Posts Tagged ‘Rhythm’

Ride your HORSE to MUSIC and solve training issues! Whether you are riding a dressage musical freestyle, or just riding your horse to music, there are TIPS you should know before you start. Over the years, you have told me that the most important thing to you is that you want the RIGHT MUSIC for your HORSE and you WANT TO HAVE FUN!!

You’ve also told me that:
* You want help recognizing the rhythm of your horse’s gaits.
* You can’t maintain a rhythm.
* You and your horse are nervous and you need help relaxing.
* You’re tired of seeing “4″s for loss of rhythm on your dressage tests.
* You’re frustrated because there is no harmony between you and your horse.
* You don’t know what the right tempo is for your horse.
* You don’t know the difference between rhythm and tempo.
* You don’t know what type of music to choose.
* You can’t hear the difference between walk, trot, and canter music.
* You can’t identify the tempo (or BPM) of music.
* You are tired of buying so many CDs when they only have one good song for riding.

Here’s how I got started…

I grew up in a musical family so learning to read music and play various instruments was ingrained into me early in life. But most of all, I’ve always loved listening to music. (I always had the radio on in the barn.)

But riding to music became a necessity when I got a high strung Trakehner gelding to re-train. This horse was so incredibly tense, and fearful that simply trotting in one rhythm was IMPOSSIBLE. Anyhow, one day I was trying to trot around the arena, when a perfectly cadenced Scottish bagpipe march came on the radio. That horse picked up a swinging, rhythmic trot all by himself! AND he was breathing in time to the music. (Yes, I even have two witnesses to this!)

I was completely shocked. After that, I became fascinated with how music affects both the horse and rider, and my quest began. As I developed my business creating musical freestyles, I was time and time amazed at how perfect music could improve and enhance the horse’s movement and the rider’s rhythm! When the music fit the horse and rider, both the quality of the gaits and movements improved. The music enhanced both the artistic aspect and the technical side of the ride. Because rhythm was maintained!

I thought this was AMAZING, so I wanted to learn more…

I was stunned by the things I learned such as:

* Studies show that music affects our physiology. Slow music slows the heartbeat and the breathing rate as well as brings down blood pressure. Faster music speeds up these same functions.
* Listening to your favorite music is good for your cardiovascular system. Researchers have shown that joyful music has a healthy effect on blood vessel function.
* Riding to music increases your endurance and feelings of well-being. Studies show that exercising to music improves endurance by 15% and improve the “feeling states” so, people derive much greater pleasure from exercise. (Those cool endorphins!!)
* Many hospitals use music to treat patients with stress-related illnesses to stimulate the brain and relax the body.
* Music affects both sides of your brain, so whether you are a left-brain logical thinker or a right-brain artistic thinker, music helps you ride better.
* Even animals react differently to various types of music. Given a choice, rats will choose calm classical music over hard rock every time.
* Music can also influence brainwaves. Faster beats make you more alert and slower beats help you relax.
* Music creates a long-lasting change in brainwave activity. That means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.
* Music filters out background noises so that you and your horse can concentrate better.
* Music acts as an INTERNAL metronome to help you maintain a regular rhythm.
* Music puts you in a more positive state of mind, helping to keep depression and anxiety at bay.

The bottom line is… it’s fun to ride to music! Rhythm and relaxation are essential for EVERYONE including dressage riders, trail riders, hunter riders, and western pleasure riders.

Ruth Hogan Poulsen
http://www.Ruthhoganpoulsen.com
Ruth@Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

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

Tips to help your dressage horse (or any horse!) enjoy the benefits of riding a musical freestyle or just riding to music.

So whether you want to ride competitively or just want to enjoy riding to music at home, here are some free tips.

6 Tips for Picking Out Awesome Freestyle Music for Your Horse

1. Know your horse’s ideal BPM (beats per minute)

2. The average horse has the following BPM:

o Walk 90-106 BPM
o Trot 138-160 BPM
o Canter 96-108 BPM

3. Pick music that matches your horse’s BPM within 4-6 BPM range.

(For example if your dressage horse has a canter of 104 BPM, choose music that is between 100 BPM and 108 BPM)

4. Choose music that has a very clear downbeat. (You’d tap your toe to the downbeat.)

5. If you CAN’T tap your toe or clap your hands easily to the beat of the music, it’s not great freestyle music!

6. Choose freestyle music that will help you achieve your horse’s ideal tempo.
For example: If your horse is a bit on the lazy side, choose an upbeat and energetic piece of music that will help YOU ask for more energy. If your horse is hot or nervous, choose freestyle music that will help you feel calm and steady as well as help your horse with rhythm and relaxation.

