Not a case of 'learning' it Matt, I was taught it as a child, as was every child I knew.
I was also taught that you must never back up against anything solid as the animal will crush you, never approach an animal from the rear without letting it know you are approaching so as not to spook it.
We were also taught avoidance, for example, horses turn on the rear legs, cattle on their front, making cattle more maneuverable than horses.
But as was pointed out on another thread, with many people not even appreciating that milk comes from cattle, much lore has been lost!
Roy.