The mystery of a horse that counts, reads and writes

Today, the scientific community still conveys each other the story of a very smart horse with special abilities. It became 'phenomenal' not only in Germany but also throughout Europe a century ago.

>>>The strangest horse in the world of horses

This horse is called Clever Hans , known worldwide for its inexplicable ability. In 1891, Von Osten William's performance along with the great horse attracted an unprecedented number of large viewers.

Hans not only counts but can also identify time, read and write in spelling (of course, only in German).

Because it cannot be said, it expresses primarily by stomping on the ground. If asked how much 5 plus 2 was, Hans would stomp seven times; if asked what kind of thing it would be after Monday, Hans would tap once as a third allusion, twice referring to the fourth, and so on.

Clever Hans' performance attracted the largest number of viewers ever.

What is the secret here? Is it a hoax or does this horse really have a special ability? To solve that mystery, a group of researchers led by Philosopher Professor Carl Stumpf took steps to check with Clever Hans.

In 1904, the expert group stated they did not find any evidence to show signs of trickery. However, Professor Stumpf and a team member, Oskar Pfungst, finally found the bottom line. They found that Hans was rarely able to answer questions that Von Osten did not know the answer to. This proves that there are certain links between them.

Through careful tests and observations, they realized that Hans reacted to unconscious signals from his trainer . For example, when Hans was asked to add 2 and 3, von Osten (standing right in front of Hans and looking at it continuously) would lean forward a little after Hans stamped his foot for the fifth time and before he knocked on the 6th.

With questions about the days of the week, the meaning of a word, or a question about mathematics, the trainer will perform subtle movements that are difficult to detect (sometimes merely a facial change ) and at that moment, Hans will stop.

However, undeniably that Clever Hans is very clever horse. The story about it is still a topic of discussion between psychologists and experts in animal communication.