We’ve seen instances of dancing horses before, but this foot-stomping performer definitely takes the cake!
In this video, shared by Billy Ray Cyrus himself, we see a horse dancing and performing for a stadium audience. His claim to fame? Line-dancing to the classic country hit “Achy Breaky Heart”. Cyrus (understandably) captioned the video as the “Best thing ever!!!”, and since then, it has been viewed over 21 MILLION times.
As the video begins, the opening notes of “Achy Breaky Heart” are being played over the stadium’s loudspeaker. The horse stands in the middle of the dancers’ formation, waiting for his cue to begin. As Cyrus begins singing the lyrics to the iconic tune, the horse, accompanied by his human dancers, begins to step and turn in perfect synchrony to the music.
Thankfully, someone in the audience was there to capture the rare event on video, uploading it online and sharing it with the world to enjoy. Throughout the song, you see the horse get more and more excited each time the chorus plays. For me, the best part is definitely seeing his fancy footwork; he completely keeps to the beat of the song and the other dancers, even crossing his feet as he turns and sidesteps.
Now, this definitely isn’t the first dancing horse we’ve come across. Take, for instance, this rambunctious little equine, dancing to the popular tune “Watch Me” by Silentó. These types of displays have led scientists to examine the effects that music has on horses, and animals, in general.
Recently, British researchers conducted a study to examine the effects that different types of music had on stabled horses. The researchers played different genres of music to the horses (such as country, rock and jazz) and then examined their behaviors. The scientists noted that in general, the horses seemed to enjoy classical and country music (surprise!) the best. In contrast, jazz and rock music made the horses display increased signs of stress, such as stamping, head tossing, snorting, and whinnying. These results led researcher Clare Carter to suggest (via The Horse) that “the [classical and country] music had an enriching effect on the environment of the stabled horse” as opposed to rock and jazz.
After watching this horse dancing to Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart”, I have to say I’m really not surprised by the researchers’ results— it doesn’t take a scientist to see that this horse is 100% country, straight from his snout to his line-dancing toes!
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