Neigh
Sound made by horses / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A neigh (listenā) is the sound made by horses, horse hybrids such as the hinny, and other equines, such as the zebra. It consists of a succession of jerky sounds, initially high-pitched and gradually lower. Produced on exhalation by the larynx and modulated, it enables the animal to express its emotions (such as fear or satisfaction) and to inform other animals through the sound produced. The main function of neighing is to alert other equines to its presence in the absence of visual communication. However, horses rarely neigh.
Buffon established a classification of neighs into five categories, according to the emotion expressed by the horse, which has been widely used in subsequent works. Today, we only speak of neighing when the horse is vocalizing, and of squeaking or whinnying in other cases.
In literary works, the horse neigh is often the means by which it makes itself known to its rider and communicates with them. In divination practices, examination of the sound produced and the horse's attitude has given rise to hippomancy. Horse neigh plays a particularly important role in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs.