The Effect of Different Genres of Music When Grooming a Horse on the Neck and Withers after Exercise

Overview

A horse’s heart rate and behavior is critical in many aspects of the equine world, e.g. sports events. This experiment studied the effect of different genres of music when grooming a horse on the neck and withers after exercise. Previous research indicated there was a statistically significant decrease in the heart rate of a horse when listening to classical music, rather than no music. This project was performed to determine if other genres of music had an effect on a horse’s heart rate. The horse’s heart rates were taken with a stethoscope before exercise. The horses were exercised for three minutes, and the heart rate was taken immediately after. A rock song was then played while the horses were groomed. This experiment was repeated with a country song. Multiple tests and the analysis of data showed neither rock nor country music significantly impacted a horse’s heart rate after exercise, (p-value=.19, higher than 0.05). Although these two genres of music had no great effect on the horse’s heart rate, previous studies have shown that music does decrease a horse’s heart rate more efficiently after exercise than without music. Properly cooling down a horse helps prevent pneumonia and other ailments, and a low heart rate will help horses in various situations and environments, including competitions such as endurance racing or leisure activities.

Competition history

• ISEF 2017 Animal Sciences · Entry ANIM033

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

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