A woman stands playing Pachelbel's Canon on a harp to a distressed horse, shrouded in bushfire smoke, at a large animal evacuation centre.

It's an unexpected sight amid the rushed activity during the recent bushfire crisis, yet it clearly has a positive effect, calming the anxious animal, and quite possibly soothing anxious owners as well.

Carol Booth, from the New South Wales Mid North Coast, is a doctor transitioning into retirement, and a certified therapeutic harp practitioner.

When a bushfire broke out in her local area, Dr Booth and her partner moved horses from their Lorne property, near Johns River, to a safer location at the Wauchope Showground.

When one of their horses, Oscar, who is blind, became distressed Dr Booth decided to see if playing one of her harps would calm him.

"He was kicking up, and putting his foot through the bars," she said.

"He's blind, he doesn't know where he is, and if a big truck comes by, the noise upsets him. He doesn't know what's going on, and I just thought I will see if the harp settles him down and it worked.

Ms Booth played her harp to soothe Oscar, a blind horse, at an evacuation centre during the recent bushfires. ( ABC Rural: Michael Cavanagh )

"Oscar seems to settle with Pachelbel's Canon and variations. It's soothing him.

"Two other horses looked like they were going to have a fight, and I thought I'll see if the harp works, and it seemed to work."

Harp therapy

Dr Booth normally plays her harp for patients in the palliative care wards of rural hospitals at Taree and Wauchope, and also plays in the rehabilitation ward and general wards.

"I have completed the International Harp Therapy Program and a short internship attachment with Alison Ware, full-time harpist at the Canberra Hospital," she said.

"The harp I use in hospital is a Celtic Harp, while I also use a larger harp in some settings and sometimes a small oval reverie harp — this is especially useful if the patient might want to be involved, and play an instrument."

Ms Booth uses a Celtic harp in hospitals, seen here with a patient at Nepean Hospital in Penrith. ( Supplied: Carol Booth )

Dr Booth said supporting patients as a harp therapist was extremely rewarding.

"It's a privilege, an absolute privilege, to meet people at a time in their life when they are ill and facing challenges," she said.

"The communication that occurs is without words and is profound. The client receives absolute attention. I believe that this in itself is therapeutic."

It's more than just playing music

Harp therapy is more complex than many people may think.

Carol Booth has worked as many years as a rural GP and is a certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner. ( Supplied: Carol Booth )

"Harp therapists are trained to be completely present to all that is happening in the room," Dr Booth said.

"They quietly assess respiratory rate, visible indications of heart rate, skin colour, facial expression and more.

"The harp therapist is trained specifically to use different musical modes, which influence mood, and resonant tones, which are personal to the patient, as they are needed.

"Depending on the person, and where they are in their journey, the music may be aimed to create an atmosphere of peace and comfort, or to be energising and invigorating, to be grounding, to distract from pain, to help settle laboured breathing, or to facilitate relaxation or release."

Dr Booth is around one of around 10 practitioners involved in the Australian Therapeutic Harpists Association, and said harp therapy was used in a range of Australian hospitals.

Ms Booth plays her harp in the palliative care wards of two rural hospitals. ( Flickr: Tim Samoff )

"In Australia, harp therapists are employed at a number of hospitals including in Canberra, Epworth Hospital at Geelong, Epworth Hospital at Richmond, Liverpool Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, Gold Coast University Hospital, St Luke's Hospital in Launceston, and also in many aged care facilities in all states," she said.

Australian harpist, Peter Roberts, has used harp therapy as a fully qualified music thanatologist, which is a sub-speciality of palliative care.

Dr Booth said Mr Roberts had also done studies to measure the benefits of harp therapy.

"Peter Roberts and his colleague did a study in a hospital where Peter played his harp and they measured outcomes with neonates in intensive care," Dr Booth said.

"They found that blood pressure came down, heart rates came down, and that's not something you can fake in a neonate. It's something that's a physiological response.

Therapeutic Harpist, Kerryn Viner, plays in a neonatal unit. ( Supplied: Kerryn Viner )

"And it seems the evidence is that live harp music is better than recorded music, the wooden instrument has complex vibrations."

Harps also moved to safety

Carol Booth is a certified therapeutic harp practitioner, and has used her music to help calm horses. ( ABC Mid North Coast: Emma Siossian )

In addition to moving their animals to safety, Dr Booth also moved her harps to safety during the bushfires.

"I've got big harps, so they all had to go [somewhere safe]," she said.

Dr Booth said she would consider playing to their blind horse, Oscar, again in the future.

"I hadn't tried playing to Oscar before, until he started trying to put his foot through the bars, so we will see. It certainly seems to be soothing him," she said.