The uneasiness of being disconnected from a constantly online existence can ruin your barn time, urging you to reach for cell phones and other electronic devices instead of staying present. Not only does this make for some unsafe practices, but it takes away attention solely reserved for your horse. Here, a psychologist and two trainers will share insight on how to deal with the distraction of technology at the barn.
Do Not Disturb
Janet Edgette, Psy.D., explains that tuning out distractions in your life so you can spend a few hours at the barn in relative peace largely has to do with your ability to set and keep boundaries—for both yourself and others.
“If you have young children, are a single parent, have a relative who’s ill, or an urgent work matter taking place, then you may not be able to do that for any significant length of time, emotionally or practically speaking,” she says.
Barring those things, Edgette will tell herself, “I’m riding” in her head when she is out in the arena with her horse as fair warning to anyone who would try to get in touch or expect to hear back from her. She stresses that this serves as a great reminder to stay in the moment and not feel guilty for taking time to work with your horse.
“This is a way for me to set boundaries without having to depend on others to conform to them,” she says. “I don’t even bring my cell phone into the barn, which strikes some people as weird, but I like it that way. It’s what allows me to be at the barn undisturbed riding, grooming, and training, knowing that where I am and what I’m doing at any given moment is the place where my attention needs to be.”
Personally, Edgette loves feeling as if she is unreachable when she is at the barn.
“I have also gone through different periods in my life where I needed to stay close to my cell phone,” she says. “These days, however, I give myself permission to not check any business emails or texts or take those calls while I’m at the barn.”
Safe Mode
Trainer Jenny Jordan Frid is the co-founder and owner of Robin Frid Show Horses in Pilot Point, Texas, with husband Robin. She works as a coach and clinician to top-level national and international equestrian athletes, and is herself a multiple Champion, Reserve Champion and High-Point exhibitor with the American Quarter Horse Association.
“If I feel clients can’t stay focused because of their phones, I will say something out of responsibility,” shares Frid. “The thing we have to remember is that the majority of our riders are middle-class, hard-working individuals that have to work in order to afford a life with horses. I understand that 100 percent, since I have to work my career of real estate while coaching and training. My working clients understand, so I have to be understanding, too.”
But there’s a difference between urgent matters and pure distraction.
“That is totally different than going through social media while preparing to ride,” says Frid. “We’ve asked riders to leave their phones out of the arena or say no phone while handling or riding. In today’s world where we all think we can’t be away from our phones, we have to enforce these barn rules.”
The most unsafe situations that Frid has witnessed have been when people are longeing horses, not paying attention, and reading their phone. In her opinion, not being on your phone while doing groundwork is just good common sense for horses and humans.
High Resolution
Trainer and exhibitor Alisa Forton owns and operates Excalibur Stables in Traverse City, Mich., and offers boarding, leasing, lessons and all-around training where she works with all levels of riders. Forton shows 4-H, Open, and breed shows with the American Quarter Horse Association and American Paint Horse Association.
She explains that it’s almost an unspoken rule at her farm that when you come to ride, phones are put away and the horse gets 100 percent of the attention.
“I’ve seen people that are on their phones while riding and almost caused collisions by not paying attention to the arena traffic,” says Forton. “I’ve also seen people walking into the arena with their heads [down on] their phones and almost get run over since they aren’t looking where they’re going.”
Music in headphones can be beneficial when working on consistency and focus, although that has a caveat as well.
“It should be soft enough that you can still hear your surroundings,” says Forton. “Horses can react in a split second, and being able to hear what’s going on around you can make the difference of being more in tune with your horse and knowing why he reacts to sounds in the ways he does.”
When it comes to getting her riders to leave the temptation of what’s going on with their phones, she has found it helpful to involve them in planning their lessons or helping them set riding or showing goals.
“The more interested and invested they are in the subject, the easier it is for them to leave the stress of work or school behind,” says Forton. “I think it’s also important to remember that horses are living beings who enjoy our undivided full attention.”
By placing boundaries on how you spend your time at the barn like Edgette, finding a safe balance of work and riding time like Frid, or focusing on being dedicated to your horse like Forton, you’ll find a way to stay connected with a full battery to life and to your horse.
This article about technology distractions at the barn appeared in the May 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!