7.Choose music that has dynamic changes. Dynamic changes are audible changes within the music (either volume or intensity) where you can make transitions. (for example, the music should FEEL or SOUND like there is a transition to an extended trot) When you are riding a freestyle for competition, the dynamic changes of the music need to match your transitions both within the gate and from gait to gait. Meaning, when you begin and end a half-pass, the observer should see and hear the transition and hear the change in the music occurring together. When riding a transition from gait to gait, such as the canter to walk for example, the observer should hear and see the transition to the walk occur with the change in the music.

8. Choose music that has appropriate back ground music. Even when a selection of music has the correct BPM for a trot; for example, the music that is in the back ground has an impact on the FEEL of the music. If you have a hot nervous horse, a high pitched frantic violin in the back ground will NOT help you or your horse maintain rhythm and relaxation. On the other hand, if your horse is always lacking impulsion or is lazy, more upbeat and forward moving back ground music will help you increase his energy level. For example, a soft and slower piece of jazz music might be appropriate for a nervous horse, but would allow the quiet or lazy horse to have even less energy.

Ruth Hogan Poulsen
http://www.Ruthhoganpoulsen.com
Ruth@Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Author: Ruth Hogan Poulsen
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Most horse trainers often say that it is critical to learn the language of the horse. If you realize how to talk with horses, you can readily calm them whenever they feel uncomfortable. In horse training, you should have the capacity to calm your horse when the need arises.

There are times when the horse gets frightened. It’s really amazing how the owner can calm the frightened horse. You could be questioning what made the horse calm – could it be the tone of the owner’s voice or could it be the words being used? The answer is both.

As a horse trainer and owner, you should have the trust in handling them properly. Your voice should have a soothing, gentle, and pleasant tone. Try to imagine calming your horse with an intimidating tone. Your horse will not relax and your voice will only frighten him even more.

The text you use to relax your horse may not mean anything to him but with regular training and use of such words, your words can be associated with quiet down, few things are going to happen to you, everything will be alright’.

The repetition and rhythm of how you say the text can mesmerize your horse. It can be in comparison to poetry or music. Here’s a very good example. When humans are troubled, worried, or distressed, hearing poetry or even music seem to calm their considerations. The words and music seem to grab and reach out to you. You right away find yourself taking note to what you’re hearing. Your options are diverted to the poetry or music and somehow you feel calm and relaxed.

When a horse is excited or frightened, it can be dangerous and now and then, life threatening. If you’re capable of calming your horse, you will love a safe and fun ride free of any severe accidents. A lot off the techniques used by some horse trainers are 300 Peck Pigeon’ and the head down’. The duration of the execution off the technique is in addition important. Another method to calm your horse is to bring the head of your horse toward the side. When the neck is stretched, the tension is relieved. Nevertheless, you should be cautious in executing this technique as it can trigger a bad effect; the horse will see you as a predator taking him down. So try to be extra cautious and do not use too much force.

As a horse trainer, you should not panic. You could be calm in order to calm your horse. Keep your posture non-threatening and avoid abrupt movements. Your face should have a grin or laugh perhaps. This shows your horse that you’re not irritated by his movements. Determine what caused your horse to panic. You can say your horse to reduce its head or you can wipe the neck and withers.

Always have hay nearby and try to give it to your horse; now and again giving your horse food calms him. If you can make your horse not move, face him and exhale through your mouth but don’t blow. Follow the breathing pattern of your horse. After a couple of minutes, your horse will calm down.

During horse training, you can make use of these various techniques just just in case your horse panics. The techniques are effective specially when executed correctly. Just be confident and think that you can handle the situation.

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If you have a well-trained horse then you may have the privilege of being taught by them. However, if you want to get a young horse then you should be aware that you are getting an untrained horse and you are going to have to take on the role of the teacher. Consider the following tips to help you train your young horse.

It is important that you get a horse under the age of four if you are going to be getting a young horse. A horse broken after the age of a four will be more difficult to train. This is because by this point their physical structure and strong will are more imposing.

