As a practically life-long horse owner and horse veterinarian since 15+ years, I’ve been asked — and wondered — numerous times about whether or not horses actually know their names, and how you can teach them. So I figured I’d try to answer some of the questions you may have about horses and their names, based on my own experience (both personal and professional).
So, Do Horses Actually Know Their Name?
Horses can learn to know their names just as they can learn the word “Canter” or “Whoa” etc. But you should be aware that humans and horses don’t communicate in the same way by nature.
So how can horses now understand their name when they are not talking to each other with words?
In history, humans tended to breed on horses who were interested in humans and took contact with humans which led to horses being alert to our signals and our way of communication.
Traditionally we used to command horses but today’s training and holding of horses is more based on communicating and listening to the horse.
Can a horse listen for its name?
Horses are excellent listeners with a great hearing capability similar to ours. The horse might hear louder tones than us and it can turn its outer ear. The positioning and movement of the outer ear make it easy for a horse to distinguish which direction a sound is coming from. The movement of the ears is also a very important part of mimic communication. Front pointed ears signal that the horse’s attention is focused, and this is what most often happens when you call your horse’s name. The opposite – ear tilted back – is a signal of insecurity, fear, and aggressiveness.
Do horses understand verbal communication e.g. understand their names?
Horses’ natural way of communication is not that verbal they are more in to interact with subtle signs, mimicking and by moving away or not. But horses can for sure understand human spoken words, especially emphasis, pace, and tempo. They are very good at hearing and differentiating our state of mind. The horse can learn words, but the tone is very important so you must pronounce and tone the horse’s name the same way every time to learn the horse its name.
Horses are often thought of as creatures that can only understand simple commands such as “walk” and “whoa”. However, a study by researchers at the University of Sussex suggests that horses may be able to understand their name when it is called by a human. The study found that when a horse’s name was callitthey looked in the direction of the person who called them. However, the horses were more likely to listen to their name when it was called out by a person known to the horses compared to when it was called out by a stranger, which may indicate that the horses listened more to the tone of voice than the name itself.
There is some debate over whether horses understand human verbal communication. Some people believe that horses can understand the meaning of their name, and can respond to basic commands like “come” and “stay”. Others claim that horses simply react to the tone of voice and body language of their handler, and are not understanding what is being said. There has yet to be a definitive study on this subject, and further research is needed to determine whether or not horsetrulyly know their names.
Can you teach a horse its name?
Yes, immediately when the foal is born and there is a human present the foal starts to learn how to communicate with humans. Mostly it does so by following its mother and looking at her interaction with humans. During basic training of a horse, signal systems are taught where sound and words e.g. the horse’s name, is one part but most of it is pressure (adding or taking away).
Teaching a horse its name is not as obvious as teaching a dog its name, for example. With the dog, the name is usually the first thing that is learned and also the one that is most often used when the dog is called. This does not mean that the horse is less able to learn names, but that we as trainers or owners do not put the same effort into teaching the horse its name. But some trainers especially those training with horses free in a group for shows, says there are three basic things that every horse should know – you should teach the horse its name, it should come when you call and it should be able to stand still.
Learning is defined as a change in behavior as a result of new experiences. Horses learn complex things faster and remember longer if they are in a safe environment and in a positive emotional state. But they also learn very quickly to be afraid of things (often things we don’t want them to be afraid of) and they remember it frighteningly very well and for a long time! Therefore, it is wise to avoid frightening your horse as much as possible. The important thing is to repeat what the horse has learned in different environments before you can expect it to generalize, i.e. to understand the signal even in all sorts of environments and with distraction.
How to teach a horse its name
There is no one right way to learn a horse’s name, but some methods work better than others. One of the most popular techniques is to associate the name with something the horse like. For example, if you have a horse named “Sunny,” you might say his name every time you give him a treat or when he does something good. You could also try repeating the horse’s name out loud every time you see him. Here is an example of how to train your horse to understand its name:
– Stand with the horse still about one meter in front of you
– Step back three paces and just, just as the horse is about to lift its leg and take a step forward, say the horse’s name and reward
– Repeat the above until the horse learns
The third language
Because horses and humans don’t naturally speak the same language, they together create their own “language” to communicate. Traditionally this “language” isn’t very verbal, instead, body language and tactile sensation account for a large part of the communication between horses and humans. Symbols can be part of the communication. Humans do use some verbal commandos in the interaction with horses but horses seldom use their voice in communication with humans. But they can respond when you call their name by neighing or with a nicker. Compared to training in other animals e.g., dogs were much more verbal communication is traditionally used. But scientists think that communication with horses would benefit from using more vocal commands. Horses can learn and memorize human words and hear the human voice even better than dogs.
Can horses recognize words?
Yes, horses can understand basic commands and carry out tasks accordingly. But can they recognize human words? Yes they can and here is a list of common words or sounds most horses recognize:
- The horse’s name
- “Whoa”
- “Walk”
- “Trot”
- “Canter”
- “Wait”
- “Back”
- “Easy”
- “Stand”
- “Over”
- “Quit”
- Clucking (clicking of the tongue, usually used to ask a horse to move on or move faster)
- Kissing sound/Smooching (kissing sound with the lips used to ask a horse to move on or up a gait)
Nickname
Do horses have nicknames?
In the horse world, nicknames are a common occurrence. From top racehorses to everyday backyard horses, everyone seems to have a nickname. But do horses need nicknames? Yes because many horses have long complicated names and then it is preferable to have a shorter nickname that is easy to pronounce and say. In these cases, the horse will for sure learn its nickname and respond to this instead of its real name.
Changing the horse’s name
By many, it’s said to be bad luck changing a horse´s name but even so, it is quite common for horse owners to change their horses’ names. Sometimes this is simply because the owner doesn’t like the name their horse was given at birth or a name change takes place when horses change owner, trainer, or rider. Important when choosing a new name for your horse, make sure the name is easy to say and spell. You don’t want your horse’s name to be hard for people to remember or call out. When changing a horse´s name, you need to relearn the new name if you want the horse to understand and respond to its name.
What’s a good horse name?
Of course, this depends on personal preferences, but from a learning point of view, the name must be easy to pronounce and not too long. However, as mentioned earlier, the tone of voice and the way you pronounce the name are what determine whether the horse perceives and recognizes the name or not. Some say a horse’s name should be unique, easy to remember, fits the personality of the horse, and has a positive meaning. Another thing to consider when naming your horse is how unique the name is. You don’t want another horse in your area with the same name as yours!
Conclusion
In conclusion, it appears that horses can learn their names given enough time and repetition. However, it is still unclear whether they understand the significance of their name or see it as simply a label. Further research is needed in this area to determine whether horses are capable of self-awareness.
Resources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35911274
Proops Leanne and McComb Karen 2012Cross-modal individual recognition in domestic horses (Equus caballus) extends to familiar humans, Proc. R. Soc. B.2793131–3138 http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0626
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