…and on the eighth day God created the horse in perfect image, to romp, graze, gallop, play, and make manure wherever it darn well pleases, in divine grace.
Horses have a tremendous sense of hearing, and they seem to know when you wake up in the morning and are stirring about the house. Sound vibrations such as voices and refrigerator doors and coffee pots are heard out in the barn. The back door opening to feed the outdoor kitties is also heard, and the horses may call out in anticipation of their breakfast.
They are just like Pavlov’s dogs, and when they hear certain sounds, they know they will be fed soon.
The horse has survived for centuries because they have evolved a keen sense of hearing, and their wonderful 180 degree-turning ears are constantly in action.
Sounds such as gunfire, firecrackers, and semi-tractor trailers with loud backfires, horns, or air brakes hissing, can cause them to suddenly spook and take off across the pasture.
They even hear the approach of an incoming horse trailer while it’s still out on the road, the rattle of the rig as it approaches and enters the driveway puts them all on alert, and they may call out a hello as a greeting, which is often exchanged by the traveling horses.
Watching the horses out in the pasture helps you stay on alert, also. Since horses are prey animals, their ears sense vibrations and sounds, even from a mile or more away. Their heads pop up and they stand in alert posture in the direction of what is happening.
The wind can carry sounds along with it, and if the sounds are odd, the horses may become uneasy. Horses don’t like wind; it brings strange smells and sounds, and it can also mask other sounds. They cannot smell or hear anything down wind, and a smart predator may know this.
Horses can also differentiate between their handler’s voice and other human voices, and they can also learn verbal commands of “trot” or “walk,” etc.
The term “frequency” is another word for “pitch,” and it is the number of vibrations that a sound produces per second. One KiloHertz (kHz) is equal to 1,000 Hertz. (1)
Frequency is measured in Hertz, and one Hertz is equal to one vibration per second.
Horses can hear higher frequencies than human beings, and they can also hear lower frequencies as well.
A horse who doesn’t like his ear hair or bridle path clipped with electric clippers has a dislike to the vibration and the buzzing sound that the clippers emit. It can be similar to a buzzing horde of flies. The horse’s instinct is to react negatively to the clippers, and to get away.
I always train a horse that is new to clippers with treats, on a loose lead. Treats are good, he has room to move and doesn’t feel constrained or trapped, and a slow, calm demeanor from me teaches him not to be afraid. When he raises his head high to avoid the (portable) clippers,
I simply lower the clippers to about his shoulder-level, and talk soft.
Clippers soon equal treats, and you can wean the treats away after he learns he won’t get hurt.
Whacking him when he raises his head equates to his rationalizing that clippers are bad and should be feared, because look what happened. Unfortunately, some people are known to train this way.
Watching the horse’s ears while he is on the longe line is an excellent way of knowing whether you have his attention or not.
Old Joe Higgins was the trainer out at Cecil Brown’s Morgan Farm, the famous Brown’s Hospitality Stables in Linesville, PA. He was there when Dobson won his third World Championship in Park Harness driving.
He was the epitome of the “Horse Whisperer.”
Joe was an outstanding horseman, and he was always observed to be in constant communication with the horse he was handling, whether the animal was on the wash rack being prepped, groomed, or bathed, or whether it was out working in the arena.
And Joe’s voice was always a low, soft, mumbling-type of communication, unruffled, quiet, and composed, and it let the horse know all was well.
Joe Higgins harkened back to the old cowboy days of low-volume sound and relaxed horse training, despite the fact that Cecil’s Morgans went mostly Saddleseat and Park.
I always try to emulate Joe Higgins when I am working a horse, to be in constant communication with the animal and watching the ears.
My colleague, Tammy Herman, works her horses like that, too, and she is an excellent Horsewoman.
Barns should be serene and tranquil places. No wonder people and horses like to hang out in them. They are great places to pray or meditate, and the stillness invites God and a nice sense of connectedness into all those present, even the cats.
I especially like to hear the horses munching their hay; it’s just a relaxing place to be.
Leaving a radio on is the horsewoman’s choice, and maybe it keeps the rats away.
Speaking loudly or sharply in reprimand is my preferred method of discipline, in lieu of the whip; animals hate that tone and they know they have done something wrong, like banging the stall door, kicking the stall walls, or kicking at you out in the field.
Horses know that tone, and they will look to see who is in trouble, even if it’s one of the cats or dog playing too rough, and the horses go back to eating their hay when they see you aren’t looking at them.
The human heartbeat has a low pitch or frequency. The high-pitched dog whistle has a fast vibration, therefore it has a fast, high frequency.
Ultrasound is sound with a frequency above a human being’s auditory ability to hear it, in the range of more than 20kHz. Infrasound is sound with a frequency below a human being’s ability to hear it, in the range of less than 20Hz. (2)
Volumes of sound are measured in decibels (dB) and it represents the energy emitted by the sound.
Humans can hear the sound of human heart beats and human breathing, the rustle of the leaves, whispering voices, or a mosquito flying around.
The sound of a human breathing comes in at 10 decibels, and the annoying mosquito’s sound comes in at 40 dB. Traffic is 65 to 80 decibels, and a train roars past at 65 to 90 dB. (3)
Your tractor at 80% throttle comes in at 100 decibels, thunder in a storm is 100 to 130 dB, a snowmobile is 120 dB, and dynamite or Tannerite blasts comes in at 140 dB, while a shotgun blast comes in at 160 dB. (4)
Horses can hear a range of 55Hz to 25 kHz when they are in the prime of life at ages five to nine years old. We humans can hear 20Hz to 20 kHz when we are young and in our prime. (5)
Oh, to be young and in our prime, especially now in the Spring of the year. Baby animals like calves and foals are jumping about, the birds are melodiously singing in the trees as virtuosos, and the flowers seem especially brilliant and colorful. The sun tops it all off with his golden presence, lightening the day with luminous and dazzling and gleaming smiles, just for you.
We can be inspired by these endearing and engaging things of our Earth, and we can also be inspired by Horsemen, like the late Joe Higgins.
Walk softly, talk softly, and take care of your horse’s ears, and your own ears, too.
“Mellifluously”* leaving you with the immortal words of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, “Happy Trails to You.”
1-5: “How to Think like a Horse,” by Cherry Hill; Story Publishing.
* Mellifluous: Adj.; Having a pleasant and flowing sound.