Without further ado, I am going to discuss something I know a bit about. Today, I was preparing a lecture on intermale interactions between horses, so I'll go with that.
Stallions: have balls
Geldings: have no balls
Cryptorchids: have hidden balls
Simple enough, right?
So, in the wild, herds are made up of 10ish mares with foals, one lead mare who dictates where the herd moves, eats, sleeps, etc., and a single mature stallion, who protects the herd.
Single dudes and yearlings form sweet bro-groups, called bachelor herds.
Stallions usually don't fight to the death, unlike what is portrayed in the media. They usually just display, and one will give up and run away, and the one who stays is the victor.
Here's a sweet video of wild stallions in Assateague, MD.
In captivity, however, if mares are present, stallions WILL fight until someone is seriously injured or dead. This is because space is limited, and they are captive, so the weaker opponent cannot run. Most people do not put out stallions together with mares for this reason. Usually they are in the "harem" structure, or in a dude-herd.
Geldings can usually live together with mares peacefully, my herd has two geldings (one thinks he has balls, he doesn't.) and four mares.
Geldings also really like to play! Interestingly, play fights mimic bachelor play, which is preparation for real fighting. Here's some wisdom from Rick Gore.
So, if you are interested in horse behavior, I would really recommend watching some more of Rick's videos. He is a no BS, straightforward, and succinct guy who really knows what he's talking about. He is also a proponent of natural horsemanship, i.e., having a relationship with your horse instead of beating it into submission.
That was a speed lesson on intermale behavior! I'm going to go do something not horse related now. (who am I trying to kid, no I'm not.)
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