Riding with a Cell Phone--Where do you put it?

[trubandloki]

I use a runner belt like was listed above. Very handy and does not get in the way at all.

[DFL]

@yaya

I think you mean these: http://blackknightaccessories.com/t/rider-wristlets My trainer rides with her Galaxy in one of these.

This is it–thank you!

ETA: Thank you for all of the other replies. I’m going to have to think about whether it would be safer to use one of the leg band options when I ride. However, this one will definitely be perfect for when I’m assisting at shows.

[DFL]

The training position that I’m starting is at a large breeding facility. I’ll be working as an assistant trainer for the head trainer for part of the day but for the other half of the day, he will be at a separate barn way on the other side of the property to work with his personal horses/training horses. During this time, I will be riding young horses alone unless one of the stall cleaners comes into the barn I’ll be working in (but they usually come in the morning). It is a large facility without boarding or lessons so it is very quiet. I won’t be starting any 3 or 4 year olds or riding horses I don’t feel comfortable with when I’m alone but the phone is just an added safety measure for me.

@skydy

I am apparently old and out of the loop. Is it not possible to leave your phone somewhere (other than strapped to your body some manner) while you are paid to ride a horse or give a lesson?

[HappyTalk]

@CFFarm

Fanny pack…although I am old and have a flip phone.

Me, too for trail rides along with treats and truck keys. It is also small enough to tuck in a pocket in my breeches if I am just riding at home. I’ve dropped that sucker so many times on the concrete barn floor and it seems indestructible.

[NC001]

I think instructors should have phones on at all times- if some one gets hurt you can call 911 immediately rather than have to leave the person to find your phone. Our instructors also take riders on trail rides so it would be needed then and even just getting a horse out of the field if something happened human or horse its easier to call than have to leave the situation. It actually blows my mind that some one would think you shouldnt have a phone with you.

Flip belts are good for women and the one that wraps on the leg that has been mentioned.

[Sparrowette]

I tried a bunch of different things. My johds don’t have pockets abig enough for the phone, the leg band type fell down to my ankle, a couple of the Amazon running varieties and a stretchy belt were too small for my phone and other important things I need to bring to the barn out of my purse, like keys (I pull the car’s off and bring with) ID, the phone etc.

Then I complained to my DGS, and he came back with something like this. An actual construction vest with 4 big pockets, the two on the bottom have velcro. It’s wonderful!

I have also not been seen on the side of a road. My horse looks black and blends into the dark when looked at from the front, soo the big vest is wonderful for that too!

https://www.trafficsafetystore.com/file/view/722

Not too fashionable, I know. But at this point in my life I don’t really give a FIG, or a rat’s behind… I want to have what I need with me, and be seen at night.

[Pocket_Pony]

@Paks

I do a lot of trail riding and always have my phone with me. What works great is a gardening vest. They are light weight, have good ventilation, don’t constritct or rub, doesn’t slide down as a thigh or arm band might and they have lots of pockets of various sizes good for phones, treats, gloves, keys and even a bottle of water. And as a gardening vest dirt is not an issue. The one I use is from Duluth Trading.

I have the exact same. In the winter I wear a down vest with an inside pocket and it fits my phone just perfectly. In the summer I have a gardening vest. I also got a bright orange hunter’s vest from Sportsman’s Warehouse or something like that and it has lots of pockets. Since I do ride alone in the woods, and one of my horses is deer-colored, thought it would be good to have something stand out.

I ride alone 100% of the time at home. I like to have my phone with me to track time and route and miles (if I’m on a trail ride) or to take a picture of wildlife or pretty scenery. My phone is always on mute, nobody ever calls me (nor do I make calls while riding), but I like having it just in case.

