If you are anything like me, when you are not riding your horse or caring for your horse or shopping for your horse, you are thinking about your horse. I have discovered a great way to feed my obsession and fill those wasted hours when I am away from my horse: listening to podcasts about horses.
The Horse Radio Network (which, despite its name is not actually on the airwaves) is not just a podcast. They offer 17 different podcasts, some published daily, others weekly or monthly. Titles include “Horses in the Morning” (my favorite), “Horse Tip Daily,” “Equestrian Legends,” “The Eventing Radio Show,” “Retired Racehorse Radio,” and “The Horse Nutrition Podcast,” among others.
The podcasts are both entertaining and educational. They talk about everything from training to feeding to fly control to horse health to who’s who in the horse world.
My favorite is “Horses in the Morning” which you can listen to live-streamed from 10-11:30 am (Eastern USA time) every weekday or any time as a podcast. The two hosts – usually Glenn Hebert and Jamie Jennings (but others rotate through) talk about current events and events in their own lives and they bring on guests to talk about a myriad of topics. It’s hard to explain so you just have to listen to understand it. Much of it is serious and educational, and a lot of it is very humorous. There are a number of specific episodes each month such as endurance riding and training. One of my favorite monthly features is the Horse Husband episode, which is usually hilarious and often heart-warming as the men commiserate over the challenges (and joys) of being tied to horse-obsessed women. They also have some weekly segments that are very entertaining, including “Really Bad Ads” and “Equestrian First World Problems.”
A word of advice: listen to a few episodes before you decide if it is for you. The format is not at all like radio and I admit that at first I was a little turned off. Being an avid National Public Radio listener, I thought the Horse Radio Network podcasts were not very professional. But they really grew on me and now I listen all the time. What I love about them is exactly what turned me off in the beginning – they are casual rather than formal, and the hosts and guests and listeners feel like a great big family that I am part of. The hosts and guests talk about their lives (which they also share on Facebook) and invite you to message them with questions and comments (which I have done and gotten responses).
To really be part of the “family,” you can become an HRN auditor, which means that you support the Network by donating $3 per month, for which you gain access to the HRN Auditors Facebook page as well as the opportunity to test and review products and win giveaways for submitting “really bad ads.” There are about 450 auditors so it feels like a close-knit group, and they are serious horse-people so if you post something about your horse or your life or a question, you will get thoughtful and respectful responses.
My only complaint about HRN is that they do not have enough content about trail riding. There is a bit about endurance. But pleasure trail riding is only mentioned here and there in passing.
Despite this, we highly recommend that you check out Horse Radio Network, especially the Horse Trail Chicks’ favorite podcast – Horses in the Morning. We think you will find it entertaining, informative, and connect you to other horse-people.
Where to find: on your favorite podcast player or the Horse Radio Network app available for both iPhone and Android.
Price: totally FREE!
Horse Trail Chicks rating: 5 carrots out of 5
