Riders and Horses

Do you think your horse would be able to pick you out of a crowd? Chances are he could do that quite readily. Maybe even blind-folded. Scientific American reviewed an experiment where horses were able to identify their keepers from a slew of photographs. Amazingly, some mares identified not just their current owner but previous keepers as well.

Most people talk to their horses. They tend to be good listeners. But have you ever wondered how many words they know? Horses not only understand when you speak but they also interpret your tone. Animal Cognition has an excellent article on this subject.

They look like good listeners.

Popular clinician and trainer, Ken McNabb, disagrees. “Horses understand intent and tone, but they don’t understand English,” notes McNabb. He also says that people rely too heavily on their voices when working around horses. In this Horse Illustrated article, McNabb illustrates the principle of using body language to communicate with your horse.

In contrast, Trainer Bob Wood, asserts that horses can learn six to eight words. These include walk, trot, canter, back, whoa and stand. (Captain knows more than that!) In this Horses for Life blog, Wood explains more.

A room for Captain

Dogs, who have been domesticated for much longer can learn up to 250 words.

So, if I brought Captain home to live with us, I’m guessing within five years his expanded vocabulary would include the phrases: “Dinner’s ready,” “Make your bed,” and “Put the toilet seat down.”