Study Reveals Biology of Horse Neighing Sound

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]A new study has revealed how horses make their iconic neighing sound. Scientists say the animals use the sound to communicate when they're hungry, happy, and even lonely. NTD's Andrew Thomas has the details.

[00:00:15]This horse is trying to get someone's attention. At the equestrian club in Denmark, horses make a variety of sounds.

[00:00:22]Riding instructor Sigrid Bjørg says that's because they're vocal animals.

[00:00:27]If they feel left alone, they will do it. If they're calling for food, in the morning, they will very often do it. And when we take them out, when they're going out to the field, the ones that left behind will call for the others. And when we take them back in, they will also call. Bjørg says horses have quite the range. Some make very like comforting noises, like ho ho ho.

[00:00:51]And I like quiet noises, and some are screamers.

[00:00:54]They would just scream out. I'm left alone. I'm left alone. They would go woo.

[00:01:00]The horse's neigh is an unusual combination of both high- and low-pitched sounds, like a simultaneous grunt and squeal. The low-pitched [music] part comes from air passing over bands in the voice box that makes them vibrate, similar to how humans speak and sing. So, what accounts for the higher part?

[00:01:16]Researchers slid a small camera through the horse's noses to film straight from the horse's mouth or voice box to find out.

[00:01:23]When they could produce the high-pitched sound, then this high-pitched shifted up in frequencies, uh which is very strong suggestion that this high-pitched is actually a whistle.

[00:01:32]So, it's basically produced by very um I mean, everything is closed down, that leaves only a small opening. And then uh that produces a whistle, like when we whistle with our lips.

[00:01:42]Horses are the only animals known to be able to whistle through their voice box while they sing.

[00:01:47]The differently pitched sounds may help humans understand horses on a deeper level. We think it's might be uh yeah, their own emotions. So, if you remove all the horses from them, and they are in a negative state, then they will make one certain frequency, and then if you bring them back, then the whinny will change and will be a bit different.

[00:02:07]Complicated creatures.

[00:02:09]Andrew Thomas, NTD News.