New Study Determines What Music Horses Like at the Barn

[RojoValentine]

This is the new guy Pippin!

[Jenerationx]

Oh that’s an adorable face!

[MunchingonHay]

I am a little upset with you./s

You have kept him from us for far too long. He is SO STINKING CUTE!!

[atr]

My previous barn manager was a total mess of anxiety and anger. It sure rubbed off on the horses.

[Alterration]

I don’t normally listen to the radio, but I put some country on for one of my horses who requires stall time. It seemed to make him happy. He grew up in barns with the radio playing so it made sense that it would make him comfortable. When the rest came in, I left it on, and at night check I noticed that they had all eaten more hay than normal, despite the temps warming up and several had laid down.

Our environment here is quite noisy, and I wonder if it was just enough consistent noise to make random noises less scary.

[MHM]

I think it can be helpful as background noise to mask other sounds in a loud environment.

I do think the volume should be kept relatively low. I definitely feel like it’s a classic sign of getting older when you walk into the barn and want to turn the music down instead of up. Lol.

[Aussie_2020]

If needed I would rather use a fan (depending on weather) or some other consistent, low sound as white noise rather than music.

I hate music at the barn, I want to hear the horses!

[ComingAttraction]

We rarely play music, if we do the horses are usually out of the barn.

[sascha]

I’ve seen spa music mentioned a few times. OMG, that stuff makes me stabby, seriously stabby, it’s just such a mishmash of complete garbage noises. Caveat, the sound of bird ‘song’ also makes me stabby lol.

My own horse is happy with almost any music and has a few pieces she knows well and works well to. She’s been worked with music on more than not all of her working life.

Another horse I ride has recently been worked to a local radio station and most of the tunes fit the trot perfectly. Longed the other day for the first time in ages and had the radio on for the first time during longeing ever. Didn’t that horse get a little quizzical look when I asked for trot and then fall into the rhythm of the tune’s tempo (natural trot is a bit quicker so it wasn’t just a matter of matching - the horse purposely slowed a hair to match the music)

I also had a cat that would strut in tempo to certain songs. He would literally walk around the house in time to the music.