Horse intelligence

Horses are not just  built to display their accumulated  horsepower on the racetrack. They can do more than we thought. People believe that horses have a brain like the size of a walnut. The  size gave us the idea that they do not think, are not conditioned-response animals, have no sense of concept. Guess what? They have brains and are also sensitive just like  us.

They are known to be  independent animals  that like to be free and not smothered in small places. If you compare horses that are left in open field to those that are always in the stalls, they will possess different  behaviours. The stall-bound horses behaviour manifest in form of pacing around the stall, chewing on the walls, kicking  and biting in other to cope with stress. However, the horses on the open field will not show that kind of behaviour as they are not acting against their will. A proof that horses think.

Horses have different ways of showing that they can make use of their brains, for example, dressage. Dressage means training. It is one of the equestrian sports where the physical,  mental and athletic ability of the horses are tested. They are expected to perform at there own will, with minimal instructions  from the rider.

 According to researches done on horse intelligence, horses learn from :

·         Habituation:  This is where, after repeated exposure to a stimulus, the horse becomes used to it and its reaction disappears. While this may involve human interaction, it equally applies to anything in its paddock, such as wind, snow, or hail. Everything is important for their learning as it allow a horse to filter out non-vital information, enabling it to focus on more important things.

·         Desensitisation:  Hypersensitive animals can be desensitised by getting them used to the stimuli in increments. A trainer, for example, will introduce a bridle gradually to a horse, backing off if the horse shows an unfavourable response. If its done properly, a horse will learn to willingly accept gentle bridling. It is through both these forms of learning that a horse can be made familiar with major stress factors, such as gunfire.

·         Pavlovian conditioning: This is where a horse becomes conditioned to give a particular response. If  a trainer consistently use the word trot with the flick of a whip to get a horse to move to a trot, the horse will eventually respond to the verbal cue without the need for the whip.

·         Operant conditioning:  Horses are effective at this form of learning, and it is a standard part of training techniques. When a horse begins to learn the meaning of a new stimulus, its response is initially random. Through trial and error, it will offer the desired response.

So, if riders take time in training their horses to trot, piaffe, passage, flying changes, gaits and pirouette, then, they will find out that horse are elegant and can do more than just running. They can be calm, loose, attentive and flexible. At this stage, a dressage rider will feel save on the horse. They dress formally in white breeches and shirts, tie, black dressage coats, tall horse riding boots, bun and show bow.

Point to remember, everything with brain can think to certain level and can be trained for a purpose.