Young horse training is also made easier if the animal has natural balance and rhythm. You can tell a naturally unbalanced horses if they are constantly changing their neck position. This is often a sign of an that has incorrect training.

If you are getting an older horse or one that is already being trained through a specific discipline, you should consider with the same guidelines.

A horse that has already had improper training is going to need many help to overcome their good and bad experiences. Therefore, you need to invest a lot of patience and time to train them.

For a three-year-old horse, it is important to limit your training sessions to half hour sessions three to four times a week. Once a horse turns four you can increase the sessions to forty or forty-five minutes in duration. Even as they get older, you should never make your training session over an hour in duration.

When it comes to training a young horse, you often just need a bridle that has a flash noseband and a double-jointed bit. Make sure you are buying the right training equipment that meets the specific needs of your individual horse. If you don’t have proper equipment then you won’t be able to have success with your training.

When you start a training session, you should never have a specific practice planned. Each day a horse is going to react to you differently so you need to adapt your training session to the horses’ specific situation and mood. A tense horse requires you to avoid specific practices or exercises until they are loose so injuries can be avoided.

If a horse is doing well during their training session and seems to be balanced, smooth, supple and on top of the aids then you should start a new exercise the horse hasn’t tried yet. However, make sure the horse’s introduction to the new exercise is playful and not forced.

When getting on a horse you want to teach them to walk with a long rein. This will make it easiest for releasing the horses back muscles. A new horse requires turnout or longeing before you can try to ride them. To make it easy for your horse you should start with a rein that they prefer.

When you first begin young horse training, you want to use a gait that your horse can easily be balanced with. This way it can be easier for your horse to get in a rhythm and maintain composure better. For most horses, they can stay in balance best with the trot.

Young horse training should be consistent. When a young horse has a clear leader then they will be more comfortable, relaxed and easy to train. Although it is also important that there is variety in your training routine. Rather than having your horse focus on work all the time, you should take them for long trail rides or other fun activities on occasion in order to have success with young horse training.

Sheryll Walker is a horse enthusiast, helping numbers of people to learn secrets of Natural Horse Training.

To discover more helpful tips on training the young horse and learn more about Natural Horse Training, visit HorseTrainingHelp.com.

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Author: Sheryll Walker
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Get my ex back

I often hear riders at the basic levels say that their dressage horses are collected. I assume they’re confused and are actually talking about connection as opposed to collection.

But since I run across this confusion a lot, I want to take some time to explain how to evaluate whether or not a horse is collected.

Many people think that when a horse is collected, he just takes shorter, slower steps. But you can shorten a horse’s strides without actually collecting him.

Think about three things in terms of collecting any gait.

1. The steps are shortened, but the rhythm and tempo stay the same as they were when the steps were longer.

2. The center of gravity must shift back toward the hind legs. That is, there is a loading of the hind legs. In nature, a horse has approximately 60% of his weight on his front legs and 40% on his hind legs. As you collect the horse, you gradually shift that center of gravity back to the hind legs. As a result, the horse begins to take more weight on the hind legs so his forehead can be lighter and freer.

3. When a horse is collected he bends the joints of his hind legs. As a result, his croup lowers and his forehand elevates. Look at the top of his withers and compare it to the top of his croup. In this balance, he’ll have the silhouette or outline of an airplane taking off, or a seesaw where one end is pushed down and the other end goes up.

It’s very important you don’t get fooled into thinking that a horse with a high head and neck carriage is necessarily collected. That’s because if the horse is “hand-ridden”, the rider can lift his head and neck up. But if the rider does this, the withers will stay low. And if the withers are low and the croup is high, there is no collection.

So when you evaluate whether or not a dressage horse is truly collected think about those three things–a shortening of the frame, a loading of the hind legs, and the relative height of the top of the withers to the top of the croup.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques?
Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence?v Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach?
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Author: Jane Savoie
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Part 2 – Relaxation with Elasticity & Suppleness

In part 1, I described rhythm as the first step in the Training Pyramid of Dressage. I explained the hoof fall in the different gaits and how important rhythm is as the basis of the training of your horse.

The next building block is Suppleness & Relaxation. The same rule applies here; Practice Makes Perfect and a good coach on the ground will help you hind your shortcomings and work through them.

It is important to continually and gradually put a horse through a series of gymnastic exercises in his flatwork. This will not only quietly and gently supple the horse, but will increasingly engage the hind quarters as they build muscle, strength, and energy. This will result in bringing the horse more and more on the bit and ultimately result in collection.

