I'm not sure if there's any known way of comparing animal intelligence to human intelligence, but I'm going to say this; horses are fairly intellectual. They can be taught; they know and learn. Even when you attempt to teach a horse something that goes against its basic instincts, it will still follow you and obey so long as you take the trouble of 'breaking in' the pony gently. As an example, you can get a pony to conquer its fear of a weird and possibly threatening object by letting that horse get used to the presence of the object. It will take time, but if you are patient, the horse learns well. In the course of a life spent with horses, I have seen professional riders get their horses to do some laudable things (talking pony show-wise) with no apparent physical or vocal cues at all, and you can't reach that sort of understanding with an animal unless that animal has a certain level of intelligence.
You also can't reach that kind of understanding unless you relate to the horse. Let's get this straight: in the initial stage, you have to reach out to the horse, not the other way round. The big difference between you and any animal is that the animal does not know better, but you do. Therefore, it is down to you to take the lead, and if you set about it the correct way, you'll find your horse responding positively. Setting about it the right way means persuading the horse and steering it in the direction you want in slow steps. It suggests ingraining habits in the horse by rewarding it for everything it does right. You'll achieve a degree of unwilling obedience if you include punishment in your teaching curriculum, but you'll never achieve blind trust and tenderness.
Once a horse learns its lessons, it doesn't forget them, nonetheless it can become baffled badly if it starts receiving contrary instructions later on. You need to be consistent with your pony, and you need to make sure others are also consistent with it, because that is the only way you'll achieve the type of perfect coordination with your pony that you see in professionals.
You can see horses demonstrating their powers of understanding in alternative ways. I've seen horses instinctively put on their best behaviour with kids and women, and I have seen them roll their eyes at folk they had not seen before, but sensed were difficult to handle. I have seen horses finish with a grumpy rider and come to their owners with lots of joy, as if to show their relief at the end of an ordeal.
I think I can wrap up by asserting this: you gain a horse's complete understanding when you give it yours first. I have not seen a horse that didn't respond well to a keen tutor, handler or rider. Often horses can be very complicated, but just about inevitably that was because they'd not received proper care or coaching earlier. Even these horses can be brought into line, though with lots more patience than normal.
You also can't reach that kind of understanding unless you relate to the horse. Let's get this straight: in the initial stage, you have to reach out to the horse, not the other way round. The big difference between you and any animal is that the animal does not know better, but you do. Therefore, it is down to you to take the lead, and if you set about it the correct way, you'll find your horse responding positively. Setting about it the right way means persuading the horse and steering it in the direction you want in slow steps. It suggests ingraining habits in the horse by rewarding it for everything it does right. You'll achieve a degree of unwilling obedience if you include punishment in your teaching curriculum, but you'll never achieve blind trust and tenderness.
Once a horse learns its lessons, it doesn't forget them, nonetheless it can become baffled badly if it starts receiving contrary instructions later on. You need to be consistent with your pony, and you need to make sure others are also consistent with it, because that is the only way you'll achieve the type of perfect coordination with your pony that you see in professionals.
You can see horses demonstrating their powers of understanding in alternative ways. I've seen horses instinctively put on their best behaviour with kids and women, and I have seen them roll their eyes at folk they had not seen before, but sensed were difficult to handle. I have seen horses finish with a grumpy rider and come to their owners with lots of joy, as if to show their relief at the end of an ordeal.
I think I can wrap up by asserting this: you gain a horse's complete understanding when you give it yours first. I have not seen a horse that didn't respond well to a keen tutor, handler or rider. Often horses can be very complicated, but just about inevitably that was because they'd not received proper care or coaching earlier. Even these horses can be brought into line, though with lots more patience than normal.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her
extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about equine health
extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about equine health
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