Have a favorite horse song that didn’t make the list? Click “Submit a Comment” below and tell us about it!

Here are 30 great horse songs.

We’ve also compiled 30 great horse books and 30 great horse movies.

This article about the best horse songs is a web exclusive originally published in December 2006 for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post 30 Best Horse Songs appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Best Super Bowl Commercial This Year?

Lil Nas X (Montero Lamar Hill) is the rapper, singer, and songwriter who went viral in 2019 using the Internet and social media—especially on Tik Tok—for promotion of his song “Old Town Road,” which is a country rap/country trap song. It hit the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 list for 19 straight weeks, breaking a record for longest time spent on the chart. Lil Nas X was able to catch the attention of Billy Ray Cyrus to do the remix (see below), which won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video.

Many applauded the “showdown” between these Lil Nas X and actor Sam Elliott, of western movie fame, with their two “dancing” horses in the 2020 Super Bowl commercial for Doritos. And we can’t forget the cameo from Billy Ray Cyrus. The commercial is reminiscent of the original music video of the song, in which Lil Nas X rides a horse, ironically for the first time despite the song being all about horses, according to the singer.

We also came across a video about the making of the commercial that you’ll want to see (see below), done by Access Hollywood.

So you tell us, which one won the dance showdown: Lil Nas X or Sam Elliott?
And which horse won?

Further Reading

• Watch Budweiser’s 2019 Super Bowl Ad Featuring the Clydesdales
• The Budweiser Clydesdales’ Super Bowl Party
• The Budweiser Clydesdales Will Rock You

The post Best Super Bowl Commercial: Doritos with Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott and Dancing Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

What’s a road trip
without music? The right tunes can make the miles fly by and turn a
stressful commute into a more pleasant experience. Your horse might
agree.

Research out of
Université de Caen-Basse Normandie in France suggests that playing
classical music has a stress-reducing effect on horses in some
situations. According to an abstract published in the Journal of
Veterinary Behavior, the relaxing effect of music has been shown in
several other animal species, and the researchers sought to determine
if it would work on horses.

The 24 horses used
for the study were tested in two common and potentially stressful
situations for horses: short-term transport in a trailer and farrier
work. Each horse was tested three different ways: with classical
music diffusion playing through an in-ear device; “sound
attenuation,” where ear plugs were used to reduce all sound; and a
control test with no sound alteration.

There was no
significant difference on stress indicators between the tests during
the farrier visits. However, in the trailering tests, the horses’
heart rates recovered more quickly when they were given the classical
music diffusion. The researchers say this knowledge could be used to
help reduce the risk of dangerous behavior that sometimes occurs when
horses are stressed, as well as the effects of chronic stress on
horses.

Worth noting: The
researchers did not test genres of music other than classical in this
study. You’ll have to do your own observation to determine what
type of music soothes your horse’s soul.

Classical music reduces acute stress of domestic horses
Neveux, C. et al.
Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research , Volume 15 , 81
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2016.08.019

Leslie Potter is a writer and photographer based in Lexington, Kentucky. www.lesliepotterphoto.com

The post Classical Music Could Help Your Horse De-stress appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

If you take a quick look down the aisle of a typical horse barn, there’s a good chance you’ll find a radio, CD player, or other music device of some sort. Many times, these stereos are old, well-loved, and covered with dust, but they still fill the stable with music. So here’s the question: do you allow a radio or other music in the barn? Is it a good idea, or not?

Benefits

On one hand, a radio can make your barn chores more enjoyable. Many horse chores are the same day after day (stall cleaning, aisle sweeping, bucket scrubbing, etc.), and there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy yourself while doing them, especially if all the horses are outside anyway. Music can also make jobs like grooming and feeding more enjoyable—providing you and the rest of the humans in the barn can agree on the type of music!

Other possible uses for music include creating “white noise,” which some horse owners find beneficial if their horses have to be in for day, or if a single horse must stay in the barn for stall rest. In these cases, the human voices and other sounds from the radio can have a calming effect on some horses—although not everyone agrees about this across the board.

Drawbacks

As with many things in life, when it comes to music in the barn you can also have too much of a good thing. Working around horses requires concentration, and music at the wrong time or music that is too loud can be a potentially dangerous distraction to you while working around your horse. It can cause you to lose concentration (because you’re paying more attention to what you’re hearing), or it can prevent you from hearing something important from your horse or another person. For this reason, plan on keeping the volume down low when horses are actually in the barn, and go ahead and pull the plug on the music during times when concentration is important.

DIY Music

Most horses enjoy being talked to, but how about singing? Do you sing while you ride? I’ve tried singing while riding horses over the years, and I’ve found that it generally encourages them to relax and become more focused on their work. Some people might suggest that it’s actually me who is becoming more relaxed from the singing, but I think it helps the horses.

How about you? Do you ever sing while you ride? Do you allow a radio in the barn? Share your thoughts! And if you need a little advice on building your barn music playlist, read this!

Daniel Johnson is a freelance writer and professional
photographer. He’s the author of several books, including How to Raise
Horses: Everything You Need to Know, (Voyageur Press, 2014). Dan’s barn
is home to Summer, a Welsh/TB cross, Orion, a Welsh Cob, and Mati and
Amos, two Welsh Mountain Ponies. Follow him at www.facebook.com/foxhillphoto.

