Do Horses Understand?

[ImaBronsonBear]

Ok, i know that it's kind of a stupid question when you think about it, whether horses understand people or not. I've always thought that they couldn't, well besides emotions (mad, sad, happy, etc.), but now i'm not too sure...

You see, i give lessons on both of my horses. And Bronson is, well, a total and complete brat.:rolleyes: But not in the bad sense; he teaches intermediate riders timing (if he's slowing down, you need to squeeze then and not after he starts walking!), the importance of squeeze, kick, smack every single time he doesn't go into a trot, and he basically teaches them to feel the horse and act accordingly.

Anyway, so this was the last lesson of the day, and Bronson had already given one short lesson, in which we worked on trotting when asked, not stopping at random times, etc. Basically being his nomal annoying self.:cool: I was tired and i really really did not want to coach another "squeeze, kick, smack" lesson again. So while the girl was off getting her helmet, i looked him straight in the eye and begged him to please be good. Don't know if i thought it, or said it out loud, or what.

But he was absolutely perfect the entire lesson. I am not kidding. I didn't even have to give the girl a whip because he obeyed nearly every command, even cantering. Needless to say, i was amazed. Maybe he decided to turn over a new leaf, but i somehow don't think so.:rolleyes:

So what do you think? Do you think that sometimes horses can understand us?:popcorn:

[Cat]

Maybe he picked up a different energy level from you and decided that you meant business this lesson?

[KittySawrus]

I second Cat's idea. He could definitely have gotten a "smarten up, sonny-boy" kinda vibe :)

I think they understand our energy...I'm not so sure about the language. I definitely get the feeling of language barrier sometimes :D

[carla]

Cute story! I agree with the others. I say it's a vibe he may have picked up, which, essentially, is "understanding" you.. it's all relative I guess. How neat! :)

[lisakaye]

I really think that they sense it. I think, and maybe I am crazy, but horses are more in tune to our feelings and emotions than we are most times.

[vicklynn]

I really think that they sense it. I think, and maybe I am crazy, but horses are more in tune to our feelings and emotions than we are most times.

Aint that the truth

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

I think they can understand. I ask my Appy questions all the time - like whether he wants to go outside or if he wants to come in and he will let me know.

I'm always talking to my horses so I think they start to understand what words mean when associated with certain actions or things.

[Gypsy Rose]

I think horses can understand. They may not understand an actual sentence or phrase literally, like we do, but I think they pick up on our body language and emotions, as well as simple words.

I used to have a pony that was so hard mouthed when I got her, that my instructor had me teach her voice commands. Worked great for the most part, until I went to take a lesson one day with a different instructor. The minute she asked me to trot Goldie, the pony took off at a trot. Didn't matter that she would have been using normal conversational tones rather than command. After five minutes of frustration- the instructor wanted ME to cue the pony of course- we substituted the words "tin can" for trot, and the lesson went well after that.

[WashingtonBay]

A lady called me once, out of the blue, wanting to buy my bad pony. I think my vet told her I had a cute pony I didn't have a use for.

I said she wasn't really for sale, but I would consider letting her go to the right place and she could LOOK.

I groomed and lunged her, she was docile, sweet, calm, quiet, responsive... an angel. The lady raved about her.

Well, in the end, though she was willing to invest in training, she did want the pony for a child who was not experienced, so I had to sit there and talk her out of this pony. I said "look lady, I don't know why this pony is trying to get herself sold, but this is NOT the pony you'd have when you got her home. She's up to something. :)

Every time I show her to someone, she's a dream. I think she just hates me. :D

[Kowgirlkate]

I believe they can understand us. Maybe you gave hin the 'Evil mare Eye" Ima, like the boss mares do

[GrungeEquestrian]

I believe they understand. The one thing I love about horses is how easily they can pick up our feelings. Trouble knows when I mean business and usually doesn't try anything. Sometimes I think they are too smart for their own good. When I first got Trouble I used mostly voice commands because with the slightest squeeze she would take off. Now she goes with all sorts of aids and I don't say "trot" everytime I want her too. The other day my sister was trying to get her to trot while riding bareback. She kicked her squeezed her but the stubborn girl wouldn't I was getting bad because my sister seemed to be giving up. I told her to jump off and I was angry mostly at her. I jumped on Trouble asked her to walk and yelled "Why can't you get this horse to trot, she can trot." Once trot left my mouth Trouble was off....I am pretty sure she was thinking "o momma is mad...I better listen."

[MNHorsegal]

I definitely think horses can sense energy. Either he sensed that you meant business, Or the rider that had him later in the day had a more assertive energy herself.

