Equine Intelligence

Are horses intelligent? Most horse trainers would say definitely not.

Horses pick up on repetitive actions performed by other horses or trainers, particularly those that lead to feed or water.

Horses do not understand a delayed reward or punishment. They do understand immediate pats, treats, and a soothing voice. When training a horse, give rewards immediately. A horse doesn't understand discipline if it occurs 5 minutes later.

Some research indicates that horses can differentiate shapes and colors in return for feed rewards.

Ear Movement

Intelligent horses demonstrate frequent and independent ear movement. All horses have a 170 degrees range of ear motion. Alert horses with a high degree of ear movement tend to be more intelligent.

Stand near the left front of a horse while someone else stands at the right rear. As you both slowly walk around the horse, an intelligent horse will follow each person with their ears, tracking the two people independently, one with each ear. A less intelligent horse will remain with its ears in a neutral position, about 30 degrees forward.

Sensitivity

Intelligent horses respond quickly and decisively to applied pressure. In nature, horses instinctively move into pressure as a survival technique. For example, if a mountain lion clamped his teeth and jaws on a horse’s nose, the horse will not pull away and risk having its nose torn off. Instead, the horse will move into the pressure, decreasing the chance of losing its nose. Most horse trainers rely of the release of pressure method to train a horse.

Horse trainers know that the sign of a smart horse is its responsiveness to pressure when a horse intentionally moves into physical pressure. The trainer spreads his fingers and presses on the side of the horse directly below the withers. An intelligent horse will immediately lean into the trainers hand. A less intelligent horse will fail to respond or move away from the pressure.

Socialization

Intelligent horses have mastered equine social behavior when interacting with other horses. As a herd animal, horses communicate frequently with other horses and learn a variety of social interaction skills.

A simple test of a horse's socialization is the greeting process. Horses always approach each other with their necks extended and their head’s bowed. They touch noses and exchange scents by blowing short blasts of air into each other’s nostrils. This blowing of air is done is short puffs, about two per second until the scent is acknowledged. This greeting process is similar to dogs introducing each other by sniffing.

In the next phase of socialization, horses squeal at each other. Horses are very concerned about their status in the dominance hierarchy of a herd, and in this phase the horses challenge each other, sometimes striking out with their front legs. This behavior continues until one of the horses shows submission.

A horse trainer can judge a horse's socialization by greeting the horse. The trainer approaches the horse from the front, positions his face next to the horse’s muzzle and blows a short puff of air up the horse’s nostrils. An intelligent horse will always display a visible reaction to this greeting process, widen its eyes, and point both ears straight forward. A less intelligent horse will not respond with these actions.

Goal Achievement

Intelligent horses are able to find their way around a detour to achieve a goal. If feed is placed on one side of a fence and the horse walks around the obstacle to get the feed, it's more intelligent than a horse that doesn't. In horses, the process of taking a detour in order to reach a goal is a sign of superior intelligence.

First, lead the horse to one side of an open ended ten foot fence and give it a treat. Next, lead the horse around to the other side of the fence and place a treat in a bucket directly opposite the horse. An intelligent horse will turn away from the treat and go around the fence to get it. A less intelligent horse will stand on the opposite side of the fence and paw the ground. The more intelligent the horse is, the faster it will move away from the treat to get around the fence.