Virtuous Vocals
Call me Capella
Gender: Stallion
Height: 17.2hh
Eye Color: Blue x Hazel Heterochromia
Discipline: Show Jumper
Phenotype: Rose Gray
Genotype: EE/Aa/Gg
Slots
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1. Me​
2. Me
3. res. for blackhoeses
4. res. for certified
5. Open
Get To Know Capella!
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Despite his successes in the show ring, Capella is an extremely flighty, nervous horse. His ears never stop in their movements, his eyes never stop in their scans of the environment. He'll spook at the first sight of a danger, the only sounds that he seems to tolerate being the roar of the crowds. Soft sounds, and human voices do soothe him, so gentle speaking will calm him, but sometimes the fear overcrowds his brain for too long.
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Being so flighty and nervous, Capella found it difficult to make friends, however, Cuckoo has inserted himself into Cap's life, making sure that the nervous stallion knows that he is loved.
He is very nervous around new faces, and so does not try to make new friends around the stables.
Winning Prompt!
How does music affect him?
For as long as I've known him, noises have made Capella nervous. His ears never seem to stop in their swiveling, and I've even noticed he is still awake on late stable runs or the earliest morning starts. Any sudden sound makes him start, and he stops in his tracks at any loud or high-pitched noises. A friend of mine suggested playing sounds in the stables to soothe him, but those 'soundscape' videos on Youtube that she suggested left him desperately searching for the birds that sang or the rivers that flowed.
The only thing I could do was try to minimize sounds in the stables - no radios, no cars within 50 feet, soft shoes. But, of course, life gets busy, and there were days where I was too tired to park far away, my phone would be blaring music when I walked into the barn for equipment, or where one of the stable workers flicked on the radio to keep them company.
It was one of those days, after a long journey from out-of-town, that I just unhooked my phone's aux cord and entered the stables, without pausing my music. A slow song from an a capella group floated from the tinny speakers, filling the air of the stables with tight harmonies and beautiful words of true love. And, as I passed his stable, I realized that Capella was actually quiet. No pacing, no small, nervous noises. Quiet. Turning to look at him, I realized that he was listening, his ears trained on my hand. For the first time since he came to me, he was breathing slowly, quietly, peacefully. There were no sudden guitar solos, no blaring choruses, no loud instruments. Just voices singing gently in a true expression of the form. And so, the stallion listened. And, to my amazement, his eyes drifted shut, his whole body relaxing into a doze.
So, I left the song on repeat, leaving my phone balanced on his stable door. Over the coming days, I experimented with other songs he might like, making a playlist of songs for him to relax to. One cheap iPod and speaker later, he had a permanent set up, and has been able to relax into stable life. True Colours will always remain his favourite, though, and if he's having a particularly difficult day, that's the one I'll put on for him!