Hoof Beatz: A horsey playlist
Need some jamz for your iPod? HN Contributor Lisa Morrison has compiled a list of songs in which horses figure prominently.
Photo: PhotoChopz.com
From Lisa:
For some reason, I was recently thinking about sappy songs about horses. The one that first came to my mind was “Wildfire” by Michael Martin Murphey. Now, you may need to be of a certain age to remember this one (it came out in 1975) but it’s all about a wild horse, named–you guessed it–Wildfire.
This led me to wonder: What other “horsey” songs are out there? First stop: my own music collection. Turns out, I have a few that fit the bill. Now, I didn’t intentionally choose these songs for their title; I just like them (I guess that’s why I own them). Here are my top 5:
1. “A Horse With No Name” by America (This isn’t the official video, but it’s funny.)
3. “Dark Horse” by Amanda Marshall
4. “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses” by U2
5. “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” by KT Tungstall
After a little research, I found there are LOTS of songs with “horse” in the title–new songs, old songs, country songs (many), explicit songs (!), instrumental songs and weird songs. I found hundreds, from all different musical genres, but here are 20 to consider:
1. “Beer for my Horses” by Toby Keith
2. “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big & Rich
3. “White Horse” by Taylor Swift
4. “Dark Horses” by Switchfoot
5. “Turn Lose The Horses” by Garrett Hedlund
6. “Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!” by Corb Lund
7. “Bring On The Dancing Horses” by Echo And The Bunnymen
8. “Goodbye Horses” by The Airborne Toxic Event
9. “The Horses” by Ricki Lee Jones
10. “One Horse Town” by Hank Williams III
11. “She Rides Wild Horses” by Kenny Rogers
12. “Dark Horse” by George Harrison
13. “The Horses” by Daryl Braithwaite
14. “If Wishes Were Horses” by Lucinda Williams
15. “The Wild Horse” by Rod Stewart
16. “Three Horses” by Joan Baez
17. “Concerning Charlie Horse” by Great Big Sea
18. “Six White Horses” by Gillian Welch
19. “Runaway Horses” by Belinda Carlisle
20. “Girls Ride Horses” by Judy Rodman
I also learned that, not only can you download songs about horses, you can also download horse-related ringtones. You can choose from a variety of galloping horse sounds, whinnies and neighs, but my absolute favorite is a horse race ringtone, in which the announcer calls the race between “Incoming Call” and “Voicemail”–very funny. Have a listen.
About Lisa: I am a recently transplanted Canadian and former competitive event rider. I live in Virginia now and am (for the time being) a horseless recreational rider these days. Although I do miss competing, I love to ride–any horse, anytime, anywhere. I keep my riding gear in my car just in case I came across a random horse to ride. I’ve ridden OTTBs, Quarter Horses, Arabs, Cleveland Bays, fancy European imports, and even a Standardbred. I like to boast that I have ridden in all seven FEI disciplines–to some degree: riding Western for 3 years, vaulting at summer camp, driving my cousin’s horse at the fair and once completing a 25-mile competitive trail ride (even though I didn’t really know what it was at the time). Plus I’ve competed (seriously) in Eventing, Jumping and Dressage!
My favourite favorite breed is the Irish Sport Horse (I’ve owned two).
My favorite saddle is a Lucinda Green Cross Country saddle (c. 1986).
My favorite smell is freshly cut hay.
My favorite place is on top of a horse.
In my former life, I was a marketing consultant for retail and technology companies–my specialty was developing communications campaigns to reach and interact with customers and prospects. I also worked at Equine Canada for 3 years, working with the non-Olympic disciplines, managing the national coaching program and coordinating the Canadian Equestrian Team. And, for more than a decade, I ran my own horse photography business, focused primarily on eventing competitions.
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