A recent article on TheHorse.com looks at how horses react to the therapeutic tactic of listening to music.
In a study, horses remained balanced and calm when classical
or country music played. Their welfare was even more evident than when the
horses were surrounded by silence, indicating that these types of music are
beneficial to integrate into the horse's life.
Other musical genres such as jazz and rock did not yield the
same results. Listening to the music, the horses tossed their heads, stomped,
snorted and whinnied which displayed their stress. Their eating style changed
from being peaceful and calm to being strained and nervous.
The difference in music may be due to the amount of high and
low frequencies in particular songs. The classical and country music may have had frequencies that existed
in the center of the horses' sensitive hearing range, allowing them to enjoy themselves.
When using music to remedy your horse's stress, researches
recommend playing music at 21 decibel volume. There are CDs and albums
specifically designed to play at balanced frequencies for horses' ears.
When used properly, music has proven to be beneficial to
equine well-being Have you used music to calm your horses?
Sources: TheHorse, Getty Equine Nutrition
