Society Defined (Through Horses)

For the rare occasion when I am not traveling, I have a summer job at a horse camp, working as a wrangler. It’s crazy how you can learn so much about life through watching the interactions of horses. In this post, I will be breaking down the complex truths of human interactions through the interactions of horses in a herd.

The first thing you need to understand about horses is that every herd abides by a common rule known as the “pecking order”. However, horses are not the only ones that have a pecking order. Any animals that travel in herds must also abide by this order if they wish to avoid chaos. Even humans have a pecking order. Allow me to sum up the pecking order in one picture.

This is a prime example of society among horses. The bigger horse in the front is putting the two young “bucks” in their place.

A herd of horses is comparable to a public school. You have your jocks (the top dogs that call the shots), your Average Joes (the ones who enjoy learning and want to do well in school), your bullies (the ones that use others to get ahead), and of course the kids that keep the bullies in business (overall they’re too compliant).

I’ll break this down in sections so the concepts are easier to grasp.

The jocks: they tend to shy away from authority. They like doing things their own way, and while they can take instruction, they prefer situations in which they are in control. Jocks never pass up an opportunity to show-out and let everyone know who’s in charge. In the world of horses, the jocks are the herd leaders.

The Average Joes: these are the “good kids” that enjoy learning and pleasing those in authority over them. They always try their best and tend to be submissive where authority is concerned. They not only want to learn and please, they often need the security and guidance that comes with a hierarchy society.

The bullies: this category is rather self-explanatory. The bullies are the ones that know they aren’t in charge, but aren’t willing to submit completely to those above them. Sure, they’ll comply; but only to maintain the status quo. They like to feel powerful, so instead of challenging those in authority above them, they pick on the weaker ones of the pack in order to feel more important and powerful. They get ahead through the means of intimidation.

The bullied: these are the ones that are too submissive for their own good. The ones that get picked on the most are the laid-back, easygoing type. They hate confrontation and avoid it at all costs. Even if that means giving up things that are important to them. They allow themselves to be pushed around by others either to avoid an uncomfortable situation, or because their opinion of themselves is so low they believe that the bullies are justified in their actions.

In the society of humans, we follow many of the same patterns. We have those in authority (world leaders and government officials), the Average Joes (those who know their place in society and do their best at whatever task they have been given), the users (the ones who use others to get ahead through unethical means), and the used, (the ones who sit back and watch life pass them by while others# header use them as a footstool to climb the corporate ladder.)

In many ways, the pecking order is necessary to the existence of humans. Without authority there would be no rules to follow. Without rules, crime would run rampant, every man doing as he saw fit. We all need someone to answer to. Someone to keep us in line.

There are two types of authority on earth. Man’s authority, and God’s authority. I would argue that both are absolutely vital to our existence. All men must answer to God, but all men should also have those in authority above them, making and enforcing the laws.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

Until next time,

thewanderingraven