’t scale into a national government. A large herd might consist of 25 horses.

In that relatively small group environment, continuity of leadership is not as important as ensuring that immediate needs are being met. The fluidity of their system works precisely because of its intimate scale and immediate feedback loops.

On the other hand, more than 300 million people live in the United States. We elect leaders on fixed cycles—not based on situational occurrences. The complexity of human societies demands more structured transitions of power and established terms of service to maintain stability across vast populations with diverse needs.

And of course, horses strive for simpler things than favorable trade laws and global peace. They want food, water, and safety from predators. Simpler leadership dynamics are acceptable for facilitating simpler goals. Yet the elegance of their system lies in its effectiveness despite—or perhaps because of—its simplicity.

Still, there has to be a lesson in herd dynamics somewhere. Horse hierarchies are often described as “complex.” In reality, it seems our equine friends understand something simple that humans often fail to grasp there is strength in trust. There is value in empathy. There is much that can be accomplished through the honest and transparent pursuit of common goals.