[alittleoffkey]

They definitely know what's going on with people they're around all the time. Leggy loves to be a brat with me, and I love for him to be a brat - he's my love and my challenge. If I need to be reminded of my place in the world, then he's more than happy to put me there... but if I've had a miserable day and I need a horse to love, he's going to be the first to run up to me and stand completely still until I've decided we've hugged/chatted/cried enough.

It just depends on the horse. I don't know if Pinto would be an angel for me if my life depended on it (the rest of the time, however... she's more than happy to fill the role :rolleyes:). Sometimes they just know. :)

[KCandAllegro'sMom]

A lady called me once, out of the blue, wanting to buy my bad pony. I think my vet told her I had a cute pony I didn't have a use for.

I said she wasn't really for sale, but I would consider letting her go to the right place and she could LOOK.

I groomed and lunged her, she was docile, sweet, calm, quiet, responsive... an angel. The lady raved about her.

Well, in the end, though she was willing to invest in training, she did want the pony for a child who was not experienced, so I had to sit there and talk her out of this pony. I said "look lady, I don't know why this pony is trying to get herself sold, but this is NOT the pony you'd have when you got her home. She's up to something. :)

Every time I show her to someone, she's a dream. I think she just hates me. :D

Maybe she just wants to try her tricks out on someone who doesn't know how to beat her at her own game?

Silly pony

[JackieB]

That's a great question, Bronson. Certainly they can understand plenty of things such as our mood, energy level, some words, and so on. It's much harder to know for sure that Bronson understood that you were pleading with him to behave for the lesson so that you didn't have to get on him about it. But, anyone who says they know for sure that horses can't understand these things might be completely mistaken. It's a great question and I'd be willing to accept that he may have understood what you were asking and responded accordingly.

[medicine hat]

WashingtonBay's pony story is so funny!
I know they understand~ it would be way to many coincidences otherwise!
the latest~my friend & I were returning to the barn after a trail ride. as we near the barn, we realize there is a birthday party going on (the barn owner hosts them) right where we need to ride by. balloons, 20-30 5-ish yearolds running, screaming, waving cowboy hats, total chaos, you get the picture. :eek:
we pulled up our horses, (who were perking up & starting to balk by now) and told them "just stay calm & keep walking, it's just kids, they won't hurt you, we'll get you past them"
our horses sniffed noses for a minute.
usually they nip & play when they sniff noses, but not this time.
then, with a sigh, they started forward at a walk, and bless their hearts they walked steadilly right through the middle of it without missing a single step. even when the adorable little girl in the pink ruffly dress came squealing up to us!
the part that got me was how they sniffed noses for a minute after we talked to them, and then started walking~

[lovesfortune]

I definitely think they are in tune to feelings and emotions. Sometimes I think my two understand when I talk to them, but maybe they are just picking up on my energy.

But the other night when I was upset about something, I went out to the pasture at dark to just be with them. They both came right up and stood with me, let me put my head on them, and I talked. Now who knows if they got it all, but that was the first time I really felt like part of the herd with them.

[Miracle Whip]

Washington Bay, I think you are just chicken to let her go!!!!!!!

Ginger knows when I am spacey, like after a hard day at work. She will amble along until I wake up, and she KNOWS when I am done watching the scenery. Most horses are like that, they can sense your energy level or something, but it surprised me how she perked up so much just from a pat on the neck that day. It was like....Chris is with me, lets GO!!!

[Miracle Whip]

I would LOVE to have Ginger be good for a potential buyer. Right now, she is leery of ANYONE she does not know. Even accomplished riders cannot get on her at the mounting block. I talked to a lady who used to ride Hackneys and she said the same thing, that her friend could not get on her pony without help or tying her up. They seem to be one person creatures. Did you lunge the pony or did the potential buyer do it? Could the stranger tack her up? Catch her?

[valleyrider]

I agree with what every one says.. My boys understand my moods, feelings,(happy & sad) and energy. When I am sad they know it. When I am mad they know that too. I talk to them and they seem to understand what I say, but I agree it is the sound you use to the action you are doing. I taught Bones to step to the side when I go into his stall to feed him. Just by pushing gentley on his rump and saying the word *over* everytime . After a while I just said the word and he would side step so I can get out after putting in his grain. Now I don't even have to say anything, he just moves over. He is such a good boy.

[Syble413]

I believe our horses are much more intuitive than we give them credit for. And they read our body language with a glance......

One day my daughter & I were at the barn trimming bridal paths & facial whiskers on our herd. We had them all at the barn & as we finished each horse they were turned out into the upper pasture. Our yearling Pearl was the last to be done. By the time we turned her out, the others had already gone into the lower pasture. She immediately started calling for them & when she didn't see them, she freaked! I'm talking running full speed around the fence line while bucking & neighing. After she ran around a couple of minutes I yelled "You dummy, they went that way!" & pointed toward the lower pasture. She stopped dead in her tracks...... looked at me for a second, turned, & went through the gate to the lower pasture!

[ImaBronsonBear]

Ya'll have so many interesting ideas! I'm really have a good time reading through all your takes on this.:)

I think Bronson reads into my body language, etc., a lot more than i give him credit for.

[Syble413]

I think Bronson reads into my body language, etc., a lot more than i give him credit for.

I think this is true for most of us. We just don't pay as much attention to it as we should. In the wild, a horse's survival often depends on how well they read the animals around him/her. Why should it be any different with us?

[TheBadLands]

I think they do...

I often ride next to the kids who can ride alone, on an old QH who is lazy as cold molasses racing a rabbit uphill...

And the other day, a kid decided to "take off" on a horse and all I could say was "PLEASE Tali help me get this kid" and all the sudden he was sea biscuit.

I swear they like to be brats.. but when you need them they're always there.

[Blue]

I think they can! :) Energy and body language.

[Apaches Mom]

Like others have mentioned, I think it's all about reading our emotions (hence body language) They are so sensitive. More times than I can count, I've been upset and went to my horse. He'll stand there and hug me as I lean against his shoulder. If I'm not upset, he'll stand with me but he never hugs. They know when we've "had enough" and mean business. They know when we're not paying attention or don't have the experience and can get away with things. And they're bratty enough to try it!

Years ago, I had one horse who had been contested. And she was always antsy to GO! She'd prance, and jig when you mounted. Some friends came over with their young kids while I was riding. They had an "almost" teen and she got on Jetta. Jetta was her normal jiggy self. But then I put the 5 yr old on her with a tight grip on the child. And Jetta immediately became a western pleasure deadhead. She knew she had a baby on her and had to take care of her.

And they most definitely understand certain words. As a child, my 4-h horse knew all the words for the gaits. While showing, when the announcer would annouce to change gaits, my horse would immediately do that gait. With no cue from me. The problem came when they would say to reverse and trot. Of course she immediatly went into a trot. :)

[IrisGreen]

Yeah, I agree. I know they pick up on our moods but they also pick up on are nature. Are we dominant, passive, un-trustworthy, a good leader and so on.

Muffin I think trys to make an extra effort to get my attention or affection or communicate with me in his own way. He talks to me in a low voice like a baby whispering when he is happy to see me. He also will talk to my Husband or Mom if they go out there to feed him every once in a while. But, he almost never talks to other horses even when they are screaming at him to talk back.

I've posted this video before but I think it shows how Muffin will do extra things to get my attention or try to act like me. I would go out to his pen and always greet him with "what's going on, Muffin" and turn my head to the side. Once day he just started doing it back like he was copying me. I usually will ask him what hes doing then give him his kiss and pet on him. Now he starts turning over his head as I walk out there greeting me in the same way I would greet him? I started saying "what" and he turns his head over so I turned it into a trick so he does it when you say ask him "what".

YouTube - Muffin Learning Head turning trick

[Remali]

I definitely think some horses really understand. My Arabian mare Kara and I had such an amazing bond, it was almost eerie and unreal... we were so in tune with one another, and all thru the 22 years that I owned her it never waivered ever. I swear that mare could read my mind....she was the most gentle and sweet horse, and seemed to know what I was thinking.

[FoxFireEMT]

I def. believe that horses can pick up on peoples feelings & emotions. I also feel that they just "know" sometimes too. I believe they have that 6th sense that everyone say they have sometimes!

[sarhound]

Animals are a lot smarter than humans give them credit for--they may not understand English, per se, but they certainly can understand intent and meaning. I've seen it in my search dog, who does have a "vocabulary" of several phrases, understands what they mean, and performs based on those phrases. She's almost eerie in her complete understanding of what we need to do and what I'm asking of her.

Prince proved to me that he can understand what I'm asking when he went lame right after he got to my farm. I spent a couple of days trying to figure out what was wrong with him--there was no obvious injury to leg or foot, but he was uncomfortable. It was even difficult to tell which leg was affected. I told him that I was going to call the vet, but I needed to know exactly where he was hurting so I could relay the information. I almost fell over in shock when he picked up his right foreleg and put his foot in my hands.

I didn't see anything there in his foot, but the vet drained an abscess that afternoon. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.

Animals will speak volumes if we take the time to listen to them.