What is Dressage Freestyle?

12/2/2013 Quote "Freestyles are a creative expression of the relationship between a horse and rider.""The components of musical freestyle are: the technical requirements, the music and the choreography. The technical components in freestyle affect more than half of the score, revealing the need for competence and ease in the execution of the movements. The technical side of the score sheet and the artistic side of the score sheet both count for 50% of the score, but the technical components of rhythm, energy and elasticity and harmony between horse and rider are scored on the artistic side." Paraphrasing Also called 'dressage kur'. Dressage freestyle is about showcasing the horse rider combination, the horse's skills, and the rider's skills. Also very entertaining. Can be done for training through Grand Prix level. Riders have certain movements that they are required to do for each level, but they may not do any movements from levels that are higher than the one that they are performing their test at, or they will get a 4-point penalty reduction. Technical score counts for 50% of your points. Identifier http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_kur Source "Musical Kur." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_kur>. Tags Basic Resource

History of MFS
12/4/2013 Quote ""So pleasantly resonate that the harmony of their sweet sound did not tickle the spirits of the astonished people any less than the flash of the gleaming gems dazzled their eyes so that those watching did not know if they dreamt or lived.""\ "Northern Italy was the center of equestrian arts in Renaissance Europe during the late 16th century and it was here that

what would become the musical freestyle in competitive dressage was born.""In Italy in the 1500s, music was introduced to the equestrian arts first to teach rhythm and tempo to riders, and soon after to accompany the lavish horse ballets. Thus, the first musical vocabulary for dressage was put onto paper. Fiaschi encouraged his riders to learn music well enough to sing while riding and to ride as if he were playing rare and excellent music"""So pleasantly resonate that the harmony of their sweet sound did not tickle the spirits of the astonished people any less than the flash of the gleaming gems dazzled their eyes so that those watching did not know if they dreamt or lived."" Paraphrasing Riding in France and Italy in 16th and 19th century, cole/ high school riding was introduced. (This is riding to music.) Musical freestyle born in Italy. Frederico Grisgone, who operated a dressage school in Italy, wrote a treatise in 1550- 1556 that introduced music corresponding to horse's gates. He believed that the voice was also important to help the horse maintain rhythmic. Fiaschi, a guy who had another dressage school, encouraged riders to be able to sing songs while on horseback to maintain rhythm, made learning music part of riding. Early as 1548, in Lyons, France, public performances of horses leaping to music, made by the sounds of small bells on their harnesses. By 1602, La Broue wrote that without knowing music, nobody could understand horses tempo and gaits or ride well at all. One big event-Pluvinel, who, in 1612, created a few minuet long ballet to honor the engagement of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria. Music in the competition arena has just recently been introduced. In early 1900s, competitive dressage was military based. After 1980's, horses stared dancing again, and people wanted to bring freestyle to competitive arena and have it recognized nationally. 1996 Atlanta games were first Olympic games to feature dressage mfs, which changed the view of dressage as a 'boring event'. Identifier http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-the-Dressage-MusicalFreestyle&id=1984822 Source Morseth, Michele. "History of the Dressage Musical Freestyle." Ezinearticles. Ezinearticles. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. <http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-the-Dressage-Musical-

Freestyle&id=1984822>. Tags Professional Freestylers

USDF Musical freestyle Guidelines, def., etc.

12/6/2013 Quote "Dressage musical freestyle is an artistic program created by the rider to present his or her horse to its best advantage in an artistic, musical context." Paraphrasing Judged by technical execution and artistic impression. (Harmony, choreography, difficulty, musicality). Music is mandatory. You can't have any exit music. Elements of a test: Dressage movements, figures, combinations, and patterns. . Dressage movements: "leg yields, rein-back, shoulder-in, travers, renvers, turn on haunches, half-pass (trot or canter), flying change, pirouette (walk or canter), piaffe, and passage. "Figures: Circle, serpentine, figure 8Combonations: Going from one movement or figure to another. Patterns: geometric design made by combos, figures, transitions, patterns. Music should be cohesive, and of the same genre, you will get scored higher if you have music that goes with the choreography. Music should be on a cd. Identifier Source 2011 FREESTYLE RULES, GUIDELINES AND DEFINITIONS. United States Dressage Federation, 2010. PDF. Tags USDF

