Sapphire the horse has shown a remarkable talent on the electric keyboard, enjoying both the sounds and the feeling of the keys. He’s got quite a riff going! But he’s not the only horse that likes music.

Researchers at Hartpury College in England tested the effects of different types of music on eight stabled horses. They played classical (Beethoven), country (Hank Williams Jr.), rock (Green Day), and jazz (New Stories) – for 30 minutes each.

The horses showed a marked preference for classical, country music and silence;  jazz and rock music caused horses to display behaviors associated with stress — head tossing, stamping, snorting and vocalizing.

In addition, horses ate more calmly when listening to classical or country music, while when listening to jazz or rock they snatched at food in short bursts.

So next time you have the radio on at the barn, make sure you’ve got it tuned to soothing music. Or, set up a keyboard and see what happens. Sapphire’s playing is surprisingly musical — it makes me wonder what Zelda would produce!