Last Updated on February 19, 2022 by Allison Price
William Simpson and Laura live in the Soda Mountain Wilderness near the Oregon-California border. The Simpsons have the opportunity to view wild animals such as wild horses, which pass right through their backyard.
According to fossils discovered in the area, the horses living in the Soda Mountain Wilderness Area, Siskiyou County (Calif.) and Jackson County (Ore.) have lived there at least a millennia. He notes that the horses have been documented in local papers for more than 100 years.
Simpson was struck by the attention that the horses paid to him when he spoke with them. Simpson noticed that horses have powerful senses of hearing and smell, so he talks softly to them. He started to investigate the intelligence of horses and was surprised at what he discovered.
Simpson selected an excerpt from The Equine Behavioral Health Resource Center, in which brain weight and intelligence are equated. The average human brain is 3 pounds in weight, while the brain of a horse weighs 2.5 pounds. This is approximately the same size as a child’s human brain.
Simpson noted that the brains of horses and humans are similar. However, there are a few key differences. The horse’s brain is used primarily to process information from the environment. The human brain uses a lot of fine motor skills and language.
Simpson points out that scientists believe horses are smarter than a 12-year old human. Their cerebellum is more powerful than that of a human, since horses must be able stand and use their legs within one hour after birth. Horses learn a movement quickly, and it is not forgotten. Humans, however, tend to retain information only for a very short time, unless it is regularly reviewed.
