How intelligent are horses, really? This is a question many horse owners find themselves pondering. A study conducted by Equine Science suggests that horses can likely learn new tricks by observing both their peers and even humans. Dive deeper into this article to enhance your understanding and view the demonstration in the video at the bottom.

Read also: Editorial Thoughts: Don't Forget to Draw Inspiration from Other Disciplines

AN OLDER HORSE IS THE BEST TEACHER

Most horse people acknowledge that young horses need an older horse from which to learn. In this context, referred to as a demonstrator. In the experiment, an older horse starts by finding a treat in a box. This horse has already learned the trick beforehand, while the younger horse is unfamiliar with the exercise. The video clearly shows that the young horse observes its fellow species' performance, and when it's its turn, it quickly figures out how to solve the task.

Older Horses Cause Less Stress for the Young

It was crucial for the research to clarify the older horse's or demonstrator's importance for the young and insecure horse. Equine Science shares in the video about a study where horses' stress levels were measured by being introduced into a new herd. There were three scenarios in total:

1. The new horse was directly introduced into the herd.
2. The new horse stood alone in a paddock and could greet the others in the herd.
3. The new horse was introduced along with the lead horse/demonstrator initially, and both were later introduced into the new herd.

Measurements of the groups showed that especially the third group, where the new horse was introduced along with the lead horse, exhibited the least stress. This suggests that horses form close bonds with a mentor.

HORSES CAN ALSO LEARN BY OBSERVING HUMANS

The study by Equine Science also aimed to explore whether horses could indeed learn by watching humans' actions. It appears they can. In one exercise (viewable in the video), the owner places a treat in a box. The box is opened by pressing a separate "button" next to the box. The owner does it first, and then it's the horse's turn. The result is that the horse almost immediately copies the person's action and subsequently accesses the treat.

Read also: Dare to Let Go and Receive a 'No' from Your Horse?

FINDING THEIR OWN SOLUTION

The final part of the study gives insight into how independent horses can actually be. Once again, a box must be opened by pressing a separate button, and here the horse has not been shown the task beforehand. Without much hesitation, the horse approaches the box and almost immediately figures out how to press the button next to it to access the treat.

Sources:

Equine Science (Video)

Horsetalk