08/27/2024
Norwegian researchers taught 23 horses how to express their needs using symbol boards, and the horses loved it.
We had to share this. We all know our horses talk to us in many different ways (some more than others:), so everyone will appreciate this.
If only our horses could tell us what they want. Like, what if your horse could run up to you and say, "I'm cold; may I have my blanket?"
That's precisely what a group of researchers at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and their team of 23 steeds have accomplished in two separate stables in Norway. Anyone who has ever had a relationship with a horse knows how intelligent they are and that they often understand what the human wants, but now we may have an entry into a better understanding of what a horse may desire.
The team trained the horses for 10 to 15 minutes daily to learn three symbols' meanings. After just 11 days, all 23 horses could recognize the meanings: Blanket on, blanket off, or no change. What's beautiful is that not only were they so easily able to learn the symbols, and then they put that knowledge to work, but the whole thought process involved. "I'm hot, I want this blanket off, I'll nudge the "blanket off" symbol to have my blanket removed" – which is what participating horse Poltergeist is indicating in our post.
We encourage everyone to share this post. Who knows, maybe we can start a horse university sometime soon :) Who's in?
Read the whole story here! https://ow.ly/RNso50T7GTy?
