Do horses have a sense of humour?

fburton

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Well, can they? What do people think?? Evidence in support of either point of view is welcomed! Evidence in support of either point of view is welcomed!
 

Beausmate

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Well that was weird... Just got taken to a poll thread from 2009 in AAD.:confused:

Mine definitely have a sense of humour, as do most others I have met. Too many examples to list, but my little TB is possessed of a somewhat warped sense of humour which generally involves covering either me, or anything of mine within easy reach with mud/snot/poo/water etc, shoving me into any of the aforementioned substances, and generally wrecking stuff when I'm not looking. He is a total git.

The big TB and the spotty mare are both a little bit silly and the Anticob is very cheeky and a bit more into physical humour.
 

Ladyinred

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If our big cob does something outrageous and people laugh then he will definitely play to the crowd for more laughs. I think he likes the sound and although he doesn't understand the concept of humour per se he knows what cause the desired effect!
 

Pearlsasinger

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Might have been, not sure as the thread had been 'deleted' due to the poll not working.

I just had the same experience!

Our first horse, a r&d gelding thought it was hilarious to knock brushes etc off a shelf which ran round his box, into his water. He took every opportunity to do so and if he had to pick the object up to move it nearer to the water, he did so.
 

Pie's mum

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My boy will try to dribble water on you when he's had a drink. I don't doubt at all that he does it on purpose as he chases me round his stable with a mouthful of water - and never does it at other times!
 

Sukistokes2

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Kevin holds his farts until your brushing his tail or are behind him. He looks back to check your in range.......

Couldn't vote as I ended up voting in the dog section....?
 

horselady

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My mare holds a mouthful of her very sloppy feed in her mouth to release on whichever part of you is cleanest when you get within range! She then makes this noise and I swear she is laughing. :lol:
 

tallyho!

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Maybe we just have to have a sense of humour to
Have horses....

Some horses definitely have a sense of humour.... not all.
 

suffolkmare

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Kevin holds his farts until your brushing his tail or are behind him. He looks back to check your in range.......

Couldn't vote as I ended up voting in the dog section....?

David farts at you when you pick out his back feet! Not sure its humour, more just work avoidance, but he can put on a good cough/stretch when in the school or near some particularly tasty looking grass, and back in his RS days once managed 9 poos in one 1hour lesson!
 

fburton

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Might have been, not sure as the thread had been 'deleted' due to the poll not working.
It seems this poll was temporarily connected to another poll in 'All about Dogs'. It was about dogs going out for walks. That there was no mention of muddy dogs says a lot about my subconscious!
 

planete

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I would have said no until I saw my arab gelding pick up the end of an unconnected fencing tape lying on the ground and run off with it twice while I was repositioning an electric fence. He did look mighty smug! Little git was ace at working out whether a fence was live and enjoyed outwitting me quite a few times.
 

soapy

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Oh defo. Unfortunately for us they're big fans of slapstick. My horse likes to nip my arse or knock me over when i groom his legs. I sort of encourage this playfulness by emitting a girly scream and often performing an exaggerated roll on the floor. Horse then performs a prolonged "yawn" or jaw stretch which looks to me like a silent laugh.
 

DabDab

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Sure they do - I actually think their drive to entertain themselves is greater than a human's sometimes. They're also experts at figuring out where the social boundaries are and knowing exactly what they can get away with. They're genetically programmed to be completely obsessed with social interaction so anything they find to heighten and explore that....
 

Caol Ila

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My horse is in individual turnout with an electric rope. For some daft reason, I went through a phase of opening the rope and leaving it on the ground, instead of ducking under it when I entered the field. She's docile and quiet, either walks up to you or waits for you to get to her. But there was the day she was at the far end of the field. I was hiking across the mud to fetch her, and she raised her head and sprang into a canter straight towards the gate. I said, "Whoa! Whoa!" (among other things the swear word filter won't let me post) and had visions of her being loose and causing havoc in the yard. She cantered past me and when she got to the wide open gate, freedom beckoning, she turned in a beautifully balanced half-circle and then trotted up to me. I swore she was grinning. "Hey, I got the human to jump up and down and swear a lot!"

Yeah, they have a sense of humour.
 

LHIS

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I reckon mine does! Holds his farts in until I'm near his back end, then lets rip, and turns around to watch my reaction, whilst pulling s cheeky face.
 

Lanky Loll

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My TB used to throw things at me when I wasn't looking - if I was mucking out the stable opposite for instance, anything within reach would be launched at me - as soon as I looked over she'd stop. I ended up filming her on my mobile to catch her in the act :D
 
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