Document type : article published in Cheval Santé (subscribers only)
Summary : Variations on a musical theme, playing the radio in stables, do horses respond to music in the same way as humans? Does music affect them in the same ways, with the power to sooth or excite them?
This article provides an overview of scientific research on the subject. Its author is an ethologist who has taken part in this research. It shows that different types of music have different effects on a horse's relaxation or excitement and on its heart rate. What is more, "soothing" music affects stress indicators in the course of particular activities such as transportation. Ongoing research is testing different theories of how music acts on the animal.
