If you’re a horse owner or just someone who loves spending time around these majestic animals, you may have wondered: do horses like music? Throughout the centuries, people have enjoyed music’s relaxing, soothing, and rhythmic sounds. But if it has such an impact on us, how does it affect horses, if at all? If you have ever watched a dressage horse performing a freestyle to music, you may think the horse is dancing to the music.
It has been proven that playing the correct type of music can have positive results on horses, with the rhythmic beats aiding in stress, anxiety, and boredom. However, not all music is beneficial, and horses have a preference for classical or country music over rock or jazz.
It has been said that the effects of music and rhythm synchronization to music are primarily an ability to vocal learning species such as humans, primates, and some parrots. However, horses rely on their hearing ability to warn them of dangers that trigger their fight-or-flight reactions. So, what are the effects of music on horses, and do they even enjoy music?
Do Horses Like Music?
Extensive research has been done to find out whether horses enjoy music and if there are any benefits to playing music for your horse.
Well, the results are positive that horses react positively to music. But not all music has the same effect on horses.
Classical and country are the two main genres that create a state of relaxation in the horse.
What Type Of Music Do Horses Like?
As technology improves, we can better understand the effects of specific triggers that affect our beloved equine friends.
We can know, through psychoacoustics, study the effects of sound perceptions on the psychological and physiological aspects of the horse.
Researching the effect of different kinds of music on horses’ well-being and state of mind has shown that horses typically prefer classical and country music, which has a relaxing and rhythmic beat.
It’s often common practice in many barns to have the radio playing in the background. Still, talk stations do little for the horses as speech has little vibrancy to help relax a horse.
Horses exposed to the fast tempo and minor keys of rock and jazz have indicated an increased stress level with higher cortisol levels in their saliva.
So, when you are tempted to share your favorite rock group and song with your equine friend, don’t! Instead, enjoy classical or country music’s relaxing vibes so you and your horse can relax and have an enjoyable time.
When Should You Play Music For Your Horse?
Due to the nature of horses, they tend to be constantly on high alert for environmental dangers.
Horses’ ears can rotate one hundred and eighty degrees. So, they rely on their keen hearing to determine from which direction the noises come to orient themselves so their eyesight can source what the sound is.
Horses stabled or confined to barns for extended periods because of winter periods or forced to recover due to injuries tend to have higher-alert stressors compared to horses turned out. So, playing music is an excellent way of relieving anxiety build-up, masking noises, and reducing stress, putting the horse into a more relaxed state.
Recent studies have proven that horses benefit from music played during the nighttime. Music masks outside noises, letting the horse relax and enter a deeper state of sleep. In addition, increasing the amount of time the horse can lie down. This allows them to enter the REM phase (rapid eye movement) of their sleep cycle and will enable them to relax completely.
So, in short, there is no particular time of day when music benefits the horse more. Horses can enjoy the relaxing vibrations of music at any time of day or night. However, research indicates that horses benefit from longer hours of music.
Do Older Horses Also Benefit From Music?
Geriatric horses that have health conditions can also benefit from music therapy.
Research has demonstrated that older horses with pain from muscular, skeletal, or diseases show a lower heart rate and excitability with the help of a few hours of music therapy. This also helps lift the horse’s mood, elevating its state of mind.
When Can Horses Benefit From Music?
There are many ways horses can benefit from music, from masking the thunderstorm noises to creating a sense of safety for horses that stress when out of their comfort zones.
1. While Being Stabled
Imagine being couped up for long hours during winter months with nowhere to exert some energy. Horses greatly benefit from the relaxing effect of music during extended periods in the barn, providing comfort and allowing them to engage in deeper sleep cycles.
2. During Transportation
Some horses find traveling stressful, and the sounds and movement of the trailers can elevate heart rates and even put your horse in a bad mood.
Playing some of his favorite music in the trailer can help reduce his stress and provide comfort while masking out some of the sounds that may scare him. Also, allowing your horse to arrive in a better mood at his destination than he would have been.
3. Trail Rides
Have you ever had a horse spook at the sound of rustling leaves or the snapping of twigs under his hoof? Unfortunately, some horses enjoy scaring themselves, so grab a portable speaker and play classical music that you and the horse can enjoy.
However, don’t blast the music; horses have keen hearing. Instead, keep it as a background effect so you can still be aware of any dangers around you.
4. Through Storm Noises
The pounding of rain on the roof and thunder cracking can cause a scary event for horses. Playing music can help mask the noises and relax the horse during storms.
5. During Grooming And Massage Therapy
Who wouldn’t enjoy some relaxing music while being massaged? That’s enough to put anyone or anything to sleep, including your equine friend.
Grooming and massaging can be another form of helping your horse reach a relaxed state. Adding music makes sense to block out noises that may pique their interest and prevent them from relaxing.
6. Calming The Nervous Horse
Suppose you have a bored or stressed horse. In that case, it may develop undesired ticks that could become difficult to prevent and potentially harmful to them.
Playing music will help reduce heart rates and anxiety levels, increasing their ingestion and putting them in a state of relaxation.
7. Creating A Comfort Zone
Horses, especially inexperienced horses, can become agitated or upset when taken from their comfort zone, away from their herd and friends. In addition, going to shows and being in unfamiliar stables and surroundings can create stress levels for your horse.
Playing the same music that plays in the barn at home can provide them with a sense of home or familiarity, linking them to their comfort zone and helping them relax.
8. During Farrier, Vet, And Dental Visits
Farrier, vets, and dentist visits can be highly stressful for some horses. Playing music beforehand can help relax them before the appointment, and playing music during the ordeal could help them stay in a more relaxed state, making the process for horses, professionals, and owners a much easier one.
What Is The Hearing Range Of Horses?
Horses have a much better hearing ability than humans do. This is because they can hear noises from low to high frequencies that humans cannot pick up on.
Ten muscles in the ears allow the horse to rotate its ears 180 degrees to pinpoint where the noise is coming from. Due to their acute hearing ability, it’s important not to blast the radio or music and keep the music at no more than 62 decibels.
Horses have a hearing range of between 55Hz and 33,500kHz compared to humans, which is 20Hz to 20,000kHz. Their best hearing sensitivity is between 1kHz to 16kHz compared to humans, which have their best sensitivity between 500Hz to 8kHz.
Horses also have the ability to hear ultrasonic frequencies that humans cannot hear. So, horses can hear you whisper and pick up on noises up to four kilometers away.
Playing music for your horse should not be played at louder than 62 decibels (dB), equivalent to a normal conversation between two people where a whisper is about 30 dB.
Playing music for horses can be relaxing, but putting the volume on full blast could have the opposite reaction and cause agitation for your equine friend.
Conclusion
Horses tend to relax more when they have the right music playing in the background. Research shows that the preference is towards classical and country music, which provide several benefits to the horse. Horses have sensitive ears and a sharp sense of hearing with the ability to pick up on low frequencies. So, of course, it’s always best to keep the volume of the music at a moderate level so your horse can enjoy the full benefits of its favorite tunes.
Resources
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