A horse’s hearing structure is similar to that of other mammals; however horses have the ability to move their ears back and forth making them the most mobile of any mammal.
Horse's Pitch Range
The pitch is the range of frequencies that can be heard. Horses can hear higher frequencies than humans. They can also hear much lower pitches by ‘listening’ to vibrations. Horses can feel vibrations through their ears and also deep in their hooves.
Horse's Volume Range
Horses can hear a much larger range of volume than humans can, which is part of the reason that horses have survived so long in the wild. Loud noises that have high decibels, such as gunfire, are particularly loud to horses and can startle them. Spooking at these loud noises is an instinct for horses. Working with horses can lead them to get over that instinct. Horses that are repeatedly exposed to loud noises may even damage your horses hearing.
Sounds that Concern Horses
There are many noises that may concern your horse, and should be avoided when possible. Traveling noises are one of the things that scare horses often. The noises from the trailer, the truck and all the road noises can sometimes cause anxiety in horses. Eventually horses will become accustomed to the noise. Until then putting cotton in their ears may help to dampen the noises and calm them down.
Clipping is another noise that can cause anxiety in horses, especially around the horse’s ears. Those noises can sound like a bunch of angry bees to the horse, which would be scary to anyone. Instinct would tell the horses to run. Teaching the horse that the noise of the clippers requires desensitizing the horse to the noise so that they learn they are no threat.
Sounds that Cause Anxiety in Horses
Horses learn to associate many sounds with certain events. Many horses will learn the sounds a rattling bucket that signifies feeding time. Many horses will also learn the sound of a car arriving first thing in the morning. Horses that live on a small farm may hear noises from the house and whinny because they know that breakfast is coming. Try not to allow your horse to learn any negative associations.
How to Speak to Your Horse
Because horses can hear so well they are usually very responsive to voice commands. Good horsemen often speak to their horses in a low calming voice. Horses enjoy the sounds of human voices and can find them very comforting. Many trainers also teach their horses voice commands that are especially useful while lungeing horses.
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