Horse University
Why Horse University?
- We want to adress the need for Mental Stimulation in horses, which is,next to Food, Forage and Friends, most important to equine wellfare.
- We are developing a puzzle system that gradually builds skills and understanding, while giving the horses more control in their daily life
- We want to use the skills the horses develop in the first few levels (Pony Pre School/Kindergarten/Primary School) to build a language in the High School and University levels, to make it easier for the horses to communicate with us, and for us to understand them.
- We hope that lots of people are willing to teach their horses these puzzles and follow the Horse University programm, so we can collect the data of a structured learning journey of a big group of horses. With this data we can learn so much about how horses learn and use it to connect better to our horses.
- Together we can find out how intelligent horses really are and even scientifically prove it.
- With the data of all these horses we can develop a Big Five personality test for horses to match horses and people better.
- Within the Horse University we can structure the learning journey of a big group of horses and build their skills gradually up to a common language for horses and humans. And the best part is, most of the skill building will be done by the horses all by themselves. By giving them acces to the puzzels in the prescribed order while they are in their stall / paddock / pasture, the horses will have fun solving the puzzles and be learning important skills on their own. Imagine you get to the stable after your day at work and you find your horse mastering the skill of form distinction or colour discrimination, having fun by himself.
- The goal of the Horse University is to give horses something meaningfull and fun to do, find out how smart they really are and literally give them a voice. We are just at the beginning of this project and we can give it direction but the undiscovered intellect of our horses is the limit. I for one am very curious where this journey will take us. Would you and your horse like to join us?
About Horse University
- Horse University is a program to structure the teaching proces to help you explain the puzzles to your horse(s).
- Horse University is free to join, you only have to buy the puzzles for your horse.
- Horse University is online, you can find all the information on our site and order the puzzles in our shop.
- Every horse, donkey, mule or any other animal can join. As long as the animal can be motivated by food and has a way to operate on the puzzles.
- Every horse (or other animal) starts in Pony Pre School, no matter how old they are. If you want to succeed in University you need to start with the basics. The levels build skills gradually so without Pony Pre School your horse won’t have succes in the next levels.
- We use positive reinforcement as our teaching method because that is scientifically proven the best way to teach, and the most fun. (read more here)
- With everybody joining in in this programm we can monitor the learning of a large group of horses, which can lead to great insights in the intelligence and learning of horses.
Horse University levels
Pony Pre School
The first level of the Horse University. Here the journey begins. With free exercises to teach your horse and the first two puzzles.
Kindergarten
In the second level of the Horse University we start to build more skills; form distinction, match the sample, medical training and more.
Primary School
In the third level of Horse University we focus on teaching concepts as well as level up the sample matching and training the memory.
High School
In High School we will develop the concepts further and set up a system so the horse can communicate with us.
University
This level wil develop from the earlier stages. It will be about learning an Advanced Communication system.
Equithink Puzzel Shop
In our shop you can find the puzzles that belong to the different levels of the Horse University. More info under puzzel design.