Goldbar Freestyles FAQs

12/6/2013 Paraphrasing Some information from the website: How long does it take? Three months,

sometimes less, depending on the season. How is music determined- what music/ is it too fast for horse? Send in a video or have a consultation. What if you need music reedited? There is a fee for tempo changing ($75, if more than that +$105) Tempo editing: can be adjusted between 10-15 beats per min/ range before it becomes digitized. You can also send in a vid of your choreographing and they will put music to it for you. You can order music that already has a bpm for walk, trot, and canter, but it costs $200! Identifier Source Wadsworth, Lynnette. "Dressage Musical Freestyle Designs by Goldbar Freestyles." Dressage Musical Freestyle Designs by Goldbar Freestyles. Goldbar Freestyle. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. <http://www.goldbarfreestyles.com/>. Tags Professional Freestylers

USDF: Let the Show Begin

12/16/2013 Quote "There are many facets that make up the choreography score. They are listed as use of the arena, design cohesiveness, balance, and creativity Paraphrasing The Basics: First, you should determine the level you are going to show at. You have to have a score of 60% or higher, in the level you are doing your test at, at test three. Ex: Doing first level dressage freestyle, you need to get+60% score at first test 3. You also need to know the movements that are permitted for your level. Understand what is above your level, because if you do something above your level, you will get a 4-point deduction. Artistic Score: Judged by technical execution and artistic impression. Those are the two main categories. Technical includes the rider too. Other categories: harmony between horse and rider, choreography degree of difficulty, music, and interpretation. Harmony: Relationship between horse and rider/ in harmonious ride, horse is confident for rider+ test. Attentive, can execute the test in a fluid manner with ease. So, you should choreograph so your horse can be fluid. Degree of difficulty: Can you do the

movements in the top test of the level? If not, you should probably do level below you can manipulate movements sometimes to get better scores. In doubt? Stick to KIS rule- Keep it Simple. Choreography: use of arena, design cohesiveness, balance, and creativity. Lot of judges say that freestyles are way too test- like. Recommend reading tests intro- grand prix to see how the movement difficulty develops. Make sure that you avoid doing patterns exactly where and how they do them in the tests. Next step: Incorporate ideas into music. Before finalizing plan, draw an arena+ map out your test to make sure you used the entire arena Identifier USDF Source Gallo, Terry C. Let the Show Begin: Creating the Musical Freestyle. United States Dressage Federation, 2011. PDF. Tags USDF

Encyclopedia Britannica's Definition of Dressage

1/15/2014 Quote "...Systematic and progressive training of riding horses to execute precisely any of a wide range of maneuvers, from the simplest riding gaits to the most intricate and difficult airs..." Paraphrasing . French for 'training'. . Gets horse to be supple, balanced, and obedient so that they can perform better on everyday tasks . In the Olympics-for individuals in 1912 and on and for teams 1928 and onwards . Collection: you shorten he horse's gaits, bring them back off the forehand, increase airtime, but still being able to move freely . Overall objective of collection is that horse can respond to rider asking to collect very easily without putting much strain on joints while horse keeping same tempo

. Dressage, in general, divided into general training (champagne) and much more advanced (haute cole) Champagne involves giving horse good ground manners, a general degree of extension. Teaching horse balance, obedience, and relaxation. Half halts, full halts, full halting, backing up, turning. Once more advanced, learning going on different tracks (travers, romverse,) at the canter. . Haute cole: Spanish Riding School in Vienna: Specially taught. Involves bringing horse's movement to highest level possible. Includes stuff like passage, pirouettes, levade (horse raises+ draws forelegs while balancing on hind legs . Courbet and capriole are very advanced movements that aren't in Olympics Comment Basic resource Identifier E.B Source "Dressage". Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia Britannica Online.Encyclopdia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 15 Jan. 2014<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/171419/dressage>. Tags Basic Resource

Dancing With Your Horse: Ch. 1

1/27/2014 Comment The beginnings: o Since the beginning of time, man and horse have had a very special relationship Horses were already being selectively bred for different jobs before Gregor Mendel discovered genes and such Horses have been, and were used for celebration and recreation The start of performances to show beauty of the horse

o Performances over time Horses performed in small groups Pas de deux (2) Pas de trios (3) Quadrilles (Usually 4 or 8 horses) They would perform choreographed routines to live music in places such as exhibition halls, palace gardens, church properties, town squares, etc. Performances that were very large and intricate were popular, but dwindled in Europe in the 1600s because of the fact that they couldnt outdo those done in Vienna, and it was very costly 1800s individual performances became popular because they were much cheaper and took up less space They also provided people with a common ground; both rich and poor came to watch One of these outlets for performances was in the circuses, but it was very dangerous o They would have horses jumping from a hundred feet up in the air into tanks, jumping on hind legs, and doing balancing acts with lions tigers, etc. on their backs Birth of the Musical Freestyle o Origins of dressage Means training in French, and one of oldest disciplines About 400 B.C in ancient Greece, Xenophon father of dressage began to record his methods and teachings for training horses, which were special because they were humane Teachings still used today Horses in war, used for fighting Dressage helped soldier/rider to do well on the battlefield and win tournaments o Ex: Piaffe+ passage helped to avoid enemy and hurt them as well o Levade helped to raise the soldier off the

