During his exile on the island of St Helena, Napoleon once talked about his horse with Mr O' Meara, his surgeon.
"A horse has memory, knowledge, and love. I had a horse who manifested, by capering and proudly marching with his head erect, when I was on his back, his knowledge that he bore a person superior to the others by whom he was surrounded. He would not allow any other person to mount him, except one groom, and, when ridden by him, his motions were far different, and such as seemed to say that he was conscious he bore an inferior.
"When I lost my way, I would throw the reins down and he always discovered it in places where I, with all my observation and boasted superior knowledge, could not."
拿破崙放逐聖赫勒拿島期間，曾與其醫師奧馬拉先生談及他的馬。
「馬能記憶，具知識，也懂得愛。我當年有一匹馬，馱着我的時候，會十分雀躍，走起來昂首闊步，顯然知道所馱的人，比周圍的人高級。除了一個馬伕，牠不許別人騎乘，而馱那馬伕的時候，表現也跟馱我十分不同，似乎是說，知道他是個下人。
「我每逢迷途，就會放下繮繩，那匹馬自會覓得正道，而我這個所謂觀察敏銳、見多識廣的人，卻束手無策。」