horses were trained to indicate whether or not they wanted to wear a blanket; their choices coincided with the weather, indicating intelligent choice.

Horses can communicate with us - scientists

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37450952

Image copyright Thinkstock

Horses have joined a select group of animals that can communicate by pointing at symbols.

Scientists trained horses, by offering slices of carrot as an incentive, to touch a board with their muzzle to indicate if they wanted to wear a rug.

The horses' requests matched the weather, suggesting it wasn't a random choice.

A few other animals, including apes and dolphins, appear, like us, to express preferences by pointing at things.

Dr Cecilie Mejdell of the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, who led the research, said they wanted to find a way to ask the horse whether or not it liked wearing a blanket.

In Nordic countries, it is common for horses to wear a blanket in all weathers.

"I think our study adds to the knowledge on horse cognition - about what horses are able to learn and how they think," she told BBC News.

"Horses are often considered to be not very intelligent but this shows that using the right methods they can actually communicate and express their opinions and they can take choices that seem sensible to us even."

Horse whisperers

The scientists worked with a horse trainer to teach 23 horses of various breeds how to communicate with humans.

• First the horse was trained to approach a board hung on a fence and touch it with its muzzle

• Then, it was taught to tell the difference between different symbols on the board - blanket on (horizontal bar), blanket off (vertical bar) and no change (blank)

• Finally, the horse was taught to associate a particular action with the symbols on the board

• By the end of the training, a horse was able to signal if it was too cold or too hot by going up to the appropriate board and asking for its rug to be put on or taken off

Horses requested a blanket in wet, windy and cold weather, but went without when the weather was sunny, say the researchers.

This shows the horse was making a choice based on its own motivation, not that of its trainer, they explain.

The whole process took place over two weeks with 10 to 15 minutes of training a day.

Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Different types of horse were studied

The scientists hope that other researchers will use their method to ask horses more questions.

They also think ordinary horse owners will be able to train their horses in this way.

Karen McComb, professor of animal behaviour and cognition at the University of Sussex, said the training method would be useful in animal welfare.

"This is a really interesting and innovative study that has conceived a very novel way of getting at what is going on in the mind of the horse," she said.

While communication with cats and dogs is the subject of much research, other domestic animals have been somewhat ignored.

Earlier this year, UK researchers said horses were able to discriminate between happy and angry human facial expressions.

The scientists say domestication may have enabled horses to understand human behaviour.

The study is published in the journal, Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

Yes, glue is very helpful.

^

and this is why cow ended up on the menu...

[Edited 9/26/16 17:04pm]

Fun Horse Facts

http://www.theequinest.com/random-horse-facts/

Here’s to learning something new today.

1. Leonardo da Vinci liked to draw horses.

2. An adult horse’s brain weights 22 oz, about half that of a human.

3. Horses can not vomit.

4. The first cloned horse was a Haflinger mare in Italy in 2003.

5. Until the 1960’s Dartmoor ponies were used to escort prisoners from local prisons while they were on outside duties.

6. The word chivalry comes from cheval the French word for horse.

7. Chariot racing was the first Olympic sport in 680 B.C.

8. The Dubai World Cup is 6 million dollars, the richest horse race purse in the world.

9. Horses like sweet flavors and will usually reject anything sour or bitter.

10. Like a fingerprint, every zebra has a unique stripe pattern.

11. To get an official measurement of a horses height, they must be measured without shoes.

12. Horses drink at least 25 gallons of water a day (more in hotter climates).

13. Horses teeth never stop growing.

14. Ragweed is responsible for more horse deaths than most other toxic plants.

15. It takes 9-12 months to re-grow an entire horse hoof.

16. Horses have been found in cave paintings that date back to around 15000 B.C.

17. You can tell if a horse is cold by feeling behind their ears. If that area is cold, so is the horse.

18. Mown grass cuttings can cause colic in horses.

19. Horses have 16 muscles in each ear, allowing them to rotate their ears 180 degrees.

20. According to Arabian folklore chestnut horses are the fastest and bravest of all colors.

21. Ponies live longer than horses and can live well into their 50’s.

22. The four horses of the apocalypse are said to signify the end of the world; conquest on a white horse, famine on a black horse, war on a red horse and plague on a pale horse.

23. A horse’s knee joint is the equivalent to a human wrist, and their hock joint is equivalent to the human ankle.

24. The gestation period for a mare is 11 months, for a female donkey it is 12 months.

25. Horses with pink skin can get a sunburn.

26. A small indent in a horses skin (usually on the neck or shoulder) is called a prophet’s mark and is considered good luck.

27. Mongolian tribes were the first to domesticate the horse, about 5000 years ago.

28. Legend has it that the Arabian horse was created by Allah, ‘out of a handful of the southern wind‘.

29. Horses have a great long term memory, (especially for places they were spooked).

30. The oldest horse on record lived to the age of 62 and died in 1822.

31. Horses thrive on routine, especially when it comes to food.

32. Giant white horses are carved in chalk on several hillsides in England. Some date back hundreds of years – folklore says that when King Arthur of he Round Table returns to the throne, one of the chalk horses would get up and dance.

33. The best way to determine the age of a horse is by examaning it’s teeth.

34. You can tell if a horse is dehydrated by pinching their skin, if it takes time for the skin to return from the pinch, they need water.

35. A horses stomach should always make gurgling noises, an absence of them can mean colic.

36. If a horse has a red ribbon on it’s tail, it kicks.

37. Horses have 7 common blood types.

38. The largest horse museum in the world is the International Museum of the Horse in Kentucky.

39. In Greek mythology Apollo delivered the sun and the moon to the sky every day in his horse drawn chariot

40. Horses are social animals and will get lonely if kept alone.

41. Donkeys have been known to live 35-40 years.

42. Arabian horses have one fewer vertebrae and one less rib than other breeds.

43. When cantering, a horse takes a breath with every stride.

44. Horses will mourn the passing of a companion.

45. All horses have parasites in their stomach and intestines in small quantities, they only become a problem if the count builds up.

morningsong said:

COW is going to have a few choice words for you.

awww i cows too