Monday 25 February 2019

Noise-Cancelling Headphones?

One problem with this never-ending cold is the amount of time I end up spending on the internet during my evenings at home.

Which means too much time spent over-thinking possibilities. Also, trying not to buy shit I don't need.

My favourite past-time is combining the two.

Cisco is quite reactive to sudden noises. Sudden movements too, but I think he gets over those sooner. Creaking and flapping of the arena leave him very concerned for long periods of time afterward. Because of this, he's not terribly chill in the arena, which I would like to change.
Lemieux Acoustic Ears - about $80 CDN

In perusing the interweb while trying to not have to get out of bed on Sunday morning, I discovered sound-reducing fly veils. Which got me wondering.

I'm not a gimmick person, and I dislike shortcuts. But if something simple like being able to muffle some sounds on windy days helps Cisco not lose his brain, I can get behind it.
Schockemohle Silent Fly Veil - about $90 CDN

I don't want to use poms or earplugs - I'm far too short to try putting those in. So fly veils would be the way to go.
Equiline Soundless Ear Net - about $120 CDN

Does anyone have any experience with this type of fly veil? Reviews seem to be pretty good - they don't completely muffle all sound, but do seem to make a difference.




6 comments:

  1. I have no experience using those, but if you can sew, I bet you could modify an old ear bonnet for way less than $80.

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    1. True dat! I can use Pony Grandma's mad sewing skills to make up a trial version and see if it works. If it works I have no problem putting out the cash, but they're on the expensive side if they do nothing.

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  2. My thoughts were the same as Olivia. I don't think that they are legal for dressage competitions so not sure if I would want to get attached to them.

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    1. I just checked - they are legal for dressage in Canada! Ear plugs however, are not.

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  3. We use these for the racehorses in the winter when we're stuck in our VERY NOISY indoor. They aren't a good "fix" to make a horse less spooky in general, but they do work wonders on those days (like today) where the wind is gusting at 40mph and things are banging and slamming. As everyone has mentioned, they're not competition-legal, but the horses don't have to deal with creaking and banging at shows, and if the other option is either not riding or dying while attempting to ride, I love them. The only thing to keep an eye out for is that some horses get more spooky about things moving if they can't hear them coming. Not a big deal if you're trying to mask arena sounds, but not a good idea for, let's say, trail riding. All the desensitizing in the world won't make an old indoor on a windy day less scary, but the bonnet sure will!

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    1. That's the kind of info I was looking for! Thanks!

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