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Clinic Reports, Training Tips and Techniques

Creating a Musical Freestyle that WORKS: Tips from the Top

July 26, 2015 christinakeim Leave a comment

This past May, I had the opportunity to attend a two day musical freestyle symposium at The Equestrian Center at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, ME. Day one focused primarily on the judge’s perspective (see my previous blog on this subject), while day two allowed participants to dissect the ingredients of a freestyle which will guarantee to impress the judges. The weekend was facilitated by FEI judge Lois Yukins and Klassic Kur founder Terry Ciotti Gallo, who has designed for some of the best riders and horses in the world.

“Riding a freestyle is not just for the judge’s entertainment,” says Yukins. “It is for you—the rider—and the audience.” Putting together a freestyle requires a great deal of time, creativity and patience, and it is important to enjoy the process as much as the performance.

Choosing Your Music

Perhaps the single most important aspect of making a freestyle that works is to choose the perfect music. According to Gallo, the right music will match the footfalls of the trot and canter, is suitable for the horse and appeals to the taste of the rider. It is equally important that the selections for each gait are cohesive in genre, theme or instrumentation. Once the perfect music is chosen, it will further enhance the quality of the freestyle by using seamless editing (either done professionally or on a home computer) so that the entire program sounds like it all goes together.

Gallo explained that in order to choose the correct music, it is important to know what the average tempo is for the horse for each gait, expressed as beats per minute (bpm). This can be done by having someone take video of the horse performing the required movements at the level for later review or it can be done in live time. Count the number of steps taken in sixty seconds; for the trot and walk, count the steps of each front leg, but for the canter, count only the leading leg of each stride. Using a metronome can be a huge help, as the listener can set its pulse to the beat of the movement. Many smart phones have free or inexpensive metronomes to download. It is then easy to play the metronome set to the horse’s beats per minute against a prospective musical selection to determine its appropriateness. In this way, the rider can easily test many more samples of music at once than by playing them with the live horse riding around the arena.

Doris Carlson worked with her Third Level mare on ascertaining tempo and creating choreography.

The basic gaits of most horses fall within a similar range.

Gait	Range (in BPM)	Average BPM
Trot	132-168	145
Walk	98-112	106
Canter	92-105	96
Passage	105-116	110

The horse’s tempo in each gait will change as they progress through their training, and may even vary through those movements which are still harder for the horse to execute correctly. Therefore, Gallo recommends that riders set their horse’s tempo only when the horse is going the way they will in the competition arena. If the horse seems to be between two tempos, use the lateral movements to help figure out which tempo is more appropriate.

Sometimes, the music’s tempo can act as a training tool, encouraging riders to ride their horses more steadily all the time. As the horse gets stronger and the moment of suspension becomes more enhanced, the horse’s tempo will slow down, and music may need to be modified. This is one of several reasons why the right music for a horse’s First Level freestyle may not be the right music for them at the FEI levels.

Notice also that there is some overlap in the average beats per minute for the walk, canter and even passage. This means that it may be possible to use the same piece of music for both the walk and the canter, but something in the musical phrasing must express a change of gait.

Michelle Hirshberg worked with her Lusitano stallion on creating a consistent tempo which matched the music. Gallo discussed how the type of music used could help to create greater consistency and more jump in the canter, elevating its quality.

How do I find this “perfect music”?

For someone who truly enjoys music, mulling through various selections could provide hours upon hours of entertainment. But it can be hard to know where to start, as the number of options seems limitless, and the best music might truly come from any genre.

Gallo says that it is important to keep an open mind—the best music for the horse might be a surprise. Your own personal music library is of course a great place to start, but don’t forget to ask friends for some of their favorites as well. Gallo recommends checking the selections at college and public libraries, online stores such as iTunes or Amazon and also radio stations, especially those like satellite, Pandora, etc. As you listen to a selection, try to feel the beat, or keep a metronome handy. iTunes can be useful to pull up nearly every available version of a song, which can make it easier to find arrangements of favorite tunes recorded in a certain instrumentation or without words. Pandora’s grouping feature will make it easy to search all of the music which sounds like a particular artist.

