OSLO, NORWAY — Researchers in Norway have made a breakthrough in an animal cognition study, using symbols to help horses communicate their level of comfort to humans.

In the study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 23 horses were put through a range of hot, cold, and warm temperatures, and given three options to select from based on what they were experiencing. If the horses nudged the board with the horizontal line, they were communicating they felt cold and were asking for their blanket to be applied. If the horses nudged the board with the vertical line, they were communicating they felt hot and were asking for their blanket to be removed. If the horses nudged a board with no symbol on it, they were communicating they felt fine as is. Horses were given a carrot for making the correct choices.

It was clear whether the horses were choosing the symbols that corresponded with their comfort, as they were either covered in thick blankets, which made them obviously hot, or taken outside in freezing weather which would call for them to demand a blanket. The horses learned to provide their preferences after only 14 days of 10-15 minutes of training each day.

This new research groups horses in with dolphins, apes, and pigeons as animals proven to be able to communicate with humans through symbols.