[Magicboy]

I use a wallet type deal on a belt that I got on Amazon…the brand on the wallet saysJBYD. It has space for a phone and another pocket do I can use it as shows, too

[Minuet]

I use this one, I strap it around my leg or my boot. I like to get one that is slightly bigger to fit my phone in its case.
https://www.amazon.com/Armband-iPhone-OtterBox-LifeProof-Defender/dp/B00CJGQTGM/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1493653378&sr=1-1&keywords=tune+belt+galaxy+s7

[mmeqcenter]

I bought a phone case with a holster clip, and would clip it to either my belt, pocket, or top of boot. Here’s one for the galaxy:
http://www.hdaccessory.com/products/…OioaAhNf8P8HAQ

I find it usually stays on best on the belt, where the clip goes entirely around the belt and closes back against itself, instead of the end of the clip being pressed into cloth or leather.

[BeckyS]

I’ve seen riding jeans with a cell phone pocket right above your knee, which seems like a great idea, but I don’t have $120 to drop on a pair of jeans either.

I’m seriously thinking about sewing a pocket from an old pair of jeans to the front of another pair of jeans and riding like that. I’m sure it would look ridiculous, but it would be handy!

[mmeqcenter]

@skydy

I am apparently old and out of the loop. Is it not possible to leave your phone somewhere (other than strapped to your body some manner) while you are paid to ride a horse or give a lesson?

Can you not check your messages in between rides? Have someone answer your phone if it rings while you are on a horse or teaching a rider (both of which you apparently are being paid to attend) if you are worried about a relative or friend who is ill?

If you are unable to give your attention to the task at hand (long enough to school a horse or give a lesson) without answering your phone, it seems to me that you have a time management problem and are not giving your charges their due.

Constant availability to everyone at the expense of your paying clients will backfire.
Your time should be valuable, and should be seen to be as well.

It’s a safety issue, for me and I imagine many people. When I boarded, and now I have my own farm, I was and still almost always the only person at the barn when riding. If I were to fall off or get kicked/stepped on or something, I need to have my phone on my to call for help if I cannot get myself up and to my car to help myself.

Frankly, even in a training position at a training barn, there is always the potential to be at the barn alone. Or, being in the ring alone while other people are inside the barn and do not have a direct line of sight to see if you fell off. Others may not notice you’ve fallen for hours, if at all, depending on the layout of the property and various people’s schedules. I remember one time I got tossed at a training and boarding barn with 32 horses on property - and I was the only person there. Having my cell phone on my person was pretty dang handy, since I landed hard on my tailbone and couldn’t get up for a solid 30 minutes. It’s pretty unfair for you to chastise someone for “checking their messages” and such while riding, when you don’t even know if that is the case.

[RiderInTheRain]

I stuff my phone down one of my half chaps. Unless I trailer over to my trainer’s for a lesson or meet a friend for a trail ride (about once per week) I ride alone, often hacking down the road to get to trails to condition. So I consider keeping my phone with me an essential safety measure.

There are so many great options suggested by others here though so I think I may have to upgrade. I would like to wear my phone higher up on my body (the vest suggestion is great) because since my mounts are only 13-14h and the creek crossings get deeps sometimes I have to always remember to take my phone out of my half chap in order to avoid destroying it!

[TheHorseMutterer]

I have the Ballistic case with holder that I clip to my belt (and have had one for various phones for years). The clip has been broken off once, but only under tremendous stress, and my phone has never come out of the holster.

I’ve fallen off directly on to my phone with that setup and aside from cracking the screen, all was well. I didn’t have the screen protector on it at the time, so I think that might have saved the screen. I got a sweet, phone-shaped bruise from the holster, but it really wasn’t too bad (thanks, river sand!).

Link to an iphone one here: https://www.goballisticcase.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/white-iphone-7-tough-jacket-maxx-series-case

[MissAriel]

I don’t wear my phone often - never in lessons, but I do when riding alone or on the trail. For those instances I keep a runner’s zip pouch - basically a very tiny, lightweight elasticized fanny pack in my tack box. Some breeches I can fit even a larger phone, and if my phone fits I will use the pockets, but the zip pouch is great backup. I also never got the armbands to stay up while riding.

[MCF1991]

I never rode with my phone, but my trainer started to get mad when we went to big shows and he couldn’t contact me to comeback to the barn or swap horses so I just went to my phone provider and bought a case that I could put on my belt loop.

