Horses can understand 8 Words. Which words would you choose?

All the horses I have met are able to understand and respond to more than eight words if trained! Walk on, halt, wait, stand, head (bring it down), trot, canter, steady, back, over (jump), go on, right, left, touch, kiss, bow, ... Another pseudo scientific 'study'?
 
I use lots of vocal cues - and those are way more than 8! He understands them all: walk on, trot, canter, easy, stop, back up, over, spin, come over, climb up, touch, pick up, drop, sit, polite, banana (that's his favorite treat and he knows what's coming when I just say "banana!" :D ), halter (puts his head in the halter), quit it, red, green, yellow, blue, black, white, leg please (lifts the leg I'm standing closest to for easy farriery), in/out (for trailering or entering/exiting narrow spaces), smile, kiss, hug, step (Spanish walk), hop (jumping) and more.
 
I think much of what they understand is tone and delivery rather than the word itself. Mine certainly responds to tone and also body language
 
One word Pie understands without doubt is 'muffin' (as in stud muffin treats). He can pick it out of a totally unrelated sentence and will start dribbling and begging if he hears it!
 
wills_91 said:
But how much of it is understanding the word as opposed to reading body language?
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Monty definitely understand his name and when I'm out of sight so no body language involved. I can call Archie but not him the from the field gate and get Archie and Archie alone so M is definitely just responding to his name and not just recognising my voice. If I call M however, I get them both. I'm sure Arch understands but can't resist coming just in case he's missing out on something. Very few people get out of the field without Archie cwtches.
 
My horse understands her name, "stand," "wait," "over," "whoa," commands for all three gaits, assorted swear words, along with Plato's Republic and Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. She is a genius
 
I don't know if he understands the words exactly but when lunging my horse before asking him to canter I'll say "are you ready?" (Was taught this from the lady I learnt everything as it was how she did things) and you can see him physically sort of pick up and switch on and when I say "and canter" he goes straight into canter. He clearly understands something of it! Can use it on board as well as on the lunge.
 
Jams and I regularly discuss the day's events. We talk politics, music, children, and why I am so mean as to muzzle her during the day... And put her out with a big goofy race horse who has fallen head over heels in love with her and won't leave her alone to eat her meagre rations.

8 words. Hah. What a load of bunkum.

Just two days ago I said to her 'please go to your stable and I'll follow you with the haynet' and she wowed a visiting vet by doing precisely that.
 
Like people have said a lot of it is verbal clues.

I always take a packet of strong mints on hacks with me. When my horse has been good or my mouth is feeling a bit dry, I think 'I will get a strong mint out of my pocket'. I can see my horses eye looking behind him for what I am doing, but he still carries on walking.

I peel a mint from the packet and then say 'Bailey - sweetie' he will stop dead and swing his face around with his mouth open ready for me to place it in his mouth. He is so gentle.

So with that its the verbal clue as well as the body language/sound of rustling sweet wrappers.
 
applecart14 said:
Like people have said a lot of it is verbal clues.

I always take a packet of strong mints on hacks with me. When my horse has been good or my mouth is feeling a bit dry, I think 'I will get a strong mint out of my pocket'. I can see my horses eye looking behind him for what I am doing, but he still carries on walking.

I peel a mint from the packet and then say 'Bailey - sweetie' he will stop dead and swing his face around with his mouth open ready for me to place it in his mouth. He is so gentle.

So with that its the verbal clue as well as the body language/sound of rustling sweet wrappers.
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This is so cute!
 
It's the tone as much as the word. Mark Rashid never speaks to his horses when he is working them, he says Whoa sounds too much like Go. Ours respond well to "gerroffthatorwe'llsendyoutohaveyourheadchoppedoff" in a sweet tone of voice :D
 
I do think they respond to verbal clues but also that it is as much about body language as sound.

All the horses and dogs I've ever had or worked with recognise the universal "uh uh" meaning "if you do that I will load you on to the next passing grocery lorry and send you for lasagne".

My horse definitely knows his name, even though he often gets called his fieldmate's name, the basic walk, trot, canter, stand commands and even has a favourite song in my dodgy repertoire which is trotted out when he is particularly anxious out hacking. Have tried all sorts but Mungo Jerry's "In the Summertime" makes him relax almost instantenously, even if it doesn't please my hacking companions.

However, if he could really understand, my main eight-word message would be "don't worry, I won't let it get you" :)

ETA I never use whoa as a command - my slow down command is more like a long drawn out sing-song woooooooooo which is totally unlike any other command
 
I bought my horses here in Spain. They are learning English, but I still have to give them certain commands in Spanish!! ;)
 
My driving ponies know at least 10 clear commands (blinkered so no body language but obviously often have contact) They must be super brainy :D
 
Mine definitely understands "look, it's just a b@&!y pram, you've seen one before, just @$&"?! get on with it!" Took a while though.
 
I talk to mine a lot on the basis that he doesnt understand the exact words but does get the general meaning. He definitely knows his name, back, over, stand, walk, trot, canter, up, touch, oi and no, but apart from his name all of those have body language that he can read so its probably that hes picking up on. He has a very pony brain and is into everything! I do clicker training with him every now and again and he loves it and picks it up lightening fast but it does take longer to associate a word with an action than anything else
 
No way, they understand way more than 8...

Whether mines chooses to take any notice is the real crux of the matter.
 
I have taught my pony the word Polo. he has been scared of motor bikes, so taught him Polo in sand paddock then every time we saw a motor bike out I said polo and gave him one. now he only has to hear a bike and stands quietly looking for a polo, I do not always need to say the word. Sometimes when out with a friend she will tell me there is a motor bike coming up behind us and he stops and waits. he did get rather confused the other day when she said motor bike and a noisy car came past instead. he can sometimes pick out the word Polo in the middle of a sentence, but not yet learned to tell the difference between Polo and Hello reliably. The Polo trick has distracted him in other difficult situations too.
 
catkin said:
Ponies however, understand swearing in at least three languages.
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:D

Son's pony reads body language well as she's spent hours on the lead rein! The tone of your voice is also important.

I'd go for emotional words, like hurt, sore, point. So they could point to the sore bit that hurts!!!
 
Sleipnir said:
I use lots of vocal cues - and those are way more than 8! He understands them all: walk on, trot, canter, easy, stop, back up, over, spin, come over, climb up, touch, pick up, drop, sit, polite, banana (that's his favorite treat and he knows what's coming when I just say "banana!" :D ), halter (puts his head in the halter), quit it, red, green, yellow, blue, black, white, leg please (lifts the leg I'm standing closest to for easy farriery), in/out (for trailering or entering/exiting narrow spaces), smile, kiss, hug, step (Spanish walk), hop (jumping) and more.
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BLIMEY!!! mine dont even come over to me if im shouting they're names! well done :)
 
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