Music that is within ten beats of the horse’s usual beats per minute may be usable with the help of a good sound artist. As you listen to selections, set up a catalogue to organize them by their beats per minute. Notebooks, recipe cards or computer databases all work well for this.

Gallo mentioned that some music is recorded using a “click track”, which is a metronome that plays when musicians are recording. These songs tend to have a consistent beat; music recorded without a click track can have a range in the beats per minute that makes it harder to follow.

Gallo helped Cyndy West and her Lippizan mare create Intermediare choreography which would suit previously edited music from a lower level freestyle.

Lower level horses generally are better suited to lighter music; many dance styles work well. It requires the big and powerful movement of an upper level horse to carry off stronger musical selections or music played by a full orchestra. Gallo mentioned that it is totally acceptable for younger riders to choose more modern musical selections.

Lyrics (words, voice) are permitted, but it is conventional wisdom that they are to be avoided when possible as they can distract from the performance. Some music features vocals that sound more like instruments (ooh’s and aah’s), which may actually enhance the performance and should not be considered to be in the same category as full lyrics. Gallo has chosen to carefully use vocals in select freestyles, but says it is like “sprinkling your latte with caramel as opposed to creating a crème brulee.” Songs which heavily feature vocals may have versions available that are wholly or significantly instrumented, which might work better for freestyle design.

Gallo further cautions that heavily syncopated music is not always good, as it can be hard for riders to follow the beat. “When the beat is very clean, it is an aid to the rider,” says Gallo.

Suitability and Cohesiveness

Just because a piece of music matches your horse’s tempo doesn’t make it the right or best choice to use in your freestyle. Riders must consider suitability and cohesiveness as well.

Suitability means that the music enhances the horse’s way of going, and makes their movements appear to be light and effortless. Big, powerful horses performing upper level movements can carry big, powerful music; lower level horses which lack some of that suspension and power will be better with lighter music that makes their movement appear to be lofty. To check whether a piece of music is suitable, play it while you ride, and either video it or ask a friend to tell you how your horse looks. Does the horse seem to be light or heavy? Are their movements sluggish or frantic, or do they seem to be relaxed? Does the horse seem happy, or burdened? Each piece should suggest the gait that it is used for.

Paula Pierce's elegant and powerful Intermediate horse was able to carry off nearly any musical genre. — Paula Pierce’s elegant and powerful Intermediate horse was able to carry off nearly any musical genre.

Cohesiveness means that the music is all from the same genre—the selections have an obvious theme. The instrumentation might match, or the sound between the pieces is similar. Sometimes a single instrument is highlighted in each selection. While you would never design a freestyle to one complete piece of music, you want your edited music to sound as if it could come from one piece. The music used in a freestyle should overall be pleasing to the ear.

Of the three gaits, the walk is the most relaxed, and it is not critical that the beat of the music matches the footfalls—unless your horse has an 8 or 9 walk, in which case you should try to match them after all! The walk is a section of the freestyle in which the rider can catch up to their music if needed. While the music choice may be more relaxed, it should still have energy.

Riders can choose to have entry music or not. The freestyle judging doesn’t officially begin until the first halt and salute, which must be performed somewhere on center line. If the rider chooses to have entry music, it should come from within the program, be a fanfare related to the program or introduce the theme of the program. Entry music must start within 45 seconds of the bell being rung, and the rider must enter the arena within 20 seconds of it starting to play.

Exit music is not allowed in competition freestyles. The music must cease with the final salute.

Planning your Choreography

Choosing the right music is just one part of creating a winning freestyle. Riders must also design a pattern for the ride which highlights the horse’s best qualities and showcases each of the required movements. The results of this planning are scored by the judge under the artistic impression scores for choreography (for USDF tests, a coefficient of 4) and degree of difficulty (for USDF tests, a coefficient of 2, but x4 for FEI levels). Gallo recommends designing the choreography first, in most cases, and then editing the music to suit the choreography.

