While pulling into her driveway, a woman noticed her horse trying to communicate something to her—then she realized what had happened.
In a viral TikTok video shared on Friday by @zn_acres, the poster can be seen driving home in the snow when she suddenly notices her horse standing by the fence—an unusual behavior for him—signaling that something was wrong.
As the woman got out of the car, she realized what he was trying to tell her. Another horse had fallen on the floor and was stuck in the snow unable to move.
“Always trust your horse,” the caption says. “I knew something was off when I saw him standing at the fence. He only stands here when something is off and is trying to get my attention.”
Horses are very smart animals, but it turns out we have been underestimating them. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University in the U.K. found that equines are far more intelligent than previously believed after studying how they learned to play a reward-based game.
Initially, horses were trained to touch a card with their nose for a treat, then required to obey a light cue to earn a treat.
Early on, they touched the card indiscriminately, still getting rewarded often. But, when incorrect touches triggered a 10-second timeout, the horses quickly changed their behavior, touching the card only at the right time.
The team suggests this shows horses can think ahead and adjust strategies to maximize rewards, indicating higher cognitive processing than assumed. Rather than having failed to understand the task, the animals may have known the rules but initially chose a low-effort approach.
Despite their intelligence, horses still need some human help to deal with cold temperatures. The RSPCA charity explains that owners should ensure the creatures have safe outdoor space, access to shelter, sufficient nutrition and plenty of unfrozen drinking water.
Winter feeding may need extra forage and hard feed, introduced gradually, to maintain body condition. Daily winter care includes early visits in daylight, checking legs and hooves for problems, avoiding overexercising when sweaty, and planning backup care in emergencies.
Rugs should be used only when necessary, appropriate to the weather, and removed as conditions warm. Regular monitoring helps spot discomfort or signs of cold, such as lethargy, shivering or reduced appetite.
Winter also brings specific health risks like mud fever, rain scald and colic, which owners should watch for and discuss with their vet.
The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 1.8 million views and more than 164,000 likes on the platform.
One user, WhatAWildWorld, commented: “This is true, real, ‘Animal Communication’. Knowing your animal so much that you know somethings not right.”
Ashlrb posted: “Who will stand there for him if he is in trouble.”
MathisWilson2005 wrote: “I have horses to and they do it to they can see light shadows that we can’t see.”
Newsweek reached out to @zn_acres for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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