This is the prefect picture that the horse-rider combination wishes to attain in any given freestyle performance. It is also the goal of every international competitor in the musical kur. Success was demonstrated in the case of Anky and Bonfire at the Sydney Olympics with the Song Sung Blue theme. The effect was dynamic as horse and rider danced their way into peoples’ hearts and recorded a fantastic score from five happy judges.

Not all riders and horses can expect to achieve these standards. However, I feel strongly that the young riders of today are the top riders of tomorrow. They need to practice and play with the musical freestyle to develop techniques and get a feeling for the kur. There has been considerable debate about the USDF level freestyles, particularly for amateurs, and the new rules by the USA Equestrian have been applied to help improve the standard of the freestyles. I would like all dressage judges to be patient and judge these beginning freestyles fairly while giving rider valuable input on how to improve their kur. If the technical segment is lacking then it must be highlighted, and if the music is suitable for the horse or pony and also well edited, then it should be also drawn to the rider’s attention. I have seen several riders progressing up the musical freestyle levels over the years to ultimately produce pleasing and competent performances at the FEI level. That is in itself a reason to continue and foster these wonderful USDF level freestyles. Of-course, some riders who fail to develop and improve their competitive freestyles over time tend to fall by the wayside. Many of these riders in my area have told me that they valued and enjoyed the time spent working on their musical kur. For various reasons they were unable to improve their performance. They now often ride to music on a regular basis but not in the competition arena. There is a place for music in all our riding endeavors, and it helps induce relaxation and enjoyment in both horse and rider. Listening and riding to music can help improve the beginner, amateur and professional alike.

It is not the place of this article to describe the exciting development of the FEI interest in the Musical Freestyle. Suffice to say that as of 2000 the FEI has sanctioned the musical kur as a legitimate inclusion in the Olympic Games, the World Championships and, of-course, the World Cup Finals. The USA has followed the FEI direction, and often pre-empted it, by encouraging USDF/USA Equestrian Freestyle development with forums and seminars as well as providing competition and demonstration freestyles. Like the figure skating community and other innovators before it, the dressage community has sanctioned the freestyle and allowed it to develop into an exciting competition event.

Judge’s Perspective

Let’s begin with the USDF/USA Equestrian level of the freestyle, Levels 1 though 4.

The details and requirements are available from the USDF and the USA Equestrian. All riders should make themselves well acquainted with the rules and regulations for these levels. Rule changes are on-going as the development of the freestyles at the different levels continues to evolve. It is up to the rider to keep abreast of these changes. If possible, riders should try to attend the USDF Conventions, which will include updates and discussion on the musical freestyle, as well as the several freestyle seminars that are held around the USA. Linda Zang, FEI “O” judge, has given exciting seminars to the freestyle enthusiasts to name but one qualified person to support the development the kur. The message is clearly out there delivered by officials and judges to the freestyle rider. "GO FOR IT!"

The FEI has laid down rules for the musical kur at Intermediare 1 and Grand Prix. There is also Prix St.Georges for Young Riders. These rules can be obtained from the USA Equestrian or the FEI.

To gain a better understanding of the requirements of the musical kur, let’s look at the dictionary definition for:

Free: Not confined to the usual rules or patterns – in a free manner, not subject to restraint, at liberty, independent, self deciding, without obstruction, unconfined. Able to move in any direction.

Style: A manner of doing, a distinctive or especially admired manner of expressing a thought. A distinctive or characteristic manner of expressing a thought. A distinctive or characteristic manner, overall excellence, skill oe grace in performance.

Freestyle: Sports not limited to specific style, pattern or movement.

But enough of rules and definitions. It should be noted here that there is no compromise of classical dressage in the art and performance of the musical freestyle. Well-done one tempi changes are beautiful to behold. The one tempi’s set to suitable music are not only correct and inspirational, but an experience for the senses of feeling, sight and hearing. This is the reason why the freestyle has attracted sponsors and crowds of thousands to view the Grand Prix Freestyle worldwide.

The spectators also need to be content and enthusiastic about the performance. It is also important to make the judge happy. And the judge must be happy both with the musical interpretation and the technical portion of the ride. The Judge’s job is to objectively access the freestyle in all the departments. If it is good, then all segments of the kur will receive good marks. If some sections are weak, then the judge must point these deficiencies out to the competitor.

A Balanced Performance

The judge likes to see the rider use all the arena space in a non-test-like manner. Do not repeat circles, loops, serpentines and tear drops ad nauseium, particularly when the freestyle at that level does not require it. They tend to make the freestyle look boring. Additional movements that are not above the level (and hence penalized) must be done well and must add to the completeness of the kur, e.g. halts, rein-backs or renvers. If done poorly, they will detract from the artistic presentation.
If some of the left patterns are performed in one segment of the arena, then plan the right patterns to be on the opposite side.

The judge will detect very easily if the rider does not know the routine and music score thoroughly. Do not attempt a rush job. Racing to catch up with the music or riding embarrassingly ahead of the music make the artistic segment look a little silly. If you really are familiar with the score, then you can cut a corner or make a circle a little smaller or larger. The judge often does not notice this or, if they do, they will only admire your showmanship and knowledge of the score. Once I watched with interest when a rider performed two canter Pirouettes to the left and then realized that something had gone wrong. She had to quickly ride a half-pass to the right and do a quick right pirouette – all in the last 20 seconds of the kur! This had nothing to do with the music! The look of relief was obvious at the final salute. I am sure that this rider will get more familiar with the kur and music before competing again.

Music and Electricity

When a freestyle gives you “goose bumps,” the technical and musical score are in perfect harmony and, for a few minutes, the judge is transported into the private world of that particular horse/rider combination and the story that they are weaving before your eyes. Isabel Werth, Anky van Grunsven, Lars Petersen, Ulla Salzeber, Sue Blinks are to name just a few who have produced exciting and absolutely stunning freestyles.

The judge has to hear with the eyes and see with ears and sense every nuance of the performance. This requires a lot of concentration and of course no one is perfect, judge’s included. Practice does help and countless hours looking at freestyle tapes over the years, attending clinics, freestyle workshops, USA Equestrian judge’s forums and international freestyle events including the International Dressage Judges Club (IDJC) and lots and lots of judging.

I am often asked about the technical side of the kur. If the technical work is poor then it is impossible to gain good marks in the artistic. Riders are learning that they have to pay attention to all departments required in the musical freestyle. There are no short cuts or easy answers. I think that we cannot escape the fact that the basics of classical dressage cannot be bypassed, particularly when performing the musical kur. A poor shoulder-in that lacks engagement and bend looks even worse when performed to music. The music highlights the faults in the shoulder-in. If the music is set to the horse’s collected trot and the horse slows down to a crawl in the lateral work, then the music tells the judge that all is not well with the horse’s correct training. We have a major basic training flaw. No matter how beautiful and expressive the musical score, it cannot make up for poor basics in dressage. On the other hand, good technical movements are not enough to counter unsuitable and amateur musical score. Both segments must blend and meld into each other.

Try to pick music that will highlight and enhance your horse. Loud heavy music does not lighten up a heavy large horse. You need music to compliment him and to appear to lighten up the technical. I saw a huge horse perform a great freestyle to modern American music, including “New York, New York” and Ally Cat. Do not go to the other extreme and pick a dainty piece like the Nutcracker and Dance of the Fairies; this is sure to look silly. Your musical choice should also suit your personality. You need to pick a complete piece and work with it to define changes within the gaits and between the gaits. Musical choice was the major reason why the Song Sung Blue theme was so successful for Anky and Bonfire. It was the perfect match. However, do not be misled: this wonderful beat is very risky. If the rhythm for piaffe/passage is off a fraction then the picture could look bad. Anky took the risk. That is what Olympic Champions are made of!

The judge is starting off behind the baseball when the sound systems are so poor that you can barely hear the music. Sometimes I know the rider could not hear the music, while I could, as the sound system was directed at the judge. Bad sound systems make all music sound like a screeching nightmare! This a problem for the Show Organizers to solve, not the judge or the competitor. However, the judge and the competitor do suffer from these errors. Not to mention the spectators who frankly lose interest in the entire performance.

