The topic of whether or not wind turbines harm horses, or birds, wild mammals, dogs, humans, etc has started to circulate again on social media. Interestingly, this isn’t a new story, and the posts/evidence that is usually cited refers back to 2012/2013.
Wind turbines obviously move and can create shadows or bright reflections which could startle horses or ponies. They may also create vibration in the ground which horses may feel. But sound seems to be the greatest concern for many.
Sounds produced by wind turbines
Wind turbines produce low-frequency sounds – the sort of sounds we would classify as a hum or rumble. Interestingly whilst we are good at hearing low frequency sounds, our horses are not so good. However, we should always consider that our horses have much more sensitive hearing than us so what sounds quiet to us can sound quite loud to our horse and your horse will hear quiet distant sounds before you do.
It’s also slightly more complicated than simple “noise” as wind turbines can produce a variety of sound…….
- Broadband sound – humming, whooshing, or swishing sound, like the running of a fan or ocean waves. Often called “white noise”.
- Infrasonic sound – this is sound which is always present in the environment at frequencies lower than we or our horse can hear (20Hz for us and 50Hz for our horse or pony). We may “feel” this type of sound rather than hear it.
- Impulsive sound – sound that starts and stops suddenly and usually only lasts for a few seconds.
- Tonal sound – sounds generated by the mechanical parts of a wind turbine.
The sounds generated by wind turbines can depend on many variables including the specific model, the location, the surrounding geography, the wind flow and direction and many other factors. The sounds may vary from almost nothing when there is no wind to sounds lower than are audible to us or our horses or up to frequencies of 2000Hz. 2000Hz is quite high pitched – a whistling kettle starts around 1500Hz and reaches around 3000Hz. So potentially quite invasive and irritating.
What are the proven effects of wind turbines on health?
There have been a large number of studies on wind turbines and human health. To date there have been a relatively large number of studies and the only consistent effect is on sleep or stress for those living close enough to wind turbines to be able to hear them. There is no evidence of other health effects attributed to very low frequency sounds below our hearing range.
Effects of wind turbines on horses
Much of the “evidence” for an effect of wind turbines on horses comes from a 2012 UNPUBLISHED Masters Thesis from The Technical University of Lisbon by Teresa Margarida Costa Pereira e Curto entitled “Acquired flexural deformation of the distal interphalangeal joint in foals”. This research investigated the onset of acquired limb deformity in foals associated with the installation of wind farms! The biggest mistake scientists probably make (and lay people) is that ASSOCIATION (correlation) is NOT CAUSATION. Association does not prove cause and effect. There are classic examples of this such as, ice cream sales and murders show a clear association (they increase and decrease together) in certain parts of the USA. Another example is that the number of people who drowned in a swimming pool between 1999 and 2009 correlated with the number of films starring Nicholas Cage that were released in that time! So other than one unpublished, non-peer-reviewed Masters thesis we have no other studies on the effects of wind turbines on horses.
So if you are out riding, the movement, vibration and noise produced by wind turbines might startle your horse. However, if your horse is grazing near fields with wind turbines as yet there is no evidence that these present a significant health risk.
Questions
Do you have wind turbines you ride past? If so, how did your horse react? Have they got used to them?
Do you have wind turbines near your paddocks? Do you think they affect your horse/s?
Resources
The BHS has produced a guide entitled “Advice on Wind Turbines and Horses for Riders and Carriage Drivers” Follow this link to read.
