What music do horses like?

Horses hate jazz — and apparently they’re not that keen on rock music either.

These are the findings of Clare Carter, an equine science student at Hartpury College, Glos, who has examined the reaction of horses to different styles of music.

Clare concluded that they find jazz particularly disconcerting, with rock also increasing stress levels. Classical and country music, however, had a calming effect.

“As we learn more about animals, we can see that they also have the capacity for music,” she said.

Interestingly, the horses were as relaxed with no music as they were with their preferred tunes.

Which might lead some to conclude that, like most of us, they were quite happy with a bit of peace and quiet.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (18 April 2013)

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