The post Music and Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Marcie: “I’m so afraid of falling off!”
Cindy: “Marcie, you’re fine. Just relax your knee and step down into your heels. And think of sitting in the saddle rather than on the saddle.”
Marcie (again): “But what if I fall off?”
Cindy: “Fall off of Ringo? That’s not going to happen. Well, not unless you suffer a seizure. Then you might fall off. Slowly.”

Song: Put a Pillow Between Me and the Ground

Act II
Scene: Saturday afternoon. Parking lot of Cornerstone Equestrian Center. Cindy and Sue are discussing tomorrow’s jumping clinic. Three of Cindy’s students and one of Sue’s are riding in the clinic.

Sue: “I think they’ll all be fine.”
Cindy: “But they’re so hung up on being perfect. I keep trying to explain to them that a clinic is an opportunity to learn something new.”
Sue: “Yeah, look at the clinics you and I have ridden in.”
Cindy: “Yeah. George Morris, Anne Kursinski, Kathy Kusner, Greg Best. We’ve been humiliated by them all. Why should our students miss out on the experience?”

Song: Sometimes Being Bad is a Good Thing

Act III
Scene: Two hours later. The riding arena at El Ranchito, home of Cindy’s parents. Cindy has Wally tacked up and is about to longe him. Jill, Cindy’s sister, is sitting aboard her horse, Topper.

Jill: “How long are you going to longe him?”
Cindy: “Oh, only for a few minutes. But you might want to ride over there (gestures) and stand in the corner. I’m warning you: Wally always bucks like a bronc when he’s longed with the saddle on. He was like that when I bought him, and I can’t break him of the habit.”
Jill (discreetly riding out of Wally’s striking range): “Well, I wouldn’t blame him this time. He’s been layed up a long time. How long has it been since he’s had a saddle on?”
Cindy: “It’s been three weeks to be exact. But he’s sound now, and the vet said I could ride him in the soft footing.”
(Cindy begins to longe Wally. The horse breaks into a bucking, kicking, tail flipping frenzy. With each buck he emits an odd high-pitched sound that’s half scream/half grunt)
Jill: “Oh my God! He’s bucking like a high school rodeo horse!”
Cindy (laughing): “Isn’t he just the silliest thing?”
Jill: “Well, besides looking like a big red elephant trying to buck, he sounds like the neighbor’s burro.”

Song: Wally’s Lament

Act IV
Scene: Saturday evening. Cindy’s neighborhood. She’s riding down the trail on Joey, her new three-year-old Paint gelding. They approach a house that’s for sale, complete with a bunch of Open House signs.
Cindy (to Joey): “You’re such a good boy. You walked right past the real estate signs and all the little red flags. You’re a very brave little man.”

Song: Joey Put on his Big Boy Pants
Chorus joins in on refrain. Cast takes stage; bow; curtain

The End

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope you enjoyed a fanciful recounting of my day. Please feel free to leave your thoughts (or critiques) by clicking on “Add a Comment” below.

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The post High School Rodeo: The Musical appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Cagle currently owns a handful of performance Quarter Horses in disciplines from cutting, reining and working cow horses. However, due to his touring schedule, he hasn’t personally competed in performance events. But even from the sidelines his first venture in the show pen proved profitable. His first stud colt, He’s A Majestic Chic, won the intermediate open at the Quarter Horse Congress (2006). Cagle’s also involved with breeding a group of quality mares to proven stallions in an effort to raise champion foals. And, in an effort to become a better horseman, Cagle has become an admirer, student and friend of horse clinician Clinton Anderson.

As viewers of cable and satellite TV know, Anderson is the host and mastermind behind the Downunder Horsemanship Training Program that appears weekly on RFD-TV. The mix of working with untrained horses and solving common problems faced by horse owners has made Anderson’s show the network’s most popular equine program.

Recently, Cagle and Anderson teamed up to film what will be a special television presentation on RFD-TV. The two will work from the ground up to break Cagle’s 2-year old Quarter Horse gelding. Of course, there will also be music, though don’t expect the birth of a CMT video. The musically enhanced episodes of Downunder Horsemanship will air sometime in September.

The post Chris Cagle Combines Love of Horses, Music appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

30 Best Horse Books
Ask a group of horse people from anywhere across the country to talk about their favorite horses and you may be surprised to hear the same names mentioned again and again. Why? Because memories of horses we’ve read about in books can be almost as powerful as the ones we’ve encountered in real life. Misty, Mokey, The Pie, Ready Penny… If you’re not feeling nostalgic yet, then you’d better get down to your local library and check out some of the books we’ve chosen as all-time horsey classics.

30 Best Horse Movies
Since the days of the classic western movies, horses on the silver screen have inspired many a lifelong love affair with horses. Whether the equine actors have a starring role in the story or merely add to the appeal as supporting cast members, the horse movies on our list cover a wide range. Pass the popcorn, and enjoy!

30 Best Horse Songs

And while for equestrians, it’s horses that soothe our savage souls, music about horses—or that we pretend is about horses—is a close second. From classics like The Old Gray Mare  to songs about wild horses by supergroups like the Rolling Stones and U2, we’ve compiled a  list of horse songs that’s sure  to get you humming.

The post Horse Illustrated’s 30 Best Horse Books, Songs and Movies appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.