My mare is so intelligent

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
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At the moment, my girl is having turnout in the arena, next to the others in the sand menage. For a mounting block, we've been using an upturned really big and strong tub. So it is always upside down in the corner of the arena. My mare likes to scratch her hocks on things such as wheelbarrows, and anything with a turned over plastic edge. So I have watched her every day, go up to the upturned tub and place her hoof on it, drag it onto its side and then use her nose to place it the right way up. She then backs up to it and stands scratching her hocks on it. Clever girl.

I do think that horses are far more intelligent than we give them credit for. Any other stories of your clever neddies?
 
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Yep - I took in a big heavy hunter type on the death of his owner. He was 20 and had lived in the same field all his life, mostly on his own and was so stressed by the move, he was really difficult to get to respect my space. So I decided I would reinforcement train him to back up on cue, much easier than arm or rope waving.
He loved food but really had a problem backing away from it - all he wanted to do was get closer to it. His solution? He walked straight past me and backed TOWARDS me and the food!
Problem solved, he had done the backing up, so he got the reward. I was very impressed by that from a horse who had had very little in the way of education.
 
JillA said:
Yep - I took in a big heavy hunter type on the death of his owner. He was 20 and had lived in the same field all his life, mostly on his own and was so stressed by the move, he was really difficult to get to respect my space. So I decided I would reinforcement train him to back up on cue, much easier than arm or rope waving.
He loved food but really had a problem backing away from it - all he wanted to do was get closer to it. His solution? He walked straight past me and backed TOWARDS me and the food!
Problem solved, he had done the backing up, so he got the reward. I was very impressed by that from a horse who had had very little in the way of education.
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Haha wise old man.
 
They are, and thats why we have so much fun an pleasure with them!

When our old pony broke her leg in the bottom field which we could not see from the house, our grey mare came to gate and made a noise till we went to see what was the matter, another time a friend in the next field belonging to the neighbour had caught her leg in their fence, our pony stood by her 'shouting' till someone went to investigate.
 
Adopter said:
They are, and thats why we have so much fun an pleasure with them!

When our old pony broke her leg in the bottom field which we could not see from the house, our grey mare came to gate and made a noise till we went to see what was the matter, another time a friend in the next field belonging to the neighbour had caught her leg in their fence, our pony stood by her 'shouting' till someone went to investigate.
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Bless. They really are amazing. My mare shouted like mad for me the day she did her shoulder. She was stood with all the other horses around her and just calling and calling until I came out to see what was the matter.
 
My mare does exactly what yours does with wheelbarrows, buckets etc, Wagtaill!
I can see her starting to edge towards them when I'm mucking out :), however this is also a mare that can open any lock and untie any leadrope near here. :rolleyes: clever lady.
 
ATrueClassAct said:
My mare does exactly what yours does with wheelbarrows, buckets etc, Wagtaill!
I can see her starting to edge towards them when I'm mucking out :), however this is also a mare that can open any lock and untie any leadrope near here. :rolleyes: clever lady.
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Sounds like a real character. I wonder why they like to scratch their hocks? Seems an odd place to like a scratch.
 
I suppose just because they can't reach these bits with their teeth doesn't exempt them from itching..

My horses also do it, on the barrow especially.. Any bits they can't reach themselves being itched puts them in to complete rapture :)

Another good place is the back of the leg above the heel bulbs
 
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