The equine brain is a bit like a high-functioning company, with each department playing a crucial role. There's the cerebrum for decision-making, the cerebellum for motor skills (think 'dancing horse'), and the brainstem for basic life functions. Each part works in harmony to make your horse the graceful, intelligent creature it is. A brainy ballet, if you will. Where Is a Horse's Brain Located? Horses typically have around 205 bones in total, which is only one less than we do. However, Arabian horses tend to have 201 bones on average, although not all individuals share this trait. Other scientists have compared the brain size of horses to humans at different ages. They have concluded that the horse has a brain the size of a human child, with the mental capability of a 12-year-old. In the past, horses have been taught to perform basic math, reading, and even spelling exercises! Gut Sounds: You should hear long and short rumbles and some gurgles. If you do not hear any sounds, this is not good and could be a sign of colic.

Sensory compensation—the ways the brain overcomes the loss of one sense by beefing up its use of another. Over many years, I’ve discovered ways of working with the horse and not against his nature,” he says. “Understanding how a horse’s brain works and how they truly process information can, I believe, help steer the course of future horsemanship for the better.”Horses who become blind or deaf during their lives—for example, when an infection damages the organ gradually—have few problems adapting. One of the brain's star players is the hippocampus, known for its role in learning and memory. Horses have a well-developed hippocampus, allowing them to remember not just specific experiences but also general concepts. This means they're not just remembering the carrot you gave them yesterday; they're contemplating the philosophical implications of carrot-giving as a whole.

Discuss your horse’s recent and long term history – noting any illnesses, medications, injuries, changes in management or uncharacteristic behaviour Ten years: This is where the galvaynes groove appears on the top of the corner incisors and begins to grow downwards.This area of the brain is responsible for our reasoning and is something that makes humans completely unique. There is no one else who has as well-developed a prefrontal cortex as we have. With this part of the brain we can plan, we can compare, we can assess situations based on past experience. We can weigh the pros and cons of a situation, and we can link factors that do not necessarily occur simultaneously. The brain of the horse is structured differently than the human brain, so horses and humans are wired differently.