Listening to music while you ride?

So, there was a girl riding her horse with her Ipod in her ears while trying to get it to do barrels in the practice arena.

What is your opinion on listening to music while riding a horse? I am against it. Now, if it is playing over a speaker, that's fine, but personally in your ears? No way!

1. Listening is important. A horse is not like a vehicle, though a lot of people treat them as such. If you are blaring music, you can't listen to things around you. You will have no idea if some scary noise spooks your horse or not.

2. Secondly, it takes off some concentration

3. Talking and listening to your horse creates bonding. Hearing a horse snort, or maybe even hear a shoe come off, or a twig he stepped on, are all things to pay attention too, even his joints popping or belly rumbling.

I think it's just stupid, dangerous, and you should not do it when riding. All your attention should be on the horse, and noises around you. Will my horse spook at that plane flying over? That car going by rudely honking his horn? If you have ear phones listening to music, you won't even know anything like that is even there.

I agree its stupid, get a portable stereo and have it on quietly. Not loudly because then same effect, you can't hear whats going on. I know people have ridden with stereos in arenas, that's fine. Its like crosssing a road, I always take my Ipod out of my ears when I cross.

I am able to concentrate much better with background noise so I like to ride with a stereo. I don't ride with an ipod mostly because my luck it would fall off and get trampled or something. Personally, I rather ride with a stereo on, but that's just me.

I don't think it is bad to have a stereo on at a reasonable volume level, but I wouldn't use and I-pod. I used to ride with music in the backround, and I could keep rhythm with it. It was actually pretty helpful with things, but still, I don't think I would use an I-pod...

I Completely agree with you ChevyPrincess 100% !
But I would only have a radio or something playing, as to having something directly in your ear, its a HUGE NO NO to have that, while a radio is fine.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I DO ride with my Ipod at certain times. I would NOT ride one of my younger horses with it but I don't have a problem using it when i'm riding my 10yr old on cattle drives etc. I've been riding him for the past 8 yrs, did all over his training and trust him completely. When we are moving cattle it can get pretty boring staring at the back side of a bunch of cows for mile after mile and my Ipod helps pass the time. You usually can't hear anything anyway with the cows mooing and usually the wind blowing too. Anyway, in certain settings I don't see a problem with it although I certainly wouldn't ride a youngster with it or in a setting were I need to hear.

I have ridden while listening to my ipod before, only because I totally trust the horse, and while I do agree that just like doing that while driving, its not very safe, I don't agree about the noises and horse spooking part. Yes you wouldn't be able to hear something your horse maybe decided to spook at, but sometimes horses spook, not because they are really nervous themselves, but because you as the rider are anticipating them spooking at something, so they think its what they are supposed to do, but that's a different discussion. I personally think that it may actually be nice to listen to a radio while riding, but I would definitely strongly suggest not using an ipod.

I know that horses spook at other things, but while listening to an Ipod, you won't be able to hear if it is a noise that spooks them.

I understand your point Appy, I, along with most people don't get the luxury of that and wide open spaces. But even on a trail ride, I wouldn't do it. I guess I just cherish the sounds of nature on horse back.

I personally wouldn't do it because there are times that a shouted "LOOK OUT" is the only thing that saved me from a near catastrophe. I would think that even in an arena, it would be unsafe because someone else might lose control of their horse and you have to avoid them. You can't do that if you aren't looking in that direction and can't hear people yelling at you. When I go out on trails, I like to know if there are deer rustling in the bushes that I can't see that might spook my horse. Even my old bombproof horses will jump if a deer jumps out of the thickets and tries to jump up in my lap (you laugh but it happened once). I also like to know if there may be a hunter anywhere around. There is no sound that will make your hair stand up quite like a bullet whistling past. When I am riding through town, I like to know if there is a kid with cards in the spokes of their bike riding up behind me or some kids are playing basketball around the corner so that I can prepare for the possibility that either the ball or a person may come flying around the corner directly at us. Sometimes when I am working circles at the house, I will turn on the radio in the tack room just for some background music to relax to but that's it.

Now don't bite my head off, buttttt I personally love riding when I have my Ipod in. :]
But, I only have one earbud in and only when I am hacking alone. I would never, ever listen to music during a lesson or when jumping. When you're in a lesson all your attention should be on the ride and not on the music.

I do love riding to music and when the music is upbeat, Robbie can feel it and his energy increases as well. But I do want his attention to be on his surroundings and my voice, so that's why I don't like riding with stereos as I know he listens to that more than me (but only beacuse he is a baby and his attention span is limited hehe). I can hear my surrounds and my music just fine when I have one earbud in, without taking all my (or Robbie's) attention away from our surroundings.
I also find hacking a bit boring if I don't have music to accompany me and keep my energy up. Hacking just seems so ... robotic ... if all I'm doing is listening to the boring, quiet sounds around me, especially when riding alone. Music just keeps everything interesting. :]