(ARTICLE BELOW)

I am frequently surprised at the things that we need scientific studies to prove, as it seems to me that anyone who spends any significant time with animals should see that there is much more to them than simple organisms responding to instinctive urges.  

This article reminds my of my friend's horse, Aztero, a Swedish Warmblood whom I am convinced is part human.  I remember when he wanted to go into another field, closed off by a gate... He trotted up to the gate, then looked at me, where I was standing at the other end of the pasture, whinnied and gestured to the gate with his head, ears pricked forward.  I answered him, "No Aztero, you can't go out there now."  At that, his ears flicked backwards and he tossed his head in an expression of annoyance. I'm quite sure he was thinking, "Stupid human, can't understand anything!"

And then there was a very "Twilight Zone" type interaction with the same horse.  He had been injured, and was shut into the round pen to limit his movement while his owner tried to figure out what was wrong.  She had no idea where the lameness or injury was located. One day as I was working in the pasture, I walked up to the round pen, watched him amble around a bit, and asked rhetorically, "Awww, where does it hurt, boy?"  He looked at me, lifted his right hind as foals do when scratching an ear, nosed at his stifle, looked back at me and set his foot down.  I told his owner later that I knew what was hurting him.  With rest and treatment, he was soon back to normal. Still, it was a rather creepy interaction.

I have numerous other stories about this horse and his above-average intelligence. He could've been a great Hollywood animal actor, but is enjoying his life as a dressage horse currently.

Study Confirms Horses 'Talk' to Human Handlers

• By Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA
 
• Jun 9, 2016
 
• Topics: 
  • Behavior
   
  • Communication With Your Horse
   
  • Equine Welfare & Legislation
   
  • Horsemanship Science

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Horses do, in fact, try to intentionally communicate with us to achieve certain goals.

“Hey! See that bucket of feed over there? Yeah, that one. Can you grab that for me, please? I’m kind of hungry.”

Wait a minute. Did your horse just speak to you? Actually, he might have—in his own way, of course. New research by European scientists has revealed that horses do, in fact, try to intentionally communicate with us to achieve certain goals.

To read the rest of the article, click here.