I dunno why I’ve never bothered asking this question before; I am hearing but a part of the Deaf community through a SO and have often been riding with Deaf friends; but I’ve never known another Deaf boarder or lesson student. Anyone here a Deaf equestrian?
Not Deaf, but hard of hearing 
Makes for riding with others interesting at times…
Not deaf either, but I worked as an ASL interpreter in Greenville and in Conway, SC (and in Manhattan for a year). Before I went to law school. Like you, I learned to sign from an SO (my late husband).
There’s a deaf COTH’er who posts occasionally. Can’t remember her username exactly - it may be something like DeafRider.
In Greenville? You weren’t too far from SCSDB then (I just stamped two I’s on top of each other–I realized I always sign it and have never had to spell the initials for it haha) Too bad we’re about an hour too far apart! Wish I had more Deaf friends that rode; I can’t imagine it being an issue actually undersaddle but taking lessons would be difficult enough. I did lead a Deaf trail ride once…backwards in the saddle signing, that was an experience.
[QUOTE=irkenequine;5915550]
In Greenville? You weren’t too far from SCSDB then (I just stamped two I’s on top of each other–I realized I always sign it and have never had to spell the initials for it haha) Too bad we’re about an hour too far apart! [/QUOTE]
:lol: I used to go to homecoming at Cedar Springs every year - that was the “hearing” name for it when my contemporaries attended. We’re not so far apart, surely? Camden’s only what? an hour or so from you? Maybe we could meet there for the Camden Hunt’s spring hunter pace. 
Yep! About an hour! Lets plan on that in the future–though my filly’s got a year before she’d even be ready to flat it (although thats my ultimate goal for her.) **Must teach her to neck rein so I can sign and ride.
Yep, severely hearing impaired here. I have been slowly losing my hearing for the last 8 years. In a high wind I cannot hear nothing. Interestingly the pony I ride is not very reactive to sound–he’s more a visual distraction kinda guy, sorta just like his rider :lol:.
[QUOTE=starrunner;5899493]
Not Deaf, but hard of hearing Makes for riding with others interesting at times…[/QUOTE]
Ditto this. Even with hearing aids I sometimes have difficulty, especially with horse show announcers, to wit, ‘pleasure trot’ sounds a lot like ‘extend the trot’.
I am fairly hard of hearing. No hearing at all on the right side and an 84%hearing loss in the left ear. I still gallop racehorses, I have to pay attention. The good thing about the horses is they will let you know when there are others closing in.
I wear a cochlear implant. Without it I am deaf. The people I ride with are aware of my handicap and we have all managed to adjust. Only one time when camping did I run into a guy who wouldn’t believe that I can not hear. He thought that when I didn’t answer him I was being rude----never mind that I didn’t even know he had spoken to me—he would speak to me from behind me at a distance of over 10 feet. Did this repeatedly to me. Creap!
[QUOTE=DressageFancy;5923259]
I wear a cochlear implant. Without it I am deaf. The people I ride with are aware of my handicap and we have all managed to adjust. Only one time when camping did I run into a guy who wouldn’t believe that I can not hear. He thought that when I didn’t answer him I was being rude----never mind that I didn’t even know he had spoken to me—he would speak to me from behind me at a distance of over 10 feet. Did this repeatedly to me. Creap![/QUOTE]
I get this a fair bit of the time too. People don’t believe that I can’t hear. And they test it. Oh well as long as they are amusing themselves I guess.:rolleyes:
OK, well I have to admit that sometimes, when my ex had plucked my last nerve, it was very therapeutic to wait until he turned his back and then call him names.
@DressageFancy…ridiculous and rude! It amazes me how humans can still be so ignorant on what should be commonplace facts, but hey.
Ditto this. Even with hearing aids I sometimes have difficulty, especially with horse show announcers, to wit, ‘pleasure trot’ sounds a lot like ‘extend the trot’.
The only deaf rider I’ve ever seen was one I interpreted a dressage test for…it was awkwardly done but damnit, if everyone else was allowed to have the test called, so could she 
Not Deaf, but I have a Deaf friend - met her through a therapeutic horsemanship facility where I volunteer. She comes a couple times a week to ride Prozac Pony.
