Does desensitising the horse to sound really work? If  horses could not be desensitised to our noisy world we would be doing very little with them.  A foal will learn to accept a lot of  basic, everyday sounds whilst he is still with his mum  (how much depends on situation and surroundings). Stable sounds played whilst a foal still has the security of being with mum should improve the stability of the adult horse - but the mare must be desensitised and ‘safe’ with sounds. With the proviso that the mare is ‘sound proof’ and the sounds are introduced with care, sound desensitisation is one of the things you can introduce to a young horse without the  fear of doing too much too soon.

When is it best to play the CD’s? As often as possible! It’s simply a case of the more you play them the less reactive your horse will be. Start with the volume very low and when your horse is used to the CD’s  put one on whenever you are with your horse - rounds / schooling etc.

Can I still play the CD’s if my horse is not stabled? Yes - even if your horse is stabled, the CD’s should be played outside as well. With the possible exception of clipping,  the horse is most likely to hear and react  to  the sounds when he is outside: playing the CD’s outside should be part of the desensitising process.

What if the Stable Sounds CD’s do not cover the specific sound I need for my horse?      Firstly, let us know - we want to hear about all your horsey sound issues !! It would be impossible to cover every sound that may be a problem. Thankfully, the horse is less ‘sound specific’ than we think and most of the really spooky sounds are covered. I have found that the more I play the CD’s, the less of an issue sound becomes. Even if my horses do hear an unfamiliar sound, their reaction is similar to our own when something startles us, they may jump, look, analyse  (to check that nothing is about to eat them)  then carry on as before. The more you make sound a part of their lives by playing the CD’s, the less of an issue sound becomes: it’s that simple.  

There may not be a CD for the specific sound you need but desensitising is more about noise generally than any one specific sound.  Stable Sounds will be monitored - a new CD is being made at the moment with sounds that people have specifically requested. However, it would be impossible to cover every sound, at the appropriate volume level suitable for every type of CD player and sound system. As mentioned already, the key to a ‘sound education’ is noise generally, varied and played frequently. The Stable Sounds CD’s have been designed for this purpose and regardless of the specific sound issue your horse may have, the CD’s will make a difference.

For how long should I continue to play the CD’s? Initially, try to play the CD’s every day until the horse is completely at ease with all of the sounds at a normal volume. The CD’s should be played regularly, the more often they are played, the better the effect. Playing the CD’s whilst schooling should also become standard practice.

Can Stable Sounds CD’s be used for dogs and cats? The CD’s are useful for any domestic animal with a ‘sound issue’. Sound has a very important role to play for many domestic animals - for training and calming - not just when a problem has arisen. Even dairy cows produce more milk when they have music in the dairy! Especially for those animals we train to work, sound should be an important part of the training process.

Is it necessary to play the CD’s very loud?  The short answer is no.  Ideally, you want to arouse curiosity, you want the horse, dog or cat [for example] to find out (learn) for itself that unusual sounds are not something from which it needs to run. You want to establish a situation where the animal is at ease with sound, not frightened into a ‘flight’ reaction. Also remember that what may seem quiet  to us, will sound louder to animals. The objective is to teach  - not to force acceptance: the latter will only serve to establish or enforce a fear. Only when the animal  is totally at ease with the CD’s at a normal level should you consider a gradual increase in volume. Don’t risk undoing all your progress by playing the CD’s so loud that you frighten the animal. Most of the tracks on Stable Sounds CD’s have the volume levels slightly lower than most CD’s, specifically to avoid this. The type of CD player / sound system you use will ultimately determine the volume level but loudness is not crucial for the desensitisation process. If you only have a small, portable CD player, this will still make a difference.

Loudness is not the cause of a reaction.  Any unfamiliar sound, even far away in the distance and very faint, sometimes barely audible to us, can frighten a horse. If a horse is startled by a sudden sound, whether his reaction is the same as ours, i.e. it makes him jump, or makes him try to take flight is dependent upon his experiences and how well he accepts noise generally. The type of sound is less relevant than people think i.e. guns, cars backfiring, fireworks - to the horse, these are just loud bangs. The CD’s cover the main problem sounds and will help with desensitisation to sound generally.

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