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Does loud music bother CAVALLUNA's horses during the show? The concern is justified, but not necessary, as the horses are not exposed to stress at any time in the arena. We explain in the article how the horses get used to the background noise.
Bartolo Messina with his Lusitano.
An important part of all CAVALLUNA shows is undoubtedly the music. Whether it's a thrilling action scene or an emotional liberty dressage, each scene is accompanied by emotional, perfectly harmonised melodies that bring the mystical story and the show to life. To ensure that the riders' and horses' choreographies are in perfect harmony with the music, the teams integrate the music early on during training with their four-legged friends. This allows the animal show stars to familiarise themselves with the music in their stables at home, before perfecting all the steps and formations in rehearsals with all the performers. The intelligent animals quickly get used to the beat and the sounds - and often know exactly when to do what.
Giulia Giona at the video shoot.
The welfare of the horses always comes first. This means that the volume should never be too high, either during training or when performing in front of an audience. This not only prevents the horses from becoming frightened, but also ensures that the communication between rider and horse is not disturbed. Along with body language, the voice is one of the most important tools when working with animals. Body language, supported by verbal aids, is also predominantly used in liberty dressage. Loud noises in the arena make it impossible for the animals to understand these acoustic signals. This is not only true for the equestrian artists, but for all CAVALLUNA performers. This makes it all the more important that the horses' sensitive ears are able to hear and respond to the riders' voices. Many spectators may be surprised to find that they can hear the music much louder than the sensitive animals during the show.
To protect the four-legged stars of CAVALLUNA from loud background noise, the speakers in the arena are positioned so that they face the riding arena and the audience. In this way, the music is projected directly into the auditorium, giving the audience a full sound experience. Meanwhile, the horses in the arena hear the music at a low volume, allowing them to concentrate fully on the riders' signals.
Not only do the horses get used to the music, they also get used to the applause from the audience. By incorporating the sound of applause into their training early on, the intelligent pooches learn to recognise applause as praise - combined with positive reinforcement such as pats and treats. This can be felt by everyone in the arena!