How Stupid Do You Think Horses Are? POLL - part 2

Jumping or flatwork?

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T

Tia

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So, here comes my point....

....if horses are intelligent enough to perform some of the tasks set out on the post below, if they understand when they have made us happy, sad etc., if they can figure out time and remember us when we have been away........then why do we assume they can't figure out, or remember other things?

So here we go for a second time.
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I was taught by a natural horsesmanship lady that horses forget things after a few days, but put things together with positive or negitive. Eg horse goes in a trailer and is beaten, weeks later horse thinks trailer = negitive....Rather then the details.
 
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I was taught by a natural horsesmanship lady that horses forget things after a few days, but put things together with positive or negitive. Eg horse goes in a trailer and is beaten, weeks later horse thinks trailer = negitive....Rather then the details.

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Yes that is my understanding too. To add to it it probably depends on the individual circumstances as to what the horses associates with what, and to what level.
 
Yes
Maybe - Chex recognises the vet (and tries to run), but that might be that he smells funny
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, and he only comes out once a year.
Yes
Maybe, if they knew what they were doing was bad. Ie Chex knows he shouldn't bang the door, but on the rare occasion he does - he'll bang it and run to the back of the stable (looking innocent
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). I think if I yelled at him he would know what it was for, as he knows that he shouldn't have done it. But I don't really know
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I said no to the last three, I don't think a horse would remember a specific person who beet them up, they might be wary around men if it was a guy or what ever but I don't think they would remember who it was.

I also don't think an "average" horse knows how to do tricks either , or maybe it's just mine that's a bit dim.
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Whoever answered yes to the last one needs hit
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*viv runs and hides*
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I agree
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We can hide behind the sofa together
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I should have said that the vet doesn't beat the living daylights out of Chex lol, but the jags must sting a little!
 
....or perhaps they are people who actually understand horses and aren't play-acting with them?
 
I bought a horse over 2 years ago from a cowboy who beat the living daylights out of him. This guy was here for the first time in 2 years just a month ago - my horse knew him immediately. And no this horse is not scared of men.
 
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Whoever answered yes to the last one needs hit
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*viv runs and hides*
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I agree
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We can hide behind the sofa together
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my sofa is only small, so might have to come behind yours !!! suprised we have no more people here behind it !
 
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....or perhaps they are people who actually understand horses and aren't play-acting with them?

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But surely there was a long post in the Latest News section regarding the girl at Hickstead who checked her horse after it refused, when a lot of people said she left it too late as she had turned the horse around? The time it took her would have been about 10 seconds max. I'm not questioning the hitting of horses, but surely hitting it 5 minutes later is a bit of a time gap from the horse doing something wrong and it being reprimanded?
 
I answered yes to all except the last. I believe a punishment has to be instant after bad behaviour or there is a danger the horse associates the punishment with the OK/good behaviour which occurred after the bad act but before the reprimand.
 
Well I guess it depends on what goes on during those 5 minutes (or 10 seconds)? I VERY much doubt that a horse which has done something wrong will have its rider sit there nice and quietly and then all of a sudden she hits it 5 minutes or 10 seconds later? Is that what you are implying?
 
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....or perhaps they are people who actually understand horses and aren't play-acting with them?

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So does no one understand horses who said no to that question then?? And a pony who knocks a fence down and the bratty kid bring it out and beats it up - do they understand that then?
 
I have no idea what they understand and what they don't....I'm suggesting an alternative option to the other posters suggestion.
 
Being a teacher I would say there are different kinds of intelligence, or different levels of talent. I think its impossible to tell whether horses are academically talented, they are undoubtedly talented at communication and body control, but I suppose we are looking at reasoning. Sometimes I wonder whether its us that are lacking in communication skills with them.....

Sorry - just aimlessly waffling
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Sometimes I wonder whether its us that are lacking in communication skills with them.....


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Oh! You only wonder this sometimes? I wonder this most of the time....
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Well I guess it depends on what goes on during those 5 minutes (or 10 seconds)? I VERY much doubt that a horse which has done something wrong will have its rider sit there nice and quietly and then all of a sudden she hits it 5 minutes or 10 seconds later? Is that what you are implying?

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Not implying that at all. IMHO if say for example a horse bites someone, and then 5 minutes later they decide to hit it for biting them, the horse won't associate being hit with biting the person, but it will just assume that someone walked up to it and hit it. If the horse bites someone and they immediately hit it back (or bite it if they prefer
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) then the horse will still not appreciate it, but it may understand that biting someone results in something negative happening to it, and may learn not to bite or whatever.

Can you understand what I am trying to say now? (My sentence structure sometimes is just one b*lls up and totally changes the meaning of sentences LOL!)
 
I'm having trouble picturing someone who has been bitten by the horse just standing there nice and quietly for minute before they realise they have been bitten .... and then all of a sudden leap out of their skin and run over to whop the horse, LOL!! That seems like odd behaviour to me and I can't believe that anyone does that, unless they have a problem with their nerve-endings.
 
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I'm having trouble picturing someone who has been bitten by the horse just standing there nice and quietly for minute before they realise they have been bitten .... and then all of a sudden leap out of their skin and run over to whop the horse, LOL!! That seems like odd behaviour to me and I can't believe that anyone does that, unless they have a problem with their nerve-endings.

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I suppose it depends where they are. I have seen people lead/ride horse out of the ring perfectly calmly and then get around the corner and wallop them for misbehaving in the ring.
 
but people do wait until there out of sight, say a horse refuses in the ring, rider comes off, they wait until their back at the lorry before telling the pony off.

Or the rider is not in a position to tell the horse off straight away, say fallen, hurt or something.

It happens.
 
Perhaps being bitten was a bad example then, but if a horse put in a dirty stop at a fence you would tell it off right away and not 5 minutes later, which is the impression I got those who answered yes to the last question would find acceptable.
 
True; but that isn't the same as hitting a horse whilst still on it and in the ring, or smacking the horse at some point after it has bitten you.

My point really is the timing........what is the timing? 1 second, 2 seconds, 10 seconds, 1 minute later? And what is happening in all those seconds on the lead up to the smack which some people seem to imply that the horse has absolutely no idea why it is being hit because the hit was not a nanosecond later?
 
On the contrary, the biting example was perfect in my opinion. Do you personally think that if a horse bit you, and you did the usual bouncing around and crying and hugging your hand......and then 1 minute later when you recovered enough to hit the horse, do you think it will understand that it was hit for biting you?
 
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