I've been around more than a few horses and never thought they were too smart. Trainable and friendly but not especially intelligent. What is the true meaning when someone says, "You have horse sense."
Anonymous
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Horses are a good judge of character. They can feel if a person is unsure or unpure in nature & thought. Once a horse has your confidence & you have theirs...they can clue you into a gazillion things that most people would normally miss. A horse is a sacred being that has gifts of the spirits & brings protection & wisdom to those who have earned it. You earn it by learning FROM the animal & becoming one with it, rather than simply training it to obey blindly. A person with horse sense knows how to listen to the animal & learn their language in a special way that few people can understand or accomplish. A person with horse sense is blessed with a gift. It's like super-intuition!
Chimichanga to go please!!
I'm not a senior (I'm 46), but I've always heard the expression that someone "doesn't have any horse sense". I realize that horses might not seem very smart, but ironically, having horse sense is a compliment, indicating that you are using good judgment and common sense. If someone says that about you, take it as a compliment.
Anonymous
hahahaaha- I suppose if they said it was like a Quarter Horse! I've had a lot of experience with horses and I sure wouldn't want to be compared with some of the over-bred show ring breeds!!!
But I've had two Quarter Horses that had more brains than most people I've known! Calm, smart- knew when to never waste energy, what to be concerned about or not, only had to be shown how to behave once or twice and they'd have it! Safe enough to put up 4 year olds on them!!Gosh, I loved those horses!!!
Diane M
I guess they mean that you have common sense which isnt a measure of high intelligence. Horses will do what you train them to do, they will shy away from danger, they are reliable and plod along well day after day requiring little but food and water. They seem to be pretty happy loveable friendly creatures but not necessarily bright. I'm not sure that I would feel that this is a compliment.
Scouse
When I was younger and about to do something daft
my father would say in a very exasperated tone, " For God's sake will you use a bit of horse sense,. " I therefore think it is a compliment to the horse under those circumstances. I was never told I had more sense than the horse