How do horses experience death?

Dying is a very natural process that every living thing will experience. All bodies will eventually die. We can’t be sure how horses view their own deatths, but we do know that horses grieve.

I’ve seen domesticated horses call out for a lost friend, stand by the place where their herdmate was buried, go off their feed, or appear lethargic and “down” after the loss of a friend. In the wild humans have witnessed herds of horses appear to have a procession, where they take turns one by one visiting or standing over the body of a herdmate for a period of time before they move on.

While horses certainly don’t always live in the moment, they are mindful creatures who trust their instincts to keep them safe should the need arise. They spend a great deal of time simply being together, sharing space and connection with their herdmates. Humans often anticipate their own mortality and death in ways that can bring a great deal of distress. I imagine that death for horses is a transition much more like stepping over a threshold from what is right now, to what is next.

Nearly all of what I’ve learned about what it means to die a “good death,” I’ve learned from my time with horses. They are gentle partners in this work and can help us explore how we want to experience our own transition out of this world.