How intelligent is your horse?

Christmas_Kate

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How intelligent is your horse?

G is never usually rugged, except for a LW T/O. But in his stable, he goes naked. Last night it was quite chilly and he's got his summer coat so I decided to pop a fleece on him. And this morning found him curled up snug as a bug. First time he's laid down in his stable.
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I left his fleece over an overhead beam. Tonight went down to muck out etc and found him quite chilly. Tied him up outside with his T/O thrown over him to keep him dry, and did the chores. Popped him back in as soon as i'd done and went to do hay etc. Came back and walked into the stable, and he reared up, grabbed the fleece, dragged it down and literally shoved it towards me. I took it off him, and put it over the stable door, tied net up and he did it again.
His T/O was over the door too, but he didnt bother with that, no, he wanted his fleece!

having only worn it the once, I'm wondering if he actually knew he wanted it on, or if he was just playing.,....
 

Kristine

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When we give the boys thier feed we ask them what do you say and tim knickers and you can choose to say quieter or louder and he'll do it.

With spring we say what do you say and he paws the ground with one foot and recently we asked for the other and he did it without fuss.

He also tells me weather he wants his rug, He'll throw it on the floor if he doesn't want it and will throw it into his stable if he does.

Also he has to have bandages every night and when you come in he'll be standing in his shavings but as soon as you pick up the bandages he swings his arse on the the concrete
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dwi

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Too intelligent. I taught her to open gates for ease when we were out hacking but then she started escaping from the field when people only left the gate latched. I wasn't popular at all on the yard when she was running round loose and YO had to shell out £200 for a better gate.

If only I could translate her intelligence into obedience and we'd be laughing for the showing season
 

kirstyfk

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My dad's horse is stooooooopid!

I think some horses are highly intellegent, Tufty is not one of them. But saying that he was hand reared after being orphaned at 2 weeks. I believe that he doesn't have some of the natural horse 'insticts' that a normal horse would have had.

I think G likes his fleecey rug and is telling you not to be so mean and to put it on every night
smile.gif
 

RachelB

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My horse finally showed some intelligence yesterday - I put an apple in her water bucket for her to bob for, she took one attempt to grab it, and decided it would be far easier if she drank the whole, HUGE bucket of water first! Then she squished the apple on the bottom of the bucket! My GOSH was her bed wet today!
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I think Maiden is really very sweet, and hides her intelligence behind this. She's far too lazy to show that she's clever, as she knows if I knew she was clever she'd have to do more work!
My YO said to me the other day that her amazing dressager is totally thick, which makes him easy to train. That's why he's come so far already. But her mare she bred (by Catherston Goldstorm, which explains the brains) is far too intelligent for her own good which makes her very difficult to ride and train.
I do think sometimes though that horses know more than they let on!
smile.gif

Edited as I can't spell!
 

Christmas_Kate

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Oh definately. G will quite happily play dumb, and fool people into thinking he's just a short fat stoopid pony. He knows if he makes enoughnoise he'll set the others off and we'll bring his tea quicker....
 

Jemayni

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Yea Chance does too! I quite like it though, it means hes to dumb to figure out how to get out of work!

Sky on the other hand is comparable to Hitler & Stalin in terms of his evil genius!
 

YorksG

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The old appaloosa has always been too bright for my own good, playing games and tricks, including opening stable doors, picking me up by my plaits when my hair was long, taking rugs off and other games too numerous to mention, the younger one is clever but not too horrible:) The shirexclyde is as thick as a brick,but very soft and affectionate
 

merlinsquest

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Body of a (little 15.1) horse, mind of a pony!!!!

Do I need to say more.... not a thing is safe if left within his reach.... play play play.... even knows to go slow (ish) with 11 year old daughter when warp speed with me... and if 9 year old gets on him he just goes the opposite way to which she is asking so she gets p****d off and gives up crying (nice)!!!
 

Tierra

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Mines a clever boy which is why he's learned so much in terms of his schooling but also makes him very very challenging to ride.

It only takes a couple of times for him to pick something up (was doing 1 time tempis as a 5 year old purely because once he knew how to change leg, how often meant nothing to him, he could just do it).

It does also mean he can think up every trick in the book to evade when being ridden, but I love him like this because it makes me ride correctly. If im not 100%, he wont work.

Best horse ive ever had and he's taught me more than any trainer could.
 

Christmas_Kate

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I was told that g's last little rider wasnt confident enough for him off the LR, and I now know what they meant. If he thinks a kid can actually stay on him he'll play up, as soon as they have a little confidence he'll throw in a few tricks, ie nap, but with tiny tots is an absolute angel.
He'll quite happily drag me down the road, he'll bite me and shove me. But with the kids, again, he's an angel...
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. It's like he knows his job.
 

jesterfaerie

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My lad is quite clever I think.
He can take his rugs off with everything completly fastened, he knows when I am in a bad mood or when I am rushing to get him inside so refuses to be caught.
I tend to hide the leadrope behind my back or around my neck, and he always knows when I have one. I can walk and catch him if I have nothing but if I have a rope he will run a mile.
But saying this he is 13.1, so mind of a pony not a horse.
 

Enfys

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Two of them are pretty with it, the other, I haven't decided yet whether she's a definite case of "the lights are on, but no-one is in" or if she is, in fact, very clever. She's clever enough to know that the instant the electric fencing stops ticking she can stick her head back through the fence.
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Chex

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I'm not sure Chex is intelligent, but he's definitley not stupid! He changes his behaviour based on who is handling/riding him - he constantly takes the mick out of my mum, acting dumb and not doing as she asks, but when I'm there he's back to being obedient! A lot of things that he does are just routine, like positioning to open gates, going from the field to his stable by himself etc, rather than intelligence I think. He's never escaped from a field until the farmer planted turnips in the next field
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Twiglet

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Too clever for his own good......door has to have multiple bolts or he'll get out, if he's cold, he'll pull his rugs from the hangers and lay on them, I can't turn him out in the school because he undoes the gate and wanders off, will pick his headcollar up and throw it if he's late to be turned out, will undo his leadrope if he's tied up etc etc. Can be very hard work!
 

fairhill

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Meg is a bit thick. She got stuck in the thorn bushes in her field two days in a row last summer. She doesn't always realise when her feeds been put in her manger (and she's ruled by her tummy). It does make her very bombproof as she hasn't got the imagination to find flying plastic bags scary.
 

filly190

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My arab yearling certainly picks things up very quick, and is a pleasure to teach. My old horse is wise and seems to stand back and consider things, where as my 6 year old t.b is more difficult.
 

Parkranger

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His nickname is Barry.

Need I say more?

He likes to think he's clever but he's really a bit of a nerdy spotty 15 year old. Think 'Kevin' but alot heavier and with bigger tantrums.
 

vieshot

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Mine is thick as two short planks! Ill walk into the field and he will watch me. I will walk over and pick up a bucket from right near him that he knows has nothing in it, i will then walk back to the gait and all the time he is watching me walk back. Then i will bang on the side of the bucket and pretend theres food in it and he will believe me and come galloping over despite watching me the whole time with an empty bucket.
xxx
 

Pidge

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sometimes Pidge can be quick dim
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but other times very clever - such as last weeks lesson we were doing a deep loop and cantering when straight, by the 3rd time we'd done it he was going into canter at the correct point by himself. He is also quick in picking things up like giving me his front leg so I can pull it forward when tacked up etc
 

SpruceRI

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My friends' cob always knows her way home even if we've never been to a place before and we don't go back the way we came. GPS Cob!
 
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