RHYTHM AND TEMPO

Before you can pick the perfect freestyle music for your horse, you need to understand the difference between rhythm and tempo.

Many people use the words rhythm and tempo interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. This month, I’ll go over the meaning of each–both in musical terminology and in riding terminology. It doesn’t matter if you ride DRESSAGE, HUNTERS, or you are an EVENT RIDER. Every equestrian needs RHYTHM!!!

Rhythm – When riding, regularity of the rhythm refers to the even spacing between each step in a stride of walk, trot, or canter. In music, rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sounds and silences are put together to form patterns of sound which are repeated to create rhythm.

Look at the two descriptions of rhythm and put them together. Think of the sounds and silences of the musical terminology and the even spacing between each step of your horse’s gaits as the same thing. When the horse’s foot is down it is a sound. When your horse’s foot is up, it is silent. This is how we can relate the rhythm of music to the rhythm of your horse’s gaits.

Tempo -Tempo is the speed of the music or the speed of your horse. Depending on how fast you want to go, you can adjust the rate of repetition of the rhythm.

Tempo in music can be fast, slow, or in-between. Music sounds and feels different depending on how fast it’s played. The same piece of music will have a different effect or mood depending on whether it’s played fast or slow.

Hopefully, this description clarifies the difference between rhythm and tempo as it applies to music and to your horse.

Next month, we’ll talk about choosing the particular kind of music that will accentuate your horse’s strengths. Stay tuned for a whole lot of fun!

Ruth Hogan Poulsen

http://www.Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Ruth@Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Author: Ruth Hogan Poulsen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty

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