This is not done overnight. A horse is an athlete. Just like you, when you start a sport or an exercise regime, you start slow. You jog 1 mile at first and work it up till you can run the marathon.  You stretch, a little at first, and become more limber when you keep it up. That is the same for the horse.

There are two types or suppleness for the horse: longitudinal and lateral.

1. Longitudinal suppleness is the looseness of the horse’s haunches, back, neck, poll, and jaw. The suppler a horse is longitudinal, the more adjustable he becomes in his length of stride while maintaining rhythm. We accomplish this through repeated changes in length of stride, forward and back while maintaining forward motion and rhythm.
2. Lateral suppleness is the degree to which a horse can ‘bend’ his body and neck around the circle. It really has more to do with balance than actual bend. A balanced horse learns to stay on a 20m circle without leaning his shoulder to the inside of the circle or swinging his haunches out. It is accomplished by lateral exercises including leg yields and shoulder-in. These types of exercises increase the flexibility and movement of the hocks, stifle, shoulder, back and neck.

There are many other exercises you can do to accomplish basic suppleness and balance. When done right, a rider can through repeated, appropriate work–accompanied by reward, never harshness and force–turn a stiff and uncooperative horse into a supple and obedient horse.

These exercises are simple, based on circles, turns, up- and down transitions, and lateral work. The more up- and down transitions you do, the more responsive your horse becomes, making him softer, more balanced on the hind quarters, obedient and energetic.

Ultimately we are looking for the horse to start using the big muscles that go over his back and through his neck so he can start engaging his hind legs more and carry the energy from his hind legs over his back and into your hands.

Most of the work and training in this stage is still done in the trot. The better the trot work – (1.) rhythm, (2.) suppleness & relaxation with balance-the better the canter will be. The trot can help you lay the foundation for the next levels in the Training Pyramid of Dressage.

And now I would like to invite you to find out more about Dressage and get your FREE eBook “What to Do In Time of Emergency – A Guide & Workbook for Families with Horses” at http://www.PerformingHorse.com.

Now Go Out And Ride!

Monique Myers for http://www.PerformingHorse.com.

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Not many people think of working with horses as a way to help yourself; but in fact that is exactly what can happen. When you work to train a horse, you are working with the mind, and once you have the mind, the rest of the body follows. As you teach the horse about Man’s World (as you know it), you use your own natural mental skills. In turn, the horse will in turn put you back in touch with nature, while allowing you to find balance within yourself and be the best that you can be. The better you are, the better the horse will be.

It’s all about changing your mindset. Your job is to help your horse learn about “Man’s World.” In order to do that, you first need to understand how to go into his world. One successful way is to change the attitude of “Do what I tell you to do” into “How can I help you?” When people learn to become the alpha in a herd of two (the herd being made up of the horse and the person) this “How can I help you?” mindset is at work. The lifestyle of a horse is different in his natural setting as opposed to the environment we bring him into. For example, in the herd, there is a certain pecking order where he has a number of teachers. When we bring him into our world, we need to teach him about the world he is coming into, and become “the alpha” of the herd of two.

In the round pen you simulate life. In order to establish yourself as the “alpha”, the initial work is based on four tasks: movement, direction, rhythm and track. In working with a horse, you use your body to apply pressure, the same way that you use your legs and reins when you ride. In the round pen, your body represents your reins and the pressure you put on represents your legs. In other words, pressure means something, but the horse tells you how much pressure to apply. In this situation, you practice giving up control, thereby being in control and setting the example for the horse. This is a way you can practice your riding, as well as your timing, your feel, and many other things, all without actually riding the horse. It can be the beginning of a step by step process of gaining his trust so that you can build a solid foundation. After the initial work, a systematic approach is used to test the body, first along one side, front to back, then moving to the other side, because for every horse, there are two horses, the left and the right. “We do this to test the body in order to find if we get a negative response or one of the three “F’s” (freeze, flee or fight) due to a lack of understanding. Depending on the reaction from the horse, we can tell if there are issues in that part of the body, mentally transforming “mistakes” or negatives into positives because we know which areas need work. Finally, after the ground work, when you add the saddle, bridle and rider, you have a harmonious relationship and a partner who is ready to work with you. If the initial experience is positive, a solid foundation is laid and a remarkable partnership will develop. During this process a two-fold thing is happening. You think you’re there to teach horses, but in the end, they’re teaching you about yourself.

