How long till a horse recognises a new owner/handler? Or his/her name??

[Ambers Echo]

The other day I was getting Jenny and Amber in. I go up at random times of day so they can't anticipate. There are 6 horses in their field. It was dark and they were quite a long way away. I called their names and thought that either Amber would come and Jenny would follow or all 6 would stampede to the gate (it's 'I'm hungry where have you been' time of year....) but in fact Jenny ambled over, Amber followed her and the others ignored me. 99% of the time Izzy gets Jenny not me. I was really surprised she knew I was wanting her.

Maybe she knows her name? But there are 3 other 2 syllable named horses ending in an eee sound in that field! It was nice to know she knows I'm her human anyway! Or at least I am connected closely enough to her human for her to know she is to come to me when I call.

 

[exracehorse]

They definitely do know. Not sure how. My mare would refuse to let anyone else catch her.

 

[Ambers Echo]

How long does it take for them to know a new person? We have not had Jenny long and she's my daughters so I don't have that much to do with her. I have never ridden her and hardly ever fed/groomed etc.

 

[milliepops]

I think they start to recognise the food-person quite quickly

Not sure about the rest of it, but it's damn useful when they do know their names! I tend to train mine to listen for their name as a cue when I'm riding, I taught Kira to do medium strides across the diagonal by calling her name to her and then asking for the extension, now I whisper her name as we come out of the corner and she knows she has to do something!
Salty is learning a similar cue, this time it's "Salts, Trott-ing!" I always say their name before an instruction on the lunge so it's a follow on from that I guess.

 

[ImmyS]

One particular horse at our yard used to know his owners car engine, he would start calling and pacing before the car was even in eyesight or human ear shot for that matter. Every time without fail. Didn’t bother at any other cars.

 

[YorksG]

I think an awful lot of ours have known from day one The most notable was when we were at a livery yard, a Clydie mare who had been with us for about a month, managed to get her feathers caught in some wire (that can happen when you are trying to get to grass that is next to you ) Our Dad was driving past and she turned her head, looked at him and tried to pick up the caught foot, fairly clearly telling him of the problem, Dad then went and cut the caught feather, with his Swiss Army Knife She absolutely knew that she needed to tell him of the pickle she was in and that he was one of her people

 

[Ambers Echo]

MP Love the idea of teaching them their name as a cue! But I'm not the food person. Izzy loves feeding her and I have probably only fed her 2-3 times in total when Izzy has been ill or busy.

YorksG I love the idea that horses know the whole family!

 

[be positive]

I have a Jenny and she will respond to her name at almost any time to most people who call her, anyone here can go to the field shout for her and she will leave the others and canter over it is not 100% but enough to feel she knows her name whereas everything else may look up, they may wander over but unless it is coming in time or the weather is horrid they are in no rush, I think mares can be brighter than geldings in many ways and attuned to "their people" even if you don't do that much with them you are a constant part of their life.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

MP, I'm another who always uses names and command.

When I've got new ones, it really helps them settle when they know their name already, have had them at least look up, if not turn to me on day 1, such a help

 

[Cortez]

Well, our mule certainly knows his name, also: "You little bugger", "demon-mule", "utter arse" and a few other choice epithets.....

 

[The Trooper]

When i bought my mare (Sunday name Farholme Mary) i renamed her Bonnie and i am sure that after only a few days she was recognising her name. If i'm at the gate and i shout her (In the way i do) she comes trotting up. Belle my other mare is ignorant and only comes if she is hungry, or feeling dominant and wanting to bully whichever horse is at the gate haha!

 

[Meredith]

One particular horse at our yard used to know his owners car engine, he would start calling and pacing before the car was even in eyesight or human ear shot for that matter. Every time without fail. Didn’t bother at any other cars.

Off topic a bit but my left behind horses would rush to the field gate when our old horsebox came up the hill. My husband always knew I was returning as he could see the field but not the road.
I rented a field away from home for summer grazing and although I never drove past the field every time I drove up that way the other horses would rush to the gate.
They never reacted when I bought another lorry.

 

[SEL]

Militaire knows the sound of the car. Was very confused when we got a new one in the summer then realised after a few days. The other one knows her name but will yell at any human with blonde hair to get her food - never been convinced her eyesight is that great!!

 

[Nudibranch]

Mine definitely know theirs as I can ride and lead and give them different instructions. One is driven too which helps with name learning. As for how quickly they know you, I was never really sure until my new 3yo colicked in August. She'd only been here about 2 weeks and was hospitalised for obs. When I went in the morning to collect her she did the biggest greeting whinny and genuinely seemed pleased to see me. So she definitely knew me apart from the staff.

 

[only_me]

Mine knows.

If Bill is being a bit lazy about coming in (ie. walking from the far corner or is lying down) I call the donkeys instead and they start to walk over which then prompts a race so billy comes in quicker lol

 

[scats]

Mine shout as soon as they hear my car. They answer to their names and their nicknames. I think horses latch onto ‘their’ human relatively quickly.