ground so he could get a better view of the battlefield o We now have places like the Spanish Riding School, Cadre Noir, Andalusian School to carry on traditions o Dressage now and what it is/ is becoming Horses arent really needed in military any more, so the sport of dressage, and horse disciplines in general have become more recreational Watching dressage isnt something that really attracts the public any more Perceived as elitist, boring as watching paint dry (particularly at the lower levels), and generally speaking, a slow- moving sport with few exciting moments. Not interesting to the general public to watch horses run around an arena with no commentary and they arent allowed to make any noise FEI (Fdration Equestre International) Has set movements that each horse should be able to perform at each level But now, because of MFS, dressage can be more spectator- friendly It draws the attention to the sport o People like Dr. Reiner Klimke, Anne- Grethe Jeson Trnblad, Gabriela Grillo, Jennie have done amazing performances o Beautiful, and people from all other sports can come and watch o You can also hoot and howl at the end! FEI started trying to get it into competitions during the 1980s o In 1992, Olympic committee wanted to get rid of it, but they introduced MFS Pros of MFS o It helped other sports (ice skating, gymnastics) to get used to the idea of

electronically timing your music o Audiences liked it because it was fun to watch with the fast pace and music, and you instantly get to see the judges scores going upwards are the routine goes on electronically Had many advocates for it, big people like Duke of Richmond, Mariette Withages, Joep Bartels, Wolfgang Niggli They eventually had some people trying to do circus moves, so the FEI said that circus moves were prohibited o Development of MFS in Europe/ United States Idea to add it to the Olympics Originally born in US during 1984 Olympics Joep Bartels and wife Tineke noticed that the crowd went wild when Reiner Klimke and Ahlerich did one- tempis to the Olympic theme song during victory lap World cup was created a year after as a freestyle league o First World Cup in 1986, Netherlands There were only 12 in the first one You have two stages, one where you do the Grand Prix test, and then if you are in the top twelve, you do your MFS The formula for Grand Prix, Grand Prix special, and freestyle are averaged to find the winner in the Olympics In the 1960s, there were a lot of great MFS numbers from people like Kay Meredith, Chuck Grant, Kit Young, Jessica Ransenhousen, Lendon Gray, Linda Zang USDF developed some rules and standards for freestyle competitions, and by the 80s, rules and standards established for the circuit

 They had freestyles appropriate for 1st, 2nd, 3d, 4th level MFS is offered at recognized dressage shows IPEC International Paralympic Equestrian Committee o Compulsory and MFS tests for disabled riders- all four grades The 1995 World Cup final was held in Los Angeles, California- put US on a national dressage player; Year 2002 called the Year of Freestyle by USDF and USAE Held first ever US Freestyle Championships Identifier Source Anderson, Libby, Leigh Ann. Hazel-Groux, and Mary E. Campbell. Dancing with Your Horse. Revised ed. Boonsboro, MD: Half Halt, 2003. Print. Tags Dancing With Your Horse

Dancing With Your Horse- A Musical Freestyle Primer Chapter

2/5/2014
A Musical Freestyle Primer Chapter Many dressage riders, as they realize their goals, look to the musical freestyle to express the beauty, individuality, and freedom of their discipline.- P. 43- Dancing With Your Horse I. Dressage Basics a. Part of the magic of the dressage freestyle is that two individuals are involved. By comparison, in individual figure skating and gymnastics, an individual performs. The addition of the horse to the musical freestyle equation adds an unknown factor. b. You never know what the horse might to, and it takes years to get a really great freestyle that both the horse and rider thoroughly enjoy c. If you want to well with your freestyle, you need to spend time considering basic training. II. Riding to Music

III.

