Horses show they’re in the sympathetic nervous system in a few ways: their head raises above their withers, they show some white around their eyes, their body is tight and braced, they’re worried and whinnying, or they’re jittery and can’t stand still. During Straightness Training we keep him out of his survival state, out of his reptilian brain, and out of his right brain.

A key difference in the human brain versus the equine brain is the size of the frontal lobe, which is what allows abstract thinking, planning, strategy and forecasting of future events in humans. In the horse, the frontal lobe is very small compared to humans. In horses, this area is used for voluntary movement, like when a horse chooses to walk next to us, and not abstract thinking. Jim Masterson is the founder of the Masterson Method of equine bodywork that involves the horse’s input as a vital factor of the healing process. The horse's brain might not be winning any size contests against the human brain, but it's still pretty impressive. Weighing in at about 1.5 pounds, it's like a small but mighty commander-in-chief of the equine body. So, next time you're lifting a small bag of apples, think, "Hey, this is about the weight of my horse's brain!" How Is the Horse's Brain Different from Humans?While all horses will have at least 36 teeth at maturity, males are more likely to develop wolf teeth and can have up to 40. These usually appear at around 5 months to a year into the horse’s life. ah: adenohypophysis, alv: alveus, cam: ammon’s horn, cc: corpus callosum, cin: cingulum, cmf: commissure of fornix, cn: caudate nucleus, crc: cerebral crus, crt: rubro-cerebello-thalamic tract, dg: dentate gyrus, Ecs: ectosylvian sulcus, Ectm: ectomarginal sulcus, Enm: endomarginal sulcus, fh: fimbria of the hippocampus, fsc: subcallosal fasciculus, ha: habenula, han: habenular nuclei, hf: hippocampal fissure, hit: habenulo-interpeduncular tract, lgb: lateral geniculate body, lv: lateral ventricle, Mar: marginal sulcus, max: maxillary nerve, mgb: medial geniculate body, ml: medial lemniscus, nh: neurohypophysis, ot: optic tract, pcm: peduncles of the mammillary body, phg: parahippocampal gyrus, pul: pulvinar nuclei, rcc: radiation of corpus callosum, Sgs: sagittal sulcus, snr: substantia nigra, Sss: suprasylvian sulcus, stt: terminal stria; Syl: sylvian fissure, zi: zona incerta, III: oculomotor nerve. ab: amygdaloid body, alv: alveus, bcc: brachium of the caudal colliculus, ccba: caudal cerebellar artery, cfo: corpus of fornix, chp: choroid plexus, cl: central lobule, cn: caudate nucleus, crt: rubro-cerebello-thalamic tract, df: dentate fascia, Dia: diagonal sulcus, dtn: decussation of trochlear nerve, Gen: genual sulcus, gp: globus pallidus, hip: hippocampus proper, hit: habenulo-interpeduncular tract, ic: internal capsule, li: lingula of the vermis, lme: external medullary lamina, mcp: medial cerebellar peduncle, mgb: medial geniculate body, nrt: reticular nucleus of the thalamus, ot: optic tract, phg: parahippocampal gyrus, prpc: praepiriform cortex, Prs: presylvian sulcus, put: putamen, py: pyramis of the vermis, rcc: radiation of corpus callosum, rcp: rostral cerebellar peduncle, Rfi: rhinal fissure, rst: rubrospinal tract, smt: stria medullaris thalami, sl: lateral septal nuclei, sub: subiculum, trcn: trochlear nucleus, tu: tuber of the vermis, VII: facial nerve, VIII: vestibulocochleal nerve. A) Lateral view: Ans: ansate sulcus, ans: ansiform lobule, Cor: coronal sulcus, Dia: diagonal sulcus, Ecs: ectosylvian sulcus, ecs: ectosylvian gyrus, Ectm: ectomarginal sulcus, enrh: endorhinal sulcus, flo: flocculus, ob: olfactory bulb, Obl: oblique sulcus, obl: oblique gyrus, paf: paraflocculus, po: pons, Prr: prorean sulcus, prr: prorean gyrus, Prs: presylvian sulcus, Rfi: rhinal fissure, Sgs: sagittal sulcus, Sss: suprasylvian sulcus, Syl: sylvian fissure, syl: sylvian gyrus, V: trigeminal nerve. (B) Ventral view: cho: optic chiasma, chp: choroid plexus, crc: cerebral crus, dbb: diagonal band of broca, log: lateral olfactory gyrus, ob: olfactory bulb, op: olfactory peduncle, opn: optic nerve, otb: olfactory tubercle, pg: pituitary gland, po: pons, pyr: pyramidal tract, Sgs: sagittal sulcus, slu: semilunar gyrus, tb: trapezoid body. (C) Dorsal view, ans: ansiform lobule, Ans: ansate sulcus, Cor: coronal sulcus, Cru: cruciate sulcus, Ecs: ectosylvian sulcus, Ectm: ectomarginal sulcus, Enm: endomarginal sulcus, Mar: marginal sulcus, ob: olfactory bulb, Obl: oblique sulcus, pml: paramedian lobule, Prs: presylvian sulcus, Sss: suprasylvian sulcus, Syl: sylvian fissure, ver: vermis. (D) Frontal view, Ans: ansate sulcus, Cor: coronal sulcus, Cru: cruciate sulcus, Dia: diagonal sulcus, ob: olfactory bulb, Prs: presylvian sulcus. (E) Midsagittal view, Ans: ansate sulcus, cc: corpus callosum, Cing: cingulate sulcus, Cor: coronal sulcus, Cru: cruciate sulcus, dbb: diagonal band of broca, Eng: endogenual sulcus, Enm: endomarginal sulcus, Ensp: endosplenial sulcus, Gen: genual sulcus, Spl: splenial sulcus, Sspl: suprasplenial sulcus. The cerebral cortex(forebrain) is the largest part of the brain and is responsible for perception, information processing and voluntary control of movement.

Six years: The corner incisors are in wear and you have the dental star present on the center incisors.This pet forms these correlations through repetition. It is why trainers use body language repeatedly to teach the animal how to respond. Vices are negative activities that occur due to various causes, including stress, boredom, fear, excess energy, and nervousness. Horses naturally graze for 12 to 16 hours a day. When kept in stalls we prevent them from engaging in many natural activities such as grazing, walking, or playing with other horses. Not enough natural stimuli will cause a horse to invent its own stimuli. Once these habits start they are difficult to eliminate.

Radio stations mask some scary noises in an indoor arena. Novice horses often look for the origin of radio voices, becoming calmer when they identify the source. When horses see someone walk to the radio and adjust its volume, they are less frightened than when an equivalent volume change has no apparent agent. These observations refute the notion common among many scientists that animals like horses do not seek the agents of cause. Discuss your horse’s recent and long term history – noting any illnesses, medications, injuries, changes in management or uncharacteristic behaviour

Whether the size of a brain makes a difference to the intelligence of a creature is not entirely clear. Some scientists think that the level of intelligence increases if the size of the brain in proportion to the body increases, but others disagree. Horses also have the ability to remember people and their past experiences. This means your horse probably remembers that time you accidentally gave them two treats instead of one (and they're probably hoping for a repeat). Their remarkable memory is a testament to their intelligence and adaptability. A memory like a horse, if you will. Connecting with Humans: More Than Just Horse Sense To prevent the horse from being caught out, nature has come up with some clever solutions for covering these blind spots.