[CPL713]

@skydy

As I said, I am old and out of the loop. Someone who has “accepted a training position” I would expect to be at some sort of training barn and thus not to be alone in the boonies. If the OP had said “I am going to train horses alone at my farm”? I would have responded differently, however that was not what the OP implied.

The OP “accepted a training position”. If you are thrown from a horse or severely injured on the ground while training or giving a lesson, a cell phone is unlikely to save you. If it makes you feel better, then by all means find a way to attach it to yourself.

Perhaps the OP can clarify the circumstances that require the instant body contact cell phone requirement rather than leaving it on a bench or a rail while on a horse or teaching.

Just in my personal experience:

When I was running a lesson program and riding client horses, I was very rarely on the property totally alone but was frequently the only one riding or working in one part of the farm, while everyone else was working in other barns or rings. There were several times where the phone was invaluable to me in a situation where I either fell or needed assistance with a horse that I wasn’t comfortable leaving to find someone.

Most importantly (to me), I never taught lessons without my phone on me. If one of my students needed medical care, I wanted to be able to call 911 immediately. (Or, as happened once, if a boarder’s horse has a massive medical emergency in the middle of the ring while I’m teaching a group of 8 year olds and everyone else is at a show…I can’t exactly leave that situation to find a phone to call the vet lol). I also occasionally used it as a teaching aid, to show a client a photo or video that would help get a point across for their own riding.

I wasn’t sitting there checking my messages or facebook, but I also didn’t want to leave my phone on the rail where it could get knocked off or would be sitting there buzzing and causing more distraction than if I had it on my person and could simply hit “ignore”.

I hate the constant presence of technology, but sometimes, it is a good thing. We didn’t have phones on us when I was learning to ride, but it’s not a bad thing that now trainers can call for help or look something up when trying to teach a new concept to a student.

It also might be a situation where the boss wants OP to have a phone on them. That was the case for me…and in the end, what the boss wants, the boss gets!

[crosscreeksh]

I take a little “camera holding” pouch that slips over my jeans belt and zips closed! First time I used one I fastened it to my saddle they realized that if I wasn’t in my saddle and the horse was leaving the territory it wasn’t much good for calling 911 !!!

[skydy]

It’s a different world now. We had land lines in the barns and used them in case of emergency. If you break an ankle or arm when riding by yourself most people can make it to the land line (or the cell phone on a bench) and if you are unconscious you can’t use the phone until you wake up anyway.

I am capable of keeping track of my cell phone but if you aren’t I guess it does make sense to strap it to yourself somehow. Of course if you have a really horrendous crash and the cell phone is on your person, it may be broken and useless.

For many of us that have ridden for most of our lives before the cell phone appeared it is difficult to understand the cell phone dependency and the fear of not having it on your person at all times. We did just fine without them.

I can see they are a boon for hacking though! (If the area you hack has service). You can call if you’ll be late or break your leg and can’t remount or if horse is injured and needs a trailer etc…etc…

[Dutchmare433]

@skydy

It’s a different world now. We had land lines in the barns and used them in case of emergency. If you break an ankle or arm when riding by yourself most people can make it to the land line (or the cell phone on a bench) and if you are unconscious you can’t use the phone until you wake up anyway.

I am capable of keeping track of my cell phone but if you aren’t I guess it does make sense to strap it to yourself somehow. Of course if you have a really horrendous crash and the cell phone is on your person, it may be broken and useless.

For many of us that have ridden for most of our lives before the cell phone appeared it is difficult to understand the cell phone dependency and the fear of not having it on your person at all times. We did just fine without them.

I can see they are a boon for hacking though! (If the area you hack has service). You can call if you’ll be late or break your leg and can’t remount or if horse is injured and needs a trailer etc…etc…

A lot of barns don’t have a land line, no where I’ve boarded has had one. (The barn I rode at as a child did have one.)

I got chucked and knocked out while riding alone…people were on property, but in the house for lunch. So when I came to I called for help. Wouldn’t really have wanted to lay there for another 45 minutes in the sub 20 degree weather.

Not all technology is bad. Do people use cell phones too much? Yes. Are there huge benefits of being able to immediately contact someone in an emergency? Yes. People got by without cars for a long time too.