I was an ASL interpreter in a former life… about 15 years ago. My ability to sign & to understand kind of comes & goes, but Sara’s very patient with me, and she & PP have a great relationship.
We almost always ride on the trails - either around my neighborhood or trailering out somewhere. We have a problem sometimes when PP wants to be in front, because, of course, I can’t get her attention.
It was very interesting, though, the first time we rode out together. PP is very much the alpha. And he walks faster than Mr. Blondie. So he’s almost always in front. Sara and I set out, and I realized PP was off to my right, and slightly behind. EXACTLY where he needed to be so that Sara could see me, and I could comfortably turn & sign to her.
I checked to see if she was intentionally placing him there, but that didn’t seem to be the case. And when I asked her later, she told me that’s where he chose to walk.
HOW did he know?
When I first discovered that Sara was riding at the therapeutic horsemanship facility, I was surprised. I don’t think of deafness as being the same kind of disability as, say, blindness or CP. But then I started riding & working with Sara… and realized how difficult it is to communicate with her when she’s riding. I can see why “mainstream” facilities might not be willing to take on a deaf student.
Here’s a short video of part of one of Sara’s lessons: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1341012638782
Her instructors get a LOT of exercise during her lessons. (She’s riding Mr. Blondie here - he’s adjunct faculty at Camelot, as is Prozac Pony 
)
We’ve been tossing around the idea of some kind of remote communication system that would at least let her instructor (or me, when we’re out riding) get her attention when she’s not looking at us. Camelot has been developing a device for use by some of the students who have trouble speaking (and using their legs). It’s an iPad with 6 active areas, and when the rider touches an active area, the iPad says “Walk on” or clucks or says “Whoa”, etc.
I’ve been trying to figure out how something similar could work for Sara. I would love to have a way to be able to flash a light - or have a pager on her waist vibrate. Even better for lessons would be different signals for walk, trot, canter, halt - and things like “get your heels down” and “leg…Leg… LEG!!!”
What an awesome video! Thanks for sharing!
Thats an excellent idea.
For a cheap start, what about a vibrating (NOT shock obviously!) dog collar? I bought a cheapo one for 50 bucks at the pet store for my deaf dog that does nothing but get hsi attention. She could wear it on the wrist and maybe you could set up some pidgeon signals? Fast buzzing for leg issues, short buzzes for rein adjustments, one log buzz for look at me…I love the idea of the ipad apps for some of the other kids. Absolutely wish I had a therapeutic riding program to get involved in here.
[QUOTE=irkenequine;5936221]
What an awesome video! Thanks for sharing!
Thats an excellent idea.
For a cheap start, what about a vibrating (NOT shock obviously!) dog collar? I bought a cheapo one for 50 bucks at the pet store for my deaf dog that does nothing but get hsi attention. She could wear it on the wrist and maybe you could set up some pidgeon signals? Fast buzzing for leg issues, short buzzes for rein adjustments, one log buzz for look at me…I love the idea of the ipad apps for some of the other kids. Absolutely wish I had a therapeutic riding program to get involved in here.[/QUOTE]
So you have a remote that sends a signal to the dog collar? That might work… we could learn Morse code (it’d probably be better than my fingerspelling :D)
I found this on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/SmartPets-Training-Shock-Vibration-Collar/dp/B0017QEQHY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1320384426&sr=1-1
Vibrates and lights up. Also delivers a static shock, but I bet it could be rewired not to do that.
Thanks for sharing your video, RAR. I had learned and used ASL many moons ago, but I never thought about brushing up on it for future work. Time to get cracking as it’s one of those things, “you never know when you’ll need it.”
This thread is the reason why I hope inventors can get their products in the market…like this:
http://www.quirky.com/ideations/82350
A bracelet that vibrates and lights up when someone rings a doorbell.
That’s exactly what we need!
One of the groomsmen at DD’s wedding is a Deaf physician. I know he’s got some kind of digital stethoscope - I wonder if he had any other kind of signaling devices.
