Rhythm and Tempo
In the first part of this two-part series, which appeared in the Fall 2019 issue, I clarified the difference between the commonly confused terms “rhythm” and “tempo.” As I explained, rhythm describes the footfalls, or beats, of a gait, while tempo describes the speed of those beats—how slowly or quickly the hooves strike the ground. In the first article, I offered a few tips and exercises for evaluating and improving your rhythm. In this article, I’ll do the same for tempo.
ABOUT ALI BROCK
Allison (Ali) Brock grew up in Hawaii, where she was very active in Pony Club, jumped, rode dressage, exercised polo ponies and rode Western. After high school, she moved to the mainland to work with several well-known dressage trainers, including Olympian Sue Blinks. When Sue moved to the West Coast in 2004, Ali took over the head trainer position at Fritz and Claudine Kundrun’s DeerMeadow Farm in Keswick, Virginia. She developed the Kundruns’ now-retired Hanoverian stallion Rosevelt from a 6-year-old to a team bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics. While bringing along her next stars, she continues to
