Ride Your Horse to Music and Solve Training Issues!

Posted on March 17, 2023 by dayat

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.

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Advertising Literature Kept Neat With Well Designed Holders

Posted on February 9, 2023 by dayat

It is necessary, for companies which want to promote some service or item, to have some kind of purpose built stand to show off the goods or to hold the promotional leaflets etc. These are sometimes available off the shelf, so to speak, but most times, the company can have literature holders and literature displays made up to their own design. Of course, it does tend to keep all the paraphernalia in one place too so this is an added bonus.

There are companies around which design and make this kind of thing. Very often, they will be able to print the whole thing up so that it is eye-catching for the interested party. The really cool thing about them though is that they are made flat, in most instances, so that the vendor can reassemble them when he is ready to put them out for the public to see.

In fact, there is a huge market for these kinds of goods. Supermarkets always have rows of special offers on display at their customer service desks, and places like libraries need them too so that people are made aware of what is going on in and around the vicinity too. Considering these two uses alone, one can see how many would have to be made to fill the demand countrywide.

Although most of these are die cut, that is, a pattern is made from metal and punched through the card to give the right shape, there is usually some hand finishing which has to be done. If the box is made from a flimsy material, and this will keep the cost down for sure, then strengthening legs or balance legs are normally stuck, by hand, onto the back. Of course, this is done in huge numbers too to keep the cost down but it is rather labor intensive.

For special discount deals, like a promotion for Easter perhaps, it is likely that the whole thing will be printed to show something evocative of that time of year. Easter eggs or chicks and bunnies are the favorites of course, but there are times when other designs are necessary too.

The printer or manufacturer normally has a design team to fulfill the needs of the client and they usually work closely together to get just the right design or wording printed on the box. Mistakes here are costly so the customer is normally given a proof to see before the printing process takes place. He will be required to sign it too so that there are no recriminations later.

The more colors that are used in these designs, the more expensive each unit will be. Most people do not realize that each color needs another print run and this is what pushes up the price. However, clever designers will use colored card as one color so that the customer will be able to keep some costs to a minimum.

By buying in bulk, the cost per unit is also kept down and most companies will do a nationwide campaign so that each individual outlet takes part of the cost upon itself.

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