horse sense

American  

noun

1. common sense.

---

horse sense British  

noun

1. another term for common sense

---

horse sense Idioms  

1. Sound practical sense, as in She's got too much horse sense to believe his story. The exact allusion in this term, which dates from the mid-1800s, is disputed, since some regard horses as rather stupid. However, they tended to be viewed more positively in the American West, where the term originated.

---

Etymology

Origin of horse sense

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

He had that horse sense about him and how horses are traveling and what they should have left in the tank.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2025

More likely, it was something in American Pharoah’s horse sense that told him the man in the suit was a weak specimen.

From Washington Post • Sep. 16, 2019

“One of the all-time great horses in this era,” said Sherman, whose horse sense comes hard-earned.

From New York Times • Nov. 3, 2016

In the Hilltop Steakhouse deal, his ego had scored a rare victory over his horse sense, and he’d vowed never again to be ruled by pride.

From Slate • Sep. 29, 2014

She didn’t know what Dodger and his horse sense knew.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz