Following is an exclusive excerpt from the recently-published book Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music, by Sandra Beaulieu:

Review Your Freestyle Test

I encourage you to download and print the Freestyle test of your chosen level. USDF and WDAA have links to their dressage tests available on their websites. Your test includes a lot of necessary information. It includes:

• Required movements (technical marks).
• Movements that are “allowed” and “forbidden.”
• Artistic marks.
• Time limit.
• Information about music failures, errors, and eliminations.

Technical Scores Explained

All of your technical scores will be located on the left side of your test sheet. This includes all the required movements of your chosen level and also some of the collective marks included in a non-Freestyle test: For dressage, the judge gives a score for “Rhythm, energy, and elasticity.” In Western dressage, there are separate scores for “Gaits,” “Impulsion,” and “Willing Cooperation.” The judge will relate these marks to the scribe during your ride. Your technical scores are added up, and the total is combined with your artistic marks to calculate the final percentage you will be awarded.

Artistic Scores Explained

The artistic scores are located on the right side of your Freestyle test, and the judge decides these marks after your ride is completed. Both dressage and Western dressage give marks for Harmony, Choreography, Degree of Difficulty, Music, and Interpretation (of the music). Your artistic scores are also multiplied by coefficients that differ slightly between dressage and Western dressage. A coefficient means the quality is worth more, so for example the rider may score a “7” for Choreography, but it turns into a “28” after multiplying it by the coefficient, which is “4.”

The coefficients change slightly between the different levels so review your test and see which areas to prioritize. For example, in Western dressage, the Harmony score is weighted the heaviest with a “6” in Levels 2 to 4. When designing your choreography, you want to create a routine that helps you and your horse maintain harmony. That might mean avoiding certain movements that would reward Degree of Difficulty but are more likely to create tension.

Harmony

The Harmony score reflects the judge’s overall impression of your ride. The judge will be responding to the submission of your horse and how relaxed, confident, and happy you appear together. Things like unsteady, pulling, or rough contact, excessive use of spurs or whip, and any resistance, such as spooking or pinning of the ears, will affect your score. Western dressage weighs the Harmony score the heaviest with a co-efficient of “6”.

Tips to improve your Harmony score:

  • Music: Your music selection can greatly enhance the appearance of harmony, so select music that has a good flow with positive energy and smooth transitions.
  • SMILE! Look like you are having fun. This will help the judge relax and enjoy it, too.
  • Confidence: Make sure that you are confident with your choreography. Do not make your Freestyle so difficult that you and your horse look tense and overwhelmed.
  • Memorize: Make sure you know your Freestyle by heart. If you get lost in your routine it will disrupt the harmony and flow. If you do go off course, do your best to make it look like it was meant to be that way!

Choreography

Choreography is weighted heavily in the artistic scores of your Freestyle test because it demonstrates your ability to showcase your horse’s best. A Freestyle that feels like a “regular” dressage test is not interesting to watch or judge. Well-thought-out choreography will earn respect from your judge and complement your other artistic marks.

Tips to improve your Choreography score:

  • Use of arena: Review your pattern on a piece of paper. Do you have more movements at one end of the arena than the other? Do you repeat the same diagonal line from the same corner in the same direction? Make sure all the movements are spread out and have a sense of symmetry.
  • Design cohesiveness: Include a few “spaces” in your routine that let you catch up to your music or relax. If the movements come too quickly, there leaves no room for error, and the judge will also feel rushed.
  • Creativity: Try to incorporate unique lines, such as quarterlines, ride off the track, and use sequences that are not seen in standard dressage tests. Ride your transitions and circles between letters, and ride your walk, trot, and canter out of order to make it more interesting.

Degree of Difficulty

When riding your first Freestyle, it is best to design a “floorplan” that you can perform with confidence. Only add difficult movements if your horse is really proficient at them. When you attempt to perform a difficult movement and it does not work out well, you will be penalized in the technical marks for that movement.

Tips to improve your Degree of Difficulty score:

  • Second opportunity: Give yourself a second chance by repeating the same movement in case it goes wrong the first time. For example: You ride your flying changes on a 20-meter circle, but there are a few mistakes. To salvage that score, include a line of flying changes at the end of the test that will be easier for your horse.
  • Ride with one hand: A simple way to add to the Degree of Difficulty is to perform a movement with one hand on the reins. You can decide at the last minute whether you want to perform it or not. If your horse is really relaxed on show day, you might decide to ride down the centerline with one hand, but if he is tense and you decide not to do it, nobody is the wiser. (Note: In Western dressage there is a rule that if you choose to ride one-
    handed you must maintain it throughout the entire test.)
  • Keep it simple: Don’t try to make every movement difficult; this only creates tension. Pick one or two movements that your horse does well and make sure that they are highlighted by riding toward the judge or close to “C” so that movement stands out in his or her mind when it is time to score your test.
  • End with difficulty: It can be better to perform your harder movements toward the end of the test to leave a good impression on the judge. However…if there is any chance you might make a mistake, it could be better to ride it at the beginning and have that second opportunity I mentioned built in at the end.

Music

Music is a personal thing; your choice of music may not resonate with every judge. If you get a low score for your music at one show, don’t just throw in the towel—wait until you get feedback from multiple judges to help determine if you have made a good choice. The judge is looking for suitability, seamlessness, and cohesiveness.

I reviewed different avenues to find music that you like and that suits your horse in Part One. Now it is time to really keep in mind that when you are putting together a Freestyle for competition, the judges will be looking closely at how well the music matches your horse’s stride. Try to match your horse’s BPMs as closely as possible…but at the same time, I urge you not to feel constrained by this notion if you have a piece of music that you absolutely love. Match the other gaits as well as you can, and perhaps the artistic aspect of the music will be rewarded even if the beats don’t match perfectly. I have used music that doesn’t quite match my horse in tempo for my entrance, final halt, and sometimes for the walk. When the music doesn’t have a recognizable beat, this will work, as long as the melody “feels” like the movement or gait that you are trying to match.

It is becoming more popular to use music with lyrics in competition, but it must be appropriate and relevant to the routine. A well-placed lyric can go a long way in the artistic department, especially when used for the entrance or your final centerline. Keep in mind that songs with lyrics can be quite difficult to edit, depending on what section of the song you are using.

Sometimes you can find a “karaoke version” or a cover version of a song you want to use in your Freestyle that has some of the backup singers or chorus lines included, which can capture the feeling but still be easy to edit.

Tips to improve your Music score:

  • Smooth transitions: Every judge will appreciate a well-edited Freestyle. Seamless transitions between the songs and music that highlights your movements will typically score well, even if the judge doesn’t personally like your musical choices.
  • Match the BPMs: Some judges focus solely on the technical aspects of your Freestyle. Instead of appreciating the emotional depth of your music, they may just be counting BPMs! Try to match them if you can.
  • Have fun: On the opposite end of the spectrum, some judges have a great sense of humor! Take some creative license and use music with an upbeat tempo, music with vocals, or anything else that will show off your and your horse’s personalities.

Interpretation

The judge will be looking at your use of “phrasing” and interpretation of the music. Phrasing begins and ends with the movement you want to highlight. For example, your music should get more powerful and “rise” into a canter lengthening, and then it should feel as though it settles back down as you transition to the working canter. The rise and fall of the music helps avoid a monotone beat that leaves a Freestyle feeling flat and boring.

Tips to improve your Interpretation score:

  • Separate music: Let’s say you find amazing music for your trot, but it lacks sufficient change when it comes to your extensions. Look for a powerful, dramatic piece of music in either the same genre, by the same composer, or from the same soundtrack, and use your editing program to insert a section of that piece to highlight the extended trot.
  • Go with your gut: You will be able to feel which movements need to be highlighted and which ones don’t. If your horse tends to get “choppy” and quick in the extended trot, you don’t want to highlight it with music. Maybe edit that particular section to have a slightly quicker or slower BPM to match your horse. If your horse is really good at the half-pass, you can highlight that instead, putting the focus on your horse’s strengths.
  • Tell a story: Think of your Freestyle as a story: There is an introduction, there is a journey of ups and downs associated to the music and the gaits, and there is a definite ending. Avoid common mistakes, such as a final centerline that just “fades out” to nothing, or jumping back and forth between different genres so the viewer feels as though she is switching channels on television.

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Reprinted with permission of Trafalgar Square Books. Freestyle is available to order publisher direct at www.HorseandRiderBooks.com or request it at your favorite Canadian book source.