The ideas of communal need and social structure are not unique to humans. Luminated by the setting sun, friends gather bragging and talking as they quench their thirst at day’s end. And just like humans, every one has their place. The group leader, the one with the foal, is very proud yet protective. She has a best friend who is closest and whom she will always choose to care for the foal when she cannot. Slightly outside the inner circle stands the interloper or outcast, kept at bay by the glare of the mare. I really hate the idea of impressing too greatly the habits of people upon the actions of animals. But anyone who has spent time around such a coffee clatch will smile at just how similar the situation is. - BM