Study: Horses can communicate with us (x-post from /r/science) (bbc.co.uk)
submitted 2016-09-24 23:27:57 by btwIAMAzoophile Dogs are cute.
OriginalPostSearcher 1 point on 2016-09-24 23:28:20

X-Post referenced from /r/science by /u/OPisactuallydog
Horses can communicate with us - study found


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btwIAMAzoophile Dogs are cute. 5 points on 2016-09-24 23:31:13

I know, this probably comes as a huge shock to a lot of us. It is stated within the article that there isn't a lot of research like this for domestic animals aside from with cats and dogs.

pinkstray 2 points on 2016-09-24 23:36:23

Personally I welcome this sort of research. What many know through intuition and experience, science has to replicate to a more rigorous standard.

electricfoxx 3 points on 2016-09-25 00:20:08

Uh, yeah, Mr. Ed.

autotldr 1 point on 2016-09-25 05:10:13

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 72%. (I'm a bot)

"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."

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 muzzleThen, it was taught to tell the difference between different symbols on the board - blanket on, blanket off and no changeFinally, the horse was taught to associate a particular action with the symbols on the boardBy 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.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Theory | Feedback | Top keywords: horse^#1 train^#2 blanket^#3 animal^#4 research^#5

HeartBeatOfTheBeast Hoof and Claw 1 point on 2016-09-25 17:38:32

I knew this one horse that would kick his stall door when he wanted attention.

tencendur_ Neeeigh 1 point on 2016-09-25 20:35:28

Studies are good, but "the Union" and "the Hooking" were already documented in books. Also Clever Hans. Nothing really new under the sun.

peacheslala97 1 point on 2016-09-28 01:31:26

Well this was known to me already