whoa

Question
QUESTION: hello sir, do horses know and understand the term "whoa" naturally? or we have to teach them?

ANSWER: Come on now.....Would a horse understand English at all...not to mention from birth. Please think about your questions before asking.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: sir, then how come horses slow down when the rider says "whoa"??

Answer
First....what does "Whoa" mean??????? It doesn't mean "slow down, take it easy, go gently". "Whoa" only should be used for one command...and...one command only. "WHOA" should be the command to "STOP MOVING YOUR FEET!!!!!!!!!". If you command a horse to "Whoa" when you want him to go from a trot to a walk..then how will he know that "Whoa" would also mean "Stop"? You would be asking the horse to try to interpret your words and figure out just what it is you want him to do. Very confusing. It would be the same as me using the word "stop" when I really want you to run. I would be using "stop" for "stop, walk and run". You wouldn't know what I wanted.
The horse should be trained to work off of your body language. You can add verbal cues..but the body language is the key. AND..NO!!!! They are not born with the ability to understand any verbal language. You were not born with it either.
The horse will slow down when the rider sits down in the saddle and lets the horse know to slow down.