Equine Rhythm Beads

I have recently been exploring the possible influences on equine and rider of equine rhythm beads …. And I was so taken with the idea that I decided to make some. Friends saw them and I made them some …….
Then Rosemary saw them (and I am currently making her a necklet so hopefully photos will follow) and asked if I could share my journey with all our friends here. I hope you find it as interesting as I have.

Although I originally thought they were just a very pretty novelty - once I began to explore the history of “horse necklaces” I was intrigued. Not only could they be decorative, there were therapeutic uses from the choice of colours and gemstones ….. and the bells aid some horses' (and riders') concentration and rhythm.

Many societies and cultures throughout the world and the centuries have decorated their horses (and other animals) for many reasons. Some decorate horses to protect them from evil spirits, some as a proclamation of wealth, some for healing or protection or to enhance desired attributes. Other reasons are for identification of warriors / chiefs / noblemen / kings clans or families …. And to identify achievements- We are all pleased when we are “in the ribbons” … and decorate our horse with a rosette to proclaim our success to all around!

In the British modern culture much of the traditional decoration of horses is quite conservative compared to other cultures …..

Whilst we can say we are moved by the sight of a Shire horse or two bedecked in all the ribbons and brasses when harnessed up for a ceremonial occasion – we have to marvel at the intricate and elaborate costumes of the Arab horse in ceremonial attire or the Spanish horses bedecked in all their colourful splendour for festivals.

Benefits of Equine Rhythm Beads

I stumbled across a few American sites promoting rhythm beads with different “purposes”…. and I was intrigued sufficiently to follow up on the ideals mentioned. Depending on the stated belief systems of the maker of the beads the benefits of the beads included:

• Modern rhythm beads emulating the beads, bells, shells and feathers worn according to the American Indian customs – intended to both attract good spirits to the horse and rider and protect them from evil spirits. The eagles feather, for example, was said to aid the sharpness of the eye and make the horse fleet of foot. The make up of the necklets also identified tribe, warrior status and chiefs.
• Beneficial qualities of wearing certain colours to influence both the body and spirit – turquoise said to be a very powerful protective and healing colour.
• The powers of crystal vibration affecting the body at cellular / subconscious level to both heal and influence the body both emotionally and physically.
• The sounds of the bells aiding the horse and rider at a conscious and subconscious level to aid concentration.

With my background in nursing and learning in a “needing scientific proof” age…. as well as my logical nature and lack of a strong religious or similar faith belief system …….. I tended not to believe something unless I could “work it out” or see it for myself. However over the last 5 years or so I have been “taken out of the box” a little by my horse Taz. I have explored many alternative concepts that till then I had not disbelieved or scorned, but had not been convinced about either.

As well as changing my approaches to horses in general because of my horse's abused background and resultant behavioural issues, she had a couple of health-related issues that have been helped by complimentary therapies. The most striking of these has been with her painful swollen ovaries … my (very good) vet had reached the point where the only alternative left was surgical removal of her ovaries, an operation not without risk. To cut a long story short, and after trialing herbal additives that helped a bit, we “found” aromatic oils therapy. The change has been amazing... Taz can now choose her own” treatment” as soon as she needs it and ONLY when she needs it.

I have therefore been prompted more and more to explore and make connections that many, many people have made already……… but I have never really though properly about before. I began to see that things like colour therapy ands crystal healing DID have scientific explanations ….

The influences of colour and crystal energy have been acknowledged by humans across many cultures for thousands of years (interior designers that advocated the use of certain colours in certain rooms depending on their purpose and what mood was desirable were doing nothing new!!!!)

What has not been available till relatively recently has been the “scientific” evidence to provide further evidence of the effects of energy sources we cannot see / hear / overtly feel. For many humans it is a difficult concept to accept that colour and “stones” can affect the human mind and body... yet we readily accept that, for example, x-rays and ultra-violet light (forms of energy we cannot see or feel) have immediate, long term and cumulative effects on our bodies. In fact we often seek these other energy sources out... whether it is for a sun tan in winter, to cure skin diseases / cancer… or to use certain wavelengths of the light spectrum (invisible to our eyes) to life the depressive effects of SAD (seasonal affective disorder). We also choose colours to decorate or wear that we feel “comfortable” in... and certainly with clothes this changes with our mood, or how we want to feel!

We also make many references to colour regarding how we feel physically or emotionally...or in referring to others (and not always complimentary) such as: “off colour”, “green with envy”, “got a yellow streak”, “feeling blue”, “seeing red” …..

Until very recently it had struck me that we seemed to have “lost” all our colour with regard to horses. Despite some clothing for “fun” being available for horse as well as rider... in everyday riding many riders are in dark clothing (only really the very safety conscious wearing the hi viz bring colour into equine lives). When we “show” our horses off we tend to dress in black, brown and navy ( well except for the cream jods !!!). No wonder we get so serious (see the colour charts LOL). It is only VERY recently that horse riders have taken to having “colour” in numnahs / boots etc (and usually only the young people)… but heaven forbid they even think of introducing colour to Pony Club or the show ring!!!

I have listened to many young people having fun choosing these different colours... So even before we begin the think seriously about the therapeutic influences of colour we can see that some colours “ make us feel happier” as they are being chosen over white / black functional or “required” colours.

I am not a coloured numnahs person... and could not afford to have several anyway... so the beads for me were an economical way to bring several colours into our lives as well as the sound and gemstone benefits.

