I sing to my horses (and sometimes to other people’s horses).  I know I’m not the only one.

My current repertoire is:

“Tea for Two” (for my retired TB of the same name):

There’s my own composition, very show tuney and something Mercedes might enjoy singing on Glee, with the stanza:  “Oh Mr. Zachary!  He is the horse of the century!” (for the 33-year-old retiree at my farm).

And another of my own compositions, a kind of French ya-ya tune which begins “Oh c’est bon, Monsieur Le Poisson!” [trans. “Oh it’s good, Mr. Fish!”] — a song for my young warmblood, who likes to look around.

Some of my other greatest horse hits have been:

“I Say a Little Prayer” — for my rogue:

“Are You Lonesome?” – for the herdbound mare:

And “Goodnight Sweetheart” – for night check:

As you can see, I usually drift to the oldies, even though Lady Gaga (did you notice the horse tattoo in the “You and I” video?) is in my car’s CD player at the moment.

I do try to avoid singing where others (non-equine) can hear me, since I fall squarely into the “tone deaf” category.  Still, I love to sing and every horse I’ve ever sung to loves it when I do.  I think it’s a great tool to have in your toolbox.  If your horse is anxious or distracted, it’s amazing how singing a song or just humming melodiously can calm him down and refocus him.

I know those crooning cowboys lying on blankets next to their faithful horses tied to trees were not singing to the stars…they were singing to their horses.  Because it works, whether you’re at a horse show, all alone in the indoor during a thunderstorm, encountering a plastic bag on the trail, or grooming a grey thoroughbred.

I know I’m not the only one.  So, what songs do you sing to your horses?