Horses are a lot smarter than previously thought, researchers believe

Knowing how horses learn can help carers train them more humanely and improve their welfare, the team added

Horses shelter from the rain near the River Ogmore in South Wales. Picture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Horses are much smarter than previously thought, scientists have said, after a study showed the animals performed better than expected in a complex reward-based game.

Researchers found that when denied treats for not following the rules of the game, the horses were able to instantly switch strategies to get more rewards.