Many times we teach horses to be dependent on us by telling them where to go and what to do; we always have something attached, whether it is a halter and lead line or bridle and reins. We take away these artificial attachments, and by using pressure, one of his natural forms of communication, ask for what you would like, allowing the horse to make choices for himself and learn about consequences if he makes the wrong choices. This allows you the opportunity to simulate life in our world and let him know what can happen to him in when he makes that mental choice. Having no attachments can be an advantage that can help you to strengthen your “mind power.” While you are increasing your mental skills, you are building confidence in your horse and at the same time building your own self-empowerment. This also allows the horse to rely on his natural instincts and gives you the opportunity to practice life skills such as listening, timing, feel, patience, and many more. While in the round pen, one of the tools is a 35′ lariat, which can be used as an extension of your arm. This makes it possible to “reach out and touch the horse” without making it necessary to act as a predator, while also preserving your safety. Using the rope also teaches you to “give up control;” in other words, you must “listen” to the rope in order to roll it up. This parallels listening to the horse; after all, the horse teaches us to teach him. Using the rope allows you to practice this mindset. The first step is to change your way of thinking. If your attitude truly is “How can I help you?” your focus will be on “listening” to what the horse is telling you to do to accomplish your picture. This takes the pressure off of you and allows you to be “in the zone.” You have a picture and the horse tells you what to do to create the picture. The more you improve the horse’s knowledge, the easier your task will be. This type of work can help a trainer who is already working with a rider to improve in a particular discipline. can benefit horses and riders in all disciplines.

While doing this work, there are five rules. Rule #1: There are no rules. Rule #2: Your safety. Rule #3: The safety of the horse. Rule #4: Conservation. Rule #5: See rule #1. While following these rules, participants often see that the situations that occur in the round pen often parallel or “mirror” situations that occur in their lives. In working to help the horse, you can also work on changing negative habits that you have acquired and work toward self-improvement. In fact, although this work is used for horse owners and trainers, it can be used to improve relationship skills for couples or families. For example, in working with the horse, children can learn parenting skills by setting boundaries for their horse. For a career professional, as you learn to be committed to helping the horse stay on track in the round pen, you can envision the parallels to being committed to staying on track in your career. Round pen work can even be used in addition to traditional therapy methods. A local therapist has seen positive results with her clients. “(This work) brought each individual’s patterns and feelings to the surface as they attempted to have the horse complete the task they were given or the task they gave themselves. In each instance, the horse became the mirror for where they were, where they were stuck, or what they were feeling. As a therapist, it is important to me that the client discovers his or her own “monsters.” The issues became glaringly apparent to the client who is working with the horse in the round pen and, in this case, to the family members observing the process.” The work can also benefit business/corporate and school groups with the emphasis on self esteem and teambuilding. Urica Pope, Program Coordinator for the Creative Services Department of South Carolina ETV, worked in 2004 with Anderson and groups of young girls participating in a gender equity program. “There is a valuable lesson to be learned from it,” said Pope. “We chose this program because it deals with leadership. We want the girls to work together and with the horse as a team-building program.” For Bobbi Kennedy, vice president for continuing education at S.C. ETV, the goal is teaching young girls that they can “take on a complex topic and master it.” Kennedy said that the girls don’t just learn for themselves but learn how to work as a team, a concept that is a constant theme in the program. In workshops with Anderson using two horses, the girls also covered topics such as anger management, self confidence and how to say “no.”

The nice thing about this work is that it allows you to be the best that you can be. If you come to the round pen and do something that you are afraid to do, and do it well, you will build your self esteem. With horses as a representative of nature, in working with them, people are getting back in touch with the environment through the horse, thereby finding balance in both worlds, “Man’s World” and “Nature’s World.” Give a man a fish, feed him for the day; teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime: but you’ve got to let him get to the pond. If we stay on the path that we’re on, there quite possibly may be no fish left in the pond. Horses are helping humans find balance in their lives, thereby showing that once again, as they did in the past, horses can play a vital role in our society.

Copyright (c) Nature’s View, Inc. 2009 All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Julianne Neal is an author and educator. She and Bruce Anderson conduct clinics, workshops and training sessions throughout the US. For more information on Nature’s View, visit their websites at http://equusencounter.com and http://naturesview1.org

Author: Julianne Neal
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