Generally, horses are herd animals by instinct and evolution. Being part of a group provided protection and companionship to them in the wild. Like humans, however, modern horses each have their own unique personalities and quirks. Given human intervention and management practices imposed, herding is less critical for survival. Some horses choose not to closely associate with other horses, and some are quite tied to others socially. While we can make observations about how horses cope, it is difficult to assess mental health of an animal since they cannot verbalize.

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