08/09/2024
New Research Proves Horses Have Super Intelligence
Horses are more intelligent than you think, and they possess advanced cognitive abilities.
Horses show abilities in problem-solving, emotional intelligence, memory, and learning that rank them among the smartest animals.
They have been known to open stable doors and untie knots, revealing their capacity for strategic thinking.
Emotionally, horses form deep bonds with humans and can sense emotions like pride and shame, often responding empathetically to their human companions. Their advanced cognitive skills allow them to understand symbols, communicate preferences, and adapt to complex situations, such as learning and responding to commands in therapeutic environments. In one study, horses demonstrated the ability to adjust their communication based on the knowledge or ignorance of their human caretakers. When the humans were unaware of food hidden in a bucket, the horses increased their use of visual and tactile signals, such as looking, touching, or nudging, to guide the humans to the food.
This flexible cognition shows that horses possess the ability to understand the knowledge state of others—an ability previously thought to be exclusive to some primates. The findings support the idea that horse-human communication is a two-way street, with horses actively trying to convey information to their human companions, much like they communicate within their herds. Compared to other animals, horses may not match the intellectual prowess of elephants but are considered more intelligent than dogs or cats in certain areas. They excel in equine-assisted therapies, using their sensitivity to human emotions to aid in psychological treatment.
