I  I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life’s mystery and unpredictability, of life’s generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation.

Jane Smiley, Pulitzer Prize Winner and Horse Lover

Being with horses is much more than just riding .

Horses are social animals, who like company and make lasting friendships They use their well tuned senses to live along other horses and us humans

It is important to realize that horses perceive the world differently than us and we need to understand their world. As horses evolved on the great steppes and needed to survive attacks of big predators, they have finely attuned senses and their reactions can be very fast.  

The Senses

• Hearing.- horses have very keen hearing. They turn their ears to capture, locate and interpret sounds all around them. They can react to sounds they associate with danger.Focused ears pointing straight ahead can mean they have heard or seen something that cuaght their attention. Relaxed ears, with one pointed ahead and one backwards when you are riding, mean that they are focused on you and your aids.  
• Smell - horse also have a keen sense of smell. They recognize their friends by scent and when they meet horses, animals, humans and new objects, it is a good idea to give them a chance to smell and memorize the scent. Scent is also important to evaluate the quality of water and food.
• Taste - horses also use taste to evaluate if food is not toxic. Horse also have flavor preferences.  Generally they like sweet things. Some horses adore a carrot, whilst others prefer a banana.
• Touch - a horse is extremely sensitive to touch and can get rid a a fly by twitching the right skin muscle. The mouth whiskers and eyebrow are very important for warning the horse that an object is close. .
• Vision - a horse's vision is very different than ours. The position of the eyes means they can see 285 degree around them. Their blind spots are the tail area and right in front of their eyes.. Their three dimensional vision is much reduced, which is why a horse can suddenly react when it gets close to an object. One eye also perceives things differently than the other, which is why it is good to pass a new objects from both sides. Horses also see much better in the dark, but their eyes need more time to adapt when they go from sun to shade and visa versa.

For a long time many people thought that horses were largely instinctive beings. But recent studies are confirming, what anyone paying attention to horses already knew : horses have inner lives, emotions and can think for themselves. 

Intelligence

Horses have small brains, but that doesn´t mean they are "stupid". Their intelligence is lined to social organization and the challenges of finding water and food in a large area, whilst avoiding predators. In free roaming herds, there is an alpha mare, who uses her experience to guide the others and also teach the other mares and foals. Beneath her there is a hierarchy, where each member needs to find his or her place. The function of the stallion is more directed at dangers from outside and breeding. 

To navigate in the equine world you need to have an excellent memory and also be able to learn new things. Horses also have great navigational skills. 

For horses to do well in the human world, where they often live confined and controlled in their movements, they need to be adaptable as it is contrary to their real lifestyle

Research also shows that:  

• Horses are excellent at reading body language and non-verbal communication.
• Their neighs are complex and can convey more than we realize
• Horses learn though habituation, desensitization, pavlovian and operant conditioning 
• Horse have an excellent memory 

At the  Desempenho Riding School  our pupils have the opportunity to learn much more about horses than just riding them. Time spent next to the horse is what helps form true "Homo-Caballus partnerships".  All our pupils lean to groom and tack and also verify the basic welfare of the horse. There are also many opportunities to observe or simply be with horses and learn a bit about their world.

Through Instituto Homo Caballus we follow and investigate equine behavior and intelligence and organize courses to pass this knowledge on to our students.