In the morning I wander down the field to turn my energiser on that powers the fence I have up to control the girls access to the new grass. The girls wander down of their own accord in the morning, often when I’m headed back up. However, if I’ve given them a new strip, which they aren’t aware of yet, I say to Polly “Pol, come see what you’ve got” and she instantly trots along beside me all the way down, ears pricked. I assume the first time she was simply responding to the eagerness in my voice, and now she knows what it means, but it is quite cute. Millie usually comes cantering down a bit behind us.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Give a cob ONE feed and they'll follow you for ever.............

 

[tankgirl1]

Give a cob ONE feed and they'll follow you for ever.............

Hahaa so true! Dolly (cob) knows her name and 'her people' (My son and I) Hercs (shettie) will latch onto anyone with mints in their pocket

 

[HashRouge]

Lou Lou rarely used to come to call when she was out in a herd during the summer months! She would in the winter though, or would be waiting at the gate. Since she has been living out as a pair with my sister's gelding, they both tend to come over as soon as they hear me call them or sometimes when they see my car. In summer, they will sometimes come most of the way then wait for me to come the rest of the way. They come for the YO too most of the time, as she checks them both ends of the day and feeds or gives a treat. I usually have apples or mints or something so am under no illusions - they see me as the food lady! I guess they know their names or know my tone of voice.

 

[mandyroberts]

I think they are more switched on than we sometimes realise. They know who will be doing 'something' with them, the sound of 'their' car and 'their' lorry. The most interesting incidents are when I have picked my horse up from the vets. One horse had been there for 3 days and neighed when he saw me - he wasn't a vocal horse and I hadn't called him. My other horse was hammering the door when I went to collect him and I was pretty horrified, apparently he had been quiet all day and started as my lorry pulled in.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Ernie knows me, he recognises me and he runs over to say hello when he sees me (most of the time)

Two weeks ago I went go get him in after only two hours out. I took a friend because there are 5 other geldings in the field. I walked in, he saw me and looked up then got back to munching happily. We walked over, he started grazing in our direction. A few meters away and he picks his head up, snorts happily and wanders over....to my friend, not me.

She always has treats in her pocket and I never normally do. (I did this time and she didn't - his loss)

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I've had horses recognise me from the first viewing!

The Clydie mentioned in YorksG's post above was one - she was for sale by wom at a yard near the tack shop, sis and I called round on the off-chance but owner wasn't there. The staff introduced her to us over the stable door, we made an appt to go for a proper viewing and when we went back, she whinnied to us. My current cob was only 2 when I first met her, her then owner showed her to us, led her in-hand through the town centre on a busy Saturday afternoon, I put a deposit down and we went back the following week to collect her. She called to us when we walked into the old barn where she was stabled. She is a pretty vocal girl, though.

 

[hellfire]

Mine defiantly know their name! They also know the sound of my car coming as whinny but not when I have been in another car. I like teaching vocal commands to my horses especially as my disability means I sometimes struggle. Sparky won't be caught by anyone else. He knows a lot of words including slowly as if I'm leading him or riding and need him to go slow he will literally do a snail pace for me. I do have a very special bond with him more than my others as he was a bad neglect case and nearly wild when I took him on as a 2 1/2 year old. He's a total devil with others though! I think after a few weeks of having a new one they associate a name with food or other good things. You can train any voice command you like to a associated movement or thing. Surprising how much they know.

 

[Caol Ila]

My horse knows who her slaves are (me and my two friends) and starts pacing by the gait when she hears us. To be fair, she sometimes she waits for my friends to walk up to the field getting another horse before kicking off with the fencewalking, but with me (the primary slave), she starts pacing when she hears the car. She doesn't expect the people who aren't her slaves (other liveries and yard owners) to fetch her promptly when she is fed up with being outside in the winter. She gets upset, however, when the slaves don't show up on time, which mean the YOs bring her in with everyone else, and she races up and down the fenceline to express her dissatisfaction with the service. It's delightful.

 

[Louby]

For the last 2 days mine has just looked at me when I call her and not budged from the other side of the field Im quite sure she'd be happy left out! Its not like theres lots of grass, guess she must have a cob on with me lol

 

[sasquatch]

Give a cob ONE feed and they'll follow you for ever.............

lol, B doesn't know his name when you stand at the gate calling him but if you shout his name and he happens to hear a bag rustle, all of a sudden he knows his name and will be waiting at the gate by the time you reach it

 

[Yardbird]

I really feel that horses I have bought recognised me straight away from when I went to view them .

 

[Equi]

My horse very rarely comes to call he would follow his field mate just. He did used to come in summer when he thought he was getting something nice cause everyone else used to feed him treats lol I think he might think his name is “ears” though cause I’ll say it and wait for him to pose so he’s gotten used to flicking them forward for ears 😂

When I recently moved yards I had left to grab more stuff and when I came back he was pretty happy to see me he became very snuggly and rammed his head into my arms and sighed as if thankgod you didn’t leave me forever.

 

[The Trooper]

It's funny, Bonnie loves my Mum (her 'Granny'), i think it's mainly because we almost rotate who checks on and feeds the horses and whenever Mum is on feeding duty Bonnie knows she doesn't get ridden. When Mum shouts her she canters bucking up to the gate and has been known to pop the occasional rear whilst waiting at the gate, i only ever get a slow trot out of her when i call her.

 

[southerncomfort]

One of mine has a name that is very similar to my dog's name so when I call the dog they both come trotting over!