How to Measure the Tempo (Speed) of Your Horse
We will measure the tempo of your horse for you but if you're interested in learning more or fancy having a go yourself here's some details. A more detailed article about rhythm and time signatures can be found here.
Musical Tempo vs. Equine Tempo
"Tempo" mean two slightly different things in musical and equine terms. The musical sense of tempo refers to the regular pulse of the music. The equine sense of tempo refers to the rate at which a leg lands in a given gait. For example, how many time a minute the left front leg lands during walk. They are almost but not quite the same thing.
This is important because it can affect what music we choose.
Walk
A typical walk is around 50-65 beats per minute (bpm). 50bpm is very slow in musical terms and will appear to drag against a walk. To get more musical results I usually look for music that's around double the equine tempo. This tends to look much more appropriate. Technically other multiple of the equine tempo (200 bpm) would align but wouldn't capture the feel of a walk.
Trot
The equine tempo of a trot is typically 75-90. Again, music at 75bpm doesn't capture the energy of a trot. I usually choose music that is around double the equine bpm to better reflect the spirited appearance of a trot.
Canter
Canters tend to be around 95-110 bpm. The beat of the music should align to the lead leg landing. With a canter you can apply the equine tempo directly to the musical tempo.
Methods
Count
A cheap and cheerful way to calculate the bpm of your horse is to count the number of times that one leg strikes the ground in a minute. One drawback is that this will give you the mean tempo (the average across a given time) whereas it's usually better to measure the mode (the most common number. That is, the speed that the horse is riding at most of the time rather than the average, which may be slightly out all of the time.
Metronome
Some people like to take a metronome and audition different tempos against their horse. I find this a little fiddly and inaccurate.
Tap Tempo Software
My preferred method is to use tap-tempo software on a computer. With tap-tempo software you can tap the mouse button every time a given leg lands to get a really accurate measurement. It has the advantage of being dynamic - you can see how the horse speeds up and slows down and make a decision about what tempo is the best fit. It can take a bit of practice but yields the best results.
I use Music Math for Mac available here, which is free and easy to use.
A PC alternative is Tap Tempo, available here
There are also a huge number of apps for smart phones that do the same thing - ideal for measuring tempo ringside.
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