ROUND THE BEND - 5 minutes How good is your horse at solving problems?
This is both a problem-solving and a detour test. First your horse has to work out a route to the reward, and then they have to walk away from the treat in order to get it.
What do I need?
Two fences or some hay bales
A treat or toy
An open space
Step 1: Using the fences or hay bales, make a V-shaped barrier with a gap in the middle that is too small for your horse to fit through.
Step 2: Position your horse outside the V-barrier next to the gap.
Step 3: Stand outside the barrier, with the horse, and drop the treat onto the ground on the other side of the barrier so that your horse can see it through the gap. How does your horse react?
Results:
A - Horse immediately around the barrier to retreive treat
B - After some time, horse walks around barrier to retreive treat
C - Horse ignores the test or simply tries to get at the treat through the gap
If option A - Your horse cracked this puzzle remarkably quickly. This may be because it has come across a similar situation before, or it may be very good at looking at physical problems and coming up with solutions. This takes a fair deal of brain power.
If option B - Your horse took a little time to crack this puzzle. It may be that it spent a few moments trying to get at the treat before deciding on a less direct action, or it could have simply stumbled upon the solution by mistake as it walked away. If you repeated the test, it may do it more quickly now it knows what to do.
If option C - Your horse wasn't able to crack this puzzle. It may seem obvious to you, but to do this successfully, your horse must have a good understanding of its physical world, and be prepared to walk away from a treat in order to get at it. This is no mean feat.
