A horse that can count? They had to see that. And so, in September 1904, veterinarians and researchers traveled to the farm of the teacher Wilhelm von Osten. Because, so it was said across the country, he had taught his horse to count. In fact, the visitors were amazed when “Clever Hans” correctly answered math problems by tapping his front hooves or by shaking his head.
Nevertheless, Hans was not a mathematical genius, as the psychologist Oskar Pfungst found out some time later. The Steed’s remarkable ability lay elsewhere – in its social intelligence. He could tell from the unconscious and subtle facial expressions and gestures of the questioners when the correct number of knocks had been reached.
From then on nobody believed that horses understood the world of numbers. However, research in recent years shows that they at least have an understanding of quantities. In experiments with behavioral scientists, the animals understand within moments whether four or five symbols are shown on a screen in front of them.