Artistry and Harmony

The first two sections of the Artistic score for the freestyle are clearly related to the technical segment. Rhythm, energy and elasticity and the harmony between horse and rider. A horse with ears laid back and swishing tail will not rate high in these two artistic sections. Also the score will reflect this problem in all the technical movements.

There are three remaining sections of the Artistic segment:

1. Choreography, including the use of arena, inventiveness, design cohesiveness, balance, ingenuity and creativity
2. Degree of difficulty and the final score for the artistic
3. Choice of music and interpretation of music

We have already discussed design and use of the arena and inventiveness. This is a very significant mark as it relates to how successful the rider was in telling the story of their kur. This mark is associated with a co-efficient of 4, thus the choreography mark becomes very significant in the total result. The degree of difficultly segment can be applied to all of the musical freestyles from USDF to FEI. At lower levels you can increase the degree of difficulty by, say in first level, performing zigzags in leg yields or lengthening the canter down the center line. In third level you can show the shoulder-in down the center or quarter line or show flying changes from counter canter. At the FEI levels, you can increase the degree of difficulty in many ways. However at both USDF and FEI levels it does not pay to perform any movement that you know your horse is not capable of performing well or that you are confident in performing. If you do, you risk your horse becoming flustered, uncomfortable and even disobedient, and all the risks you took will only count against you in the overall score. BE CAREFULL – only ride the kur at the level at which you and your horse are very comfortable performing. This could often require that you compete in the kur at a level lower than you are competing in regular competition. A third level horse will be comfortable in performing all second level movements and is able to take risks in the second level kur. This will make for fabulous marks at second level freestyle. If this same horse is going to compete in third level freestyle then it would be best to avoid a higher degree of difficultly that could cause problems in the performance.

Choice of music and interpretation of the music is probably the most significant mark as it has a co-efficient of 6 at the FEI level. It will often determine the winner of the kur, all other things being equal.

VERY IMPORTANT: Choose music to suit the personality and rhythm of your horse! Make sure the music displays and highlights your horse’s ability and flair. Your music can also help to mask any deficiencies in the technical. The music must lead the judge through the freestyle with tapping feet and a smile on the face! I remember judging some kurs where the editing gaps were enormous – up to 2-3 seconds. You find yourself shaking your head, look around to see if the sound system has failed. No, it has not, but as the music picks up again, you find that the magic has gone.

Basic Rules

Be sure you really know all the current specifications and rules for the musical freestyles at the level at which you are performing. It is so sad to have to ring off a lovely horse and rider competing in an Intermediare 1 kur because they opened the routine with a double pirouette in canter! Most competitors know the time requirements for the kur at the various levels. I was once judging with the late Col Thackery in California several years ago. It was a Grand Prix kur and the wonderful horse piaffed and passaged time and time again, until the time was 4 minutes over! KNOW THE RULES.

Another competitor entered an Intermediare 1 kur in passage, bowed and passaged off down the center line. Of course she had to be belled off.

Many folk ask me about the use of vocals in the musical kur. I am no expert in this department but I have no objections if the vocal works. Some bad use of vocals that I recall were in a USDF freestyle where the theme “frost the snowman” came up time and time again. At the FEI level there have been very repetitious vocals such as “Happy holidays” and “Singing in the rain” Once you have heard the theme 100 times you are near screaming level. An effective vocal was used by Anna Greta Jensen and Martoz at Goodwood. She began the kur with the vocal from a well known kindergarden program. “Children. Are we ready. Sit down and we can begin”. Silence! Then the music for the kur began. Wow! It did produce a very effective introduction and put everyone in the mood. However, a word of warning! These gimmicks can be effective, particularly if they are original but they can be overused and abused and by so doing lose their effectiveness. Monica Theodueresco and Isabel Werth used fabulous tunes for their freestyles using “Oklahoma” and “Yellow Submarine.” Kathleen Raine and Robert Dover have been successful with Patriotic songs. Just about every musical score has been used. Some were more successful than others. Vocals work when the music is the perfect match to the horse and the theme of the kur. The technical patterns are enhanced and express the joy of the performance. The judge is wowed! And the spectators are in awe and tap along with the music. What a joy and a privilege to participate, spectate and judge in such a situation