Are some breeds more intelligent than others?

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Hovis_and_SidsMum

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Just curious on everyones views. Personally I'm not sure i agree but after a conversation down the yard yesterday
I was surprised how many held the view that some are smarter than others.
It stemmed from me being torn between fits of hysterics and despair at how smart Hovis is. His latest trick is undressing his older brother and carefully removing his neck piece. Watching him do it he is SO dextrous (sp?) with his mouth and seems to know exaxctly what he's doing - he gently nibbles the velcro neck fasteners first till he can get hold of them then undoes them before the rest of the cover.
He's like it with coat pockets, undoing stable doors, stealing grooming tools etc, its never brute force always correct application.
One of the girls commented yesterday that "he's a cob which are always smarter than most". In comparison his brother is 1/2 ID and 1/2 TB and does seem more dense I have to admit - this is due to the mix apparently!!

So are certain breeds smarter or is it total hog wash - discuss!!
 
Admittedly I only have a limited knowledge of horse intelligence ( due to only coming back to horses a couple of years ago) but I agree with cobs being clever. Ellie is a Welshie and has got the dressage tests memorised
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She does a couple of movements and thinks she knows which one we are doing and tries to predict what I want her to do next
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I would agree that cobs are smarter! Inca can undo stables, lets herself out for a wander etc and also knows how to fend for herself - can put her headcollar on in the field and tell her to go to bed and she takes herself through the yard and goes to her stable and you find her standing there munching hay and she manges to do it without standing on a lead rope etc. Nixon, my WB, on the other hand *shakes head in despair* is a complete lemon! even when Inca kindly opens his door for him he just stands there - wouldn't trust him to not stand on his reins/lead rope etc - only thing he can do is undo himself when tied up but then doesn't do anything! He is very handsome but completely thick!

I think it actually has more to do with the fact that cobs are just overgrown ponies - and we all know that the smallest pony is always more trouble than the biggest horse.

Maybe its not so much a breed thing as a size thing? The bigger the horse the smaller the brain....!
 
Yep most people think it is only TBs that are clever - well I have now had several TBs and several hairies and on balance the TBs generally more clever, but nothing I have met matches my little cob for thinking things through.

All my TBs were clever - sneaky thieves, great at escaping and you needed your wits about you at times when riding.

Jemima - first gypsy cob - very sweet and once you explained what you wanted, never forgot - however, she was not sharp clever.

Cairo - clydesdale again not the most clever I have owned, but a very crafty old bugger who got more so as he got old. More of a sneaky thief/extracter of treats and avoiding something he did not want to do.

Chancer - second gypsy cob most clever horse I have ever owned. Easy to train, you, most times show him once and he gets it, I have to be careful and not to something too many times or he goes on auto pilot. Can undo any knot, escape in seconds, though never goes far and you can see him thinking things through. He is a master pest if not given enough work to keep him using his head.

Farra - clydesdale - brighter than Cairo, easy to train but does have her own mind. She is so sweet natured and laid back that she rarely does the mischief Chancer does. In work picks things up easily but also uses her mind to avoid things she finds difficult.
 
there was a study done a few years ago comparing the intelligence and learning ability of thoroughbred and cobs, the cobs won due to their unflightly nature, they had quicker learning times as they were not so easily distracted. However, TBs were found not to be as clever as QH's
 
We have had two appaloosa's, both far too clever for my own good
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They find 'things to do' to keep their oversized sense of fun exercised, out of 11 horses owned over a life time, they are the quickest and most analytical thinkers.
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Would second the appaloosas - definitely an extra ounce of brainpower and mischief. Otherwise, I've had horses and ponies from a cross section of breeds and generally I think it comes down to the individual horse and its environment. A stimulated horse will seem much more intelligent than a bored or miserable horse, just as with people.
 
My ageing PBA is far brighter than my pure-bred Arab - and both of them are more intelligent than my old TB ever was. But undoubtedly the cleverest equines I ever came across were the riding school ponies - usually NF or Connemaras. And in recent years I've worked with Icelandics who are very bright indeed!
 
my tb is clever but has absolutley no common sense at all - you know like the person with a million degrees and qualifications but then picks up a baking tray with no oven gloves on -that sort of thing!! My id x arab that I used to look after was sooo clever and crafty used to let her self out of stable ,throw her dinner bucket out her stable when she was finished and stand on the top bar of a five bar gate when she was ready to come in bless her
 
Arabs are irritatingly clever, as are some AAs.
It's hard to define intellegent as I reckon Trakehners and other hot WBs are 'intellegent' when being ridden - tiniest change in position registers with them and they learn (even bad habits) so fast. However, they will still spook at that chair which has been there everyday for the last 9 months...
 
my big warmblood is pretty thick, still poos in water, over haybar, in hayfeeder in field. that's my Epitome of Stupidity for horses, if it hasn't worked that one out yet.
the smartest horse i've ever had was an IDxTB, in fact all those crosses i've had have been very quick-thinking and clever.
my TB is clever in a calm way, which i like. i think it varies hugely from horse to horse, not just breed to breed.
 
many moons ago when i was at one yard which was also a RDA centre. my boy connemara cross use to hang out the RDA ponies and never seemed to associate with the tbs. another livery who had a TB pointed this out, that like went with like and that the better bred TB didn't want to associate with a pony like mine!
well i had to point out the it was prob due to conversation as the in bred TB probably didn't have anything to say
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slightly off topic but this thread reminded me of it
 
my mare is far to clever for her own good, this morning she was kicking the door as usual and avoiding the half cups of water being thrown in her general direction, she got fed up with that so started kicking out with her back legs instead.
 
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