For those of us who have spent long hours just observing horses, they are so incredibly smart. While working at many show barns and training baby race horses my younger son and I observed that horses easily transfer from one language to another as they are brought in from many other countries to run in big barns, or perform in shows in America. Horses in the wild, or in large turn out pastures also when observed show an incredible ability to communicate. I had one alpha mare that was a significant help to me in quieting down show and racing horses that had had little or no horse training beyond being left in stalls, or in pastures with other weanlings, and the young race horses before being brought into the barns and trained by humans. My mare would spend one day with these misbehaving horses, and they would have a whole new attitude, and since she let us be the leader of the herd, they were quite happy to give up their antics and behave as members of the socialized herd, instead of rogue brats. This mare would make tiny ear and head signs and the other horses would stand back, even in other corrals, from their food until SHE had eaten hers, and asked them to bring pieces of their flakes of hay, and even drag their buckets or tubs over where she could reach through and take what she wanted. I was astounded when I found this out. Often while working night watch at huge barns horses would need something, and indeed they do find their own ways of asking the humans. One blood stock agent was sitting on a chair chatting to a friend when she noticed a young horse making strange moves with its head, sort of come of over here moves. She finally said, I have to check this out, and went on over, and sure enough, the horse had gotten a leg stuck in the hay feed rack and if it had exploded it might have hurt itself badly, instead it had patiently waited, motioning her to come on over. One morning while visiting a friend I noticed one of my usually antsy Arabians standing quietly, and not coming over for food. Then I realized he was making strange moves with HIS head. I went over and he had caught his shoe in the chain link, and as he had been taught since a colt, he had just stood there waiting for me to get his leg unstuck!!! And he had told me to come help him!!! I think people are arrogant to think animals are not smart, I have seen animals learn more than one language, fast, and I have seen way too many therapy animals that are much smarter than the therapists they work for.............to not think that animals, especially horses and dogs, are very alert and aware and able to communicate in our language since we do not do well in theirs.