As a person who adores both the artistic and technical sides of dressage, as well as loves music, the musical freestyle is one of my favorite parts of dressage riding. As with most of my blogs, this is just a rambling piece with my thoughts on all things freestyle, mostly from an entertainment/spectator point of view. I am very much not a professional, so please take my advice with a grain of salt, but as we are constructing a freestyle for Jazz and me, I have been watching way too many freestyle videos, I need somewhere to word-blab my thoughts because my family is sick of my rambling (sorry mom and dad :))
Choreography
Even though this has been said a million times before, create choreography that works for your horse. If your horse has an amazing extended trot, show it off. Long lines, especially facing the judge at C, where they can see both the front legs and a side profile are key (zig zags K-B-H and lines like F-H)
At the same time, don’t accentuate moves that your horse doesn’t do well. If your horse doesn’t have great walk pirouettes (*cough* me *cough*), do them farther away from the judge at C, like at K or F, or with a wall to support
Please don’t design test-like choreography. Make your choreography unique, interesting, something the judges haven’t seen before.
My personal favorite way to get choreography inspiration is to look at moves from other tests and see how to adapt them for my level. One of my favorites in the move from 4-1 (2019 version) is where you do a flying change on the first quarter line, the centerline, and the last quarter line. What I did is switch the flying changes for changes of lead through the trot for a first-level freestyle. Similarly, you can use this move for simple changes in the second level. I also like it when others use moves from eventing tests or tests from other countries as inspiration for USDF and FEI level freestyles. Finally, I try to invert moves from the tests at my level, like going change at L into a half pass X-M, the opposite of the move from the Junior Individual where you half pass from K-X and change at I.
I also like to watch freestyles at shows to see what choreography those riders used. Any level freestyle could have a cool line. I have found that there are some training-level rides with very creative sequences. Most shows I go to I try to watch the freestyle classes and make note of some cool lines. Also, watching shows on-demand and shows that are live-streamed like NAYC and FoC which you can watch on your own time is so helpful.
Again, I’m echoing what has been said by so many others, but MATCH YOUR CHOREOGRAPHY TO YOUR HORSE! If your horse is really talented at half passes of leg yields, make them zig-zags, or really steep. If your horse has great changes, do them in a serpentine, or tempis on a curve or combos (4s F-E into 3s E-M)
You may have heard of something called a Joker Line. These are basically do-overs for moves that haven’t gone right, like messed up tempis. I recommend having these, but also having choreography in case you don’t need it.
Music
This is my favorite part of the freestyle process! At the moment, I have been listening to a lot of music to find some really good music to match Jazzy
Boredom: I know that everyone has their different tastes in music, and it shows whether or not you really like your music, so please choose something you like because you WILL be listening to it a lot. Basically, from a spectator’s point of view, if your music works in an elevator, don’t use it, please.
Crowd into it: I know from experience that riding at a training level freestyle in a schooling show in middle-of-nowhere Massachusetts that you can’t get the Olympic, crowd-clapping-along moment of awesomeness, but again, NO ELEVATOR MUSIC!!
Matching horse: Please, please choose something that matches your horse’s personality. I have seen too many large, powerful horses try and do ballet freestyles, and vice-versa, too many ballerina-horses get overpowered by drums and bass. On the other hand, I have seen amazing freestyles that perfectly match the horse’s vibe, such as a Diva-theme for a Diva-mare, and a Game of Thrones for an eye-catching Friesan.
Overused music: I know both spectators and judges are so tired of certain themes of music, (looking at you Pirates of the Caribbean), so please try to avoid those. At the same time, please don’t use music that has become synonymous with a certain rider. Basically, no one can ever do a How to Train Your Dragon freestyle again.
Kids music: As a kid, I love it when fellow youth riders play music that goes with their age. You are a kid, go run with some fun, modern music. I think my favorite freestyle of all time is a Beyonce-Homecoming-themed one by a youth rider friend of mine because she uses fun, very popular music. I have seen several people use fun TikTok music that really plays to their youth and strengths.
Thank you for reading my blabbering mess, and again, I’m not at all an authority of what does and does not make a good freestyle, these are just the random thoughts of someone who has watched WAY too many freestyles, while also trying to balance school, horses moving to Florida, riding, and preparing for the insanity that is the Holidays.
Leah Drew 