a. You want to make your freestyle for the level at which you are competing, or the level below Make the performance comfortable for the horse you cant try to push them to execute difficult movements while you are trying to just remember your routine b. Begin by just riding to some music that you like i. After you do this, you will get a better idea as to what will work for your horse c. Even if you dont compete with it, you will still see benefits i. Horse will be more relaxed ii. Will actually begin to move to the tempo. Developing the Freestyle a. First goal should be to chose good music i. Music that you enjoy 1. That will be different for a teenager vs. adultthat is ok 2. Make sure that the music relates a. Is of the same genre, type, or relates somehow b. It shouldnt just be a jumble of random music ii. Music that makes your horse look good 1. Fits their gaits a. Ex: Elegant horse- use film themes, patriotic music, classical, etc. b. Dont use it if it makes your horse look wimpy/ bad c. Good music can make a heavy horse look better, and good choreography can work magic iii. Freestyle as a piece 1. Should show variation between the gaits 2. Variation in the gaits a. Ex: Trot extension, powerful, dramatic b. Canter half pass, light, quiet 3. Music should tell the story 4. If you close your eyes, you should be able to picture the gaits, etc.

1. Getting Started a. How to Determine and Use Beats Per Minute i. BPM 1. The key to uniting your freestyle! 2. You want to know the Beats per minute, or BPM of each of the horses gaits so that you can make music adjusted to that tempo 3. You want this because you cant really make the horse comply to the beat of the music, or dance to it 4. The Beat a. Beat refers to downbeat

i. Like when a conductor says, and a one, and a two 1. The underlined part is the downbeat 5. Methods for Getting BPM a. Timer i. You want this to time a minute so that you can calculate beats per MINUTE ii. Metronome 1. Wind- up 2. Electronic a. Help you establish a beat b. Helps you to lean to ride at a given tempo iii. Stopwatch 1. Helps you to time a minute 2. Also helps to time your overall freestyle so that it isnt too long 3. Helps you to see about how long you are spending at each gait ii. Counting Beats Per Minute 1. There are a lot of ways to put together a freestylesome people do choreography first, then music, or vice- versa a. Some people just wing it b. For the beginner in freestyle, determining BPM can put some fun into it 2. To get BPM, you need an un-mounted helper who has a stopwatch or watch a. Preferably someone who knows the horses gaits 3. Make sure that you are getting the correct BOM, you should make sure that your horse isnt too tired, but is adequately warmed up a. Time the walk after you have trotted and canteredsome horses are slow or stiff b. Twenty minutes is the approximate time needed to determine the beats per minute 4. Average BPM for each gait: a. Walk i. 50-60bpm b. Passage i. 60-64bpm c. Trot i. 76-88bpm d. Canter i. 96-108bpm

iii.

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e. Mind you, if it isnt in this range, that is ok i. A tiny pony has a shorter stride- quicker ii. A big horse with a big stride will be slower 5. Make sure you double and triple check your tempos- you need to find median BPM of each of your horses gaits a. Write them down on a piece of paper and find it 6. You want to count the number of times that your horses inside front foot hits the ground in a minute (you will want to double this once you get it) 7. Remember that, as the rider, you mainly control the tempo, and there may be some irregularity Video timing method 1. If you take a video of your horse, you can then use it to look back and get BPM 2. Note- dont use a VCR- it can mess up the video timing! 3. It also helps you to see BPM at the Trot 1. Trot Criteria a. From USAE 2003 Rulebook, trot should be swingy, two-time gait, moving with diagonal legs b. Quality judged by regularity and elasticity c. Supple back+ engaged hindquarters 2. Get BPM on a 20m circle, to the right, then to the left 3. Count each time inside forefoot strikes the ground a. So when you can do this for 1min, you can get the trot BPM b. You can also just count footfalls in 15 seconds and multiply it by four BPM at the walk 1. 4 beat movement 2. Do the same procedure as the trot 3. Four-time gait 4. Most common range of walk is 50-66BPM BPM at canter 1. Three-time gait 2. Procedure same as trot a. Helper should count how many times inside foot falls on the ground in a minute b. On a 20m circle 3. Most common BM is 96-108 BPM 4. You can have music for canter in or 4/4 measure a. Sometimes it looks better to have because it matches real tempo of canter

2. Timing Music

a. Have music times to horses gaits i. It isnt mandatory, but judges like it a lot if your horses tempo matches that of the music b. How to time music i. Materials 1. Stopwatch 2. Pencil 3. Paper 4. Metronome of watch with second hand ii. Selecting music 1. Keep it without vocals when first listening iii. Procedures 1. Tap your foot along to the music beat a. Listening for the BPM b. You count the downbeat of the music as the downbeat of the horses gait i. This is the BPM c. You can count downbeat of music to get BPM of music iv. You can use stopwatch, metronome, your body (tapping out beat) or electronic BPM counter to get BPM of music. 1. Practice doing this so that you can use this when listening to music