|
|
 |
|
Riding Your Horse to Music – Sound System Tips, by Ruth Hogan-PoulsenI’ve had a lot of people ask me about the best way to listen and ride to music. There are a number of factors to consider. 1. Your safety and the safety of others riding with you is the number one priority, so be sure that your horse and the other horses around you are aware that the music will be on and that you don’t start it in full volume. An unannounced drum roll at the wrong moment can surprise any horse or rider, so be thoughtful about the start of the music. You should consider starting at low volume and then turning it up make sure your horse and everyone around you is OK with the music. Once the music is going, most horses will enjoy it as much as you will! 2. Where are you riding when you want to listen to music? Are you in an indoor or outdoor ring, or are you hacking out? If you are in an indoor arena with a convenient power supply, most any sound system or boom box will work. (If no power supply, get a big stash of batteries!) Many of the newer boom boxes come with a small remote control you can put in your pocket so you don’t have to get off or have an assistant to change the music or volume. Although headphones used with an iPod or Walkman type gadget is more private they can present problems. It is NOT safe to ride in an arena with other horses and riders with headphones on. If another rider has a problem or a loose horse comes running into the ring, you may not be aware of a potential problem because you can’t hear what is going on around you. Think of riding like driving your car. You should be completely aware of what is going on around you to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. The second reason I don’t like my riders to use headphones is that the horse cannot hear the music! Yes, in fact the music does influence your horse. Many horses will know when “their” music comes on and quite remarkably adjust their gait into the tempo of the music. 3. There are some products that have been made for small speakers to go into your saddle pad, so that both you and your horse can hear the music. I think this is a great compromise for hacking and riding to music for pleasure without the danger of using headphones. However, if you are riding to music on a daily basis with the goal of competing to music, then you need to use a sound system where the music is louder and around you as it will be at a show. You and your horse need to experience the sound and fullness of the music as it will be at a show, many times before you go down the centerline. In doing this, you will help your horse adjust to the music, volume and depth of the sound. This will help eliminate spooking or getting nervous when the music comes on. Many horses will become more “alive” when their music comes on. Try not to squash this enthusiasm, but rather use it and recycle it for more expression and brilliance! After all, it’s FREESTYLE! GO FOR IT! www.ruthhoganpoulsen.com 2 Comments to Riding Your Horse to Music – Sound System Tips, by Ruth Hogan-Poulsen[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Equine Connect, Teri Rehkopf. Teri Rehkopf said: Riding Your Horse to Music – Sound System Tips, by Ruth Hogan-Poulsen http://bit.ly/Jnm8P [...] Hello Ruth, I was glad to read your article about riding a horse while listening to music. With this experience in mind I am the composer of Relaxation Music for My Horse and Me. The music is contoured for the horses hearing range in frequency content which agitates their alert behavior and in decibel level keeping the music in a non-jarring listening experience for the horse and rider. Here’s the best part. I have this music downloadable as an APP on itunes for the very purpose that you have talked about in your important article. The App is called Pet Acoustics ($1.99). The music can be used on an iPhone or and iPod Touch. if you just have an iPod the music is downloadable on an on itunes from the CD Relaxation Music for Horses. I hope this has been helpful. I have been working for this moment in research and composing on behalf of our beloved horse companions for seven years. Thanks so much! Janet Marlow Leave a comment |
November 13, 2009