So how DOES it work ????

I have explored many websites and read many books so the information I would like to share here is not my original thought … I have put links to some websites that can explain far better than I the principles and details involved. What I have included here are the general principles I have taken in - and use to explain why I would perhaps choose certain colours or stones for a particular horse if asked for advice.

Why do certain colours “make us feel good” - a more scientific explanation...

The human body absorbs light that is made up of the colours of the spectrum. All living things, including the cells in our body at atomic level “vibrate” at different wavelengths. Each colour in the spectrum (like all sounds) has a frequency, wavelength and energy associated with it. The colours / frequencies we absorb are de-coded and then passed to the brain... they have an effect on the nervous system, the endocrine system and subsequently on the release of hormones and other organic substances within the human body. They trigger an array of responses, some conscious, many others sub-conscious.

Shades of blue, for example, are restful and can be used to help lower blood pressure, improve sleep and to reduce pain perception. In contrast, exposure to red light tends to have the opposite effect and can cause raised blood pressure and feelings of stress - as it triggers the release of adrenaline.

Colour can also be used in a more direct way to affect healing ….. Neonatal jaundice is treated by exposure to a certain wavelength of light. Light therapy is also used to treat SAD and some skin diseases.

Blue surroundings, if not too dark, increase productivity. Studies show that students score higher and weightlifters lift heavier weights in blue rooms. People retain more when reading information written in blue text.

Red rooms make people anxious - though rooms with a red accent are capable of causing people to lose track of time, thus are favoured by bars and casinos. Restaurants often use red as a decorating scheme for the reason of its appetite stimulant function.

Colour affects all our senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and feelings…. Try eating blue food!

Colour arouses strong feelings and emotions within mankind by having such a powerful direct influence upon our thinking feeling processes, creating anything from aggression to tranquillity... If you sat in a room with a red colour scheme you would probably feelvery different than if the same room was blue (for the reasons above). That is why such diverse institutions such as hospitals and prisons consider their colour scheme carefully depending on the outcome required... Even your workplace décor might have been chosen to increase productiveness!

What is Colour?
Colour is energy
It is a vibration, a frequency
It is a gentle, subtle power

This is just some of the information widely available with regard to the influences of colour. I am not a colour therapist and not advocating medical or therapeutic use based on the information here, I researched it for my own use. If you are interested in the necklets and wish to base your choice of colour on horsonality traits then I am glad to be able to share this information with you.

Blue (cool) Relaxing and calming this is the colour of intellect and wisdom, peace and trust, represents adventure and exploration. Ideal for sleep problems, and hyper-active beings. Blue connects us to holistic thought, and gives us wisdom and clarity enhancing communication.

Black (cool) a colour for emotional protection and power.

Purple (cool) The colour of royalty. Like blue it is at the spiritual end of the colour spectrum and boost spiritual awareness. It is excellent for physical and mental healing.

Green (cool) is peaceful and calming, refreshing, nurturing, balancing and normalising… It is a good colour for healing and health (physical, emotional and spiritual)... Green cleanses and balances our energy, to give a feeling of renewal, peace and harmony. Green connects us to unconditional love and is used for balancing our whole being. It connects us to nature and to empathy with others.

White (warm) is the colour of purity, goodness and the trustworthy. It works better combined with gold or silver to generate an atmosphere of influence and control. It calms the heart, mind, nerves and emotions. White is an all round protective colour bringing peace and comfort.

Red (warm) attracting recognition and respect, red is the colour of good fortune. Encouraging joy, luck and money it promotes confidence and courage… and is very grounding. It has been known to escalate the body's metabolism with vibrancy and passion.

Pink (cool) the colour of love and relationship, it is emotionally soothing and calming, giving feeling of warmth and nurturing. It lessens feelings of irritation and aggression, surrounding wearer with a sense of love and protection. Pink alleviates loneliness, sensitivity, vulnerability and despondency.

Orange (warm) strengthens the concentration and enhances the sense of purpose. It frees and releases the emotions, alleviating feelings of self pity and low self esteem. Orange stimulates the mind and is a good antidepressant. It connects us to our senses and helps to remove inhibitions making us independent and social.

Yellow (warm) represents sunbeams, warmth, healing and motion. The colour of communication and health, cheerfulness and friendliness. Yellow aids memory and clear thinking, increasing self confidence and optimism, stimulating interest and curiosity. Yellow energy is related to the ability to perceive and understand and connects us to our mental self.

Brown (warm) the colour of industry, being grounded and hardworking.

Indigo this colour energy connects us to our unconscious self, and gives us the experience of being part of the whole universe. Strengthens intuition, imagination, psychic powers, and increases dream activity.

Gold …. God consciousness, strengthens the body and spirit

Silver (cool) the colour of the trustworthy and the romantic

So whether you analyse your choice of colours according to what you perceive as needed therapeutically, because of what colours you like... or what goes with your horse's colour scheme... have some fun with the beads or be more adventurous with the colours of the clothes you wear... and bring a smile to the faces of those you meet as well as your own!

You can order rhythm beads for your equine from www.bitlessbridle.co.uk/shop. All beads sold include a donation to Equine Market Watch.

Nagtrader is proud to support the Equine Market Watch charity

Link you might find interesting:

www.colormatters.com/entercolormatters.html

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