Germany Laughing Horse Ranch

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 Scientists Discover That Horses Can Use Symbols To Talk To Us (sciencemag.org) 

 Scientists have discovered that horses can learn to use another human tool for communicating: pointing to symbols.

 They join a short list of other species, including some primates, dolphins, and pigeons, with this

talent. 

Scientists taught 23 riding horses of various breeds to look at a display board with three icons, representing wearing or not wearing a blanket. 

Horses could choose between a "no change" symbol or symbols for "blanket on" or "blanket off." 

The horses did not touch the symbols randomly, but made their choices based on the weather.

 If it was wet, cold, and windy, they touched the blanket-on icon; horses that were already wearing a blanket nosed the "no change" image. 

But when the weather was sunny, the animals touched the blanket-off symbol; those that weren't blanketed pressed the "no change" icon. 

The study's strong results show that the horses understood the consequences of their choices, say the scientists, who hope that other researchers will use their method to ask horses more questions.

 The report has been published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

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 Top Ten Things Horses Will Teach You