Comments on: Clever Hans the Math Horse

By: comamoto

comamoto — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:16:08 +0000

[quote]AZ196F said: “”wag my finger either side to side for yes or up and down for no”

I always thought up and down was yes and side to side was no.”[/quote]

Not in Bulgaria. “No” is nodding your head; “yes” isn’t shaking your head (rotating on your neck/axis) but tilting it back and forth between your shoulders.

I guess that may apply to eastern Europe in general, but haven’t visited those countries yet.

Sorry, off-topic…

Fabulous article!! (Wish I’d seen “Equus”…damn, off-topic again!)

By: amchornetgirl

amchornetgirl — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:13:03 +0000

Has anyone else here read the book “Beautiful Jim Key”? He supposedly came before Clever Hans, and he’s American ;) His talents were used to help promote humane treatment of animals, which during that time period was somewhat unheard of.

By: herkayle

herkayle — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:52:26 +0000

Awesome!! Horse are definitely clever. I also consider them as one of man’s best friend. Ohh, I remember this videos I watched entitled “Horse party?” wherein they featured the funny budwiser snowball fight – horses and Horse Party!… It’s priceless :- )

By: ao

ao — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:26:27 +0000

spam removed

By: BlackFoxOne

BlackFoxOne — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 12:14:01 +0000

Great Story! That is one smart cookie for sure!

By: piratelickitysplits

piratelickitysplits — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:41:10 +0000

Last time I checked, a horse’s ability to find square roots didn’t ever save one from a predator or find it food or shelter. It seems weird that a scientist chose to deduce an animal’s intelligence by testing it in ways it never would have developed. It seems from the above stories that horses(and goats) are very intelligent in applicable ways. Would a horse judge our intelligence in our ability to jump fences or choose the healthiest grains?

By: Christopher S. Putnam

Christopher S. Putnam — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:34:18 +0000

[quote]Yet she would get around the twin strand hot wire without disturbing either it or the mounting poles. Generally if an animal was where it should not be, the wire was broken or strung across the ground along with the mounting poles. Not her. After almost two weeks I finally caught her by-passing the wire. This tall animal had learned how to drop to the ground and shimmy like a soldier on her belly underneath the middle strand of the hot fiber wire which was around 30” or so off the ground.[/quote]

When I was a kid, our family raised some pet goats. No conventional fence could hold them in — they’d find a weak spot and ram it until it broke open. Eventually we set up an electric fence, which kept them stumped for at least a couple of weeks.

Turns out goat horns are rather good insulators. The buggers would push up the bottom wire with their horns and slide right under, then head up the road together to party. Luckily, if you clapped your hands and shouted at them a couple times, they’d know the jig was up and sheepishly (hiyo!) turn around and march back into the pen.

Are goats off-topic?

By: Radiatidon

Radiatidon — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:04:06 +0000

I also had a “Too Smart Horse”. In the pasture close to my home, I would divide-up the area using fiber hot wire. That way I could control the grazing areas of the animals, except for one mare. This thoroughbred stood at an impressive 17 hands. Yet she would get around the twin strand hot wire without disturbing either it or the mounting poles. Generally if an animal was where it should not be, the wire was broken or strung across the ground along with the mounting poles. Not her. After almost two weeks I finally caught her by-passing the wire. This tall animal had learned how to drop to the ground and shimmy like a soldier on her belly underneath the middle strand of the hot fiber wire which was around 30” or so off the ground. Wished I had gotten it on video, really interesting, yet funny at the same time. With her jaw touching the ground, she would weave her head back and forth like a snake while pulling her body forward by the inch using just the fore legs with her rear legs dragging behind. Not a normal sight one would expect to see a horse in. Yet it worked and she could get to the forbidden pastures to the envy of the rest of the herd. Adding a third strand to the setup stopped her wanderings. It was quite funny watching her after, walking back and forth along the hot fence, head hung low as she examined that cursed third wire. Seeking an area she would feel confident in breaching. This mare would also step over the pig panels and trot over to the pig feeders, flip open the feeder’s top panel with her nose, and eat the grower grain. I used some snow-chain rubber bungees to strap down the lids. Nope, she learned to use a hoof to pop the rubbers off. Next I surrounded the pen with elevated mounting poles and hot fiber wire. This one took her a week to get around. She learned to break branches off some pasture trees and if she dropped them on the fiber wire, she could cross without getting shocked. This caused the hot wire to ground out when it touched the pig panels. Finally I installed a lock and hasp to beat her at this game. Once again I wished I had videoed it. She would push her rump against a lower limb until it snapped. The she would complete the break by stepping on it with a front hoof. Once freed from the tree, she would grasp it in her mouth and drag it to the pig enclosure, dropping it onto the hot wire. As far as catching her and riding, all I had to do was whistle and call. She always came running and stood patiently as I saddled her, due to her size and length, a real pleasure to ride. As a side note, she was not the only animal that we've owned that displayed high intelligence. The Don