Before the rider can begin to plan the choreography, they must know which movements are required for the level. Note also those movements which must be performed on both reins. Omitting a movement is just giving away a score. Included on the lower left corner of each test sheet is a list of those movements which are considered “above the level”, which are not allowed. While some riders might think that showing their horse’s talent for half pass in a Second Level freestyle would be an opportunity to increase the degree of difficulty, it is in fact a significant point penalty because the movement is above the level. Riders must also consider that certain movements could be hard to interpret, depending on their placement; for example, shoulder in is virtually invisible to the judge at “C” when ridden on the short side of the arena.

Dinah Rojek listens intently to Gallo, who worked on helping her really feel the beat of various musical selections.

Degree of difficulty is certainly a consideration when planning the choreography for a freestyle, but both Gallo and Yukins cautioned that riders must only do what they know they can really execute well—or else both the artistic and technical scores will suffer. “Simple and correct always beats complicated and messy,” says Yukins. “Don’t compromise the basics of the horse to add difficulty.”

Gallo says that the overall degree of difficulty is one of the first things she considers when designing choreography for a client; this mostly applies to the configuration of movements at the trot and canter, unless walk is being included in a transition. With only a coefficient of 2 at the USDF levels, degree of difficulty is not as critical a factor as it is at the FEI levels. Another important factor is the horse’s experience at the level. The design and difficulty should not exceed what the horse can manage at that stage of their training.

Degree of difficulty is shown by doing things like performing a movement at a steeper angle than is required at a standard test of the same level, placing movements off the rail or on center line, doing demanding transitions (such as a canter lengthening to walk on the same line), challenging combinations of movements, reins in one hand, or tempi changes on a broken or curved line.

Another decision which must be made related to choreography is what order the gaits should be featured in. The choice made here will ultimately affect the amount of editing required for the music.

Riders must consider the point of view when placing their movements in the competition arena. Here is the chance to really highlight something your horse does well—a pirouette right on center line, close to the judge, for example. The rider can also de-emphasize movements or transitions which are harder for the horse. In most cases, movements can be completed moving towards or away from the judge; always consider, though, what the view looks like from “C”. Half pass is usually most elegant when seen from the front. Design cohesiveness is important; the judge should never be left wondering what a particular movement was meant to be.

Gallo helped Bryn Wash experiment with different musical selections for her Third Level mare, as well as tinker with some choreography ideas.

Well-designed choreography uses the entire arena well; movements are spread out within the ring, and there is a sense of balance in terms of both time spent on each rein and where movements are placed. One way to check this is to physically draw the movements out on paper; if the lines look all clumped together, then they will also appear that way in the ring. These drawings can also be a helpful tool to ensure that all compulsory elements are included and that no “above level” movements are present.

Good choreography is creative and shows design cohesiveness. Many riders get caught up in the idea that movements should not be “too test like”. At the lower levels, however, it is challenging to come up with wholly new or unique ways of combining movements together. Choreography should not closely replicate anything contained within a current USEF test, but it is acceptable to use combinations of movements that may have been included in previous editions of tests at that level.

Gallo suggests using direct and indirect combinations of movements to increase the creativity in the choreography. A direct combination is when the pattern goes straight from one movement to the next, for example, from a lengthening to a 10 meter circle. An indirect combination is when the choreography accommodates a few steps of rebalancing, straightening or regrouping to prepare for the next movement, such as when riding a lengthening to straightening to a shoulder in.

Try to shake off “riding a test rigor” and explore less common lines, such as riding from the rail to the center line, shorter diagonals and using the quarter line. Asymmetry in freestyle design is acceptable; you don’t have to do exactly the movements on each rein, so long as you are keeping the patterns logical and clear.

Reading the regular tests from First Level through Grand Prix can help to familiarize with existing common patterns. It can also help to watch other freestyles at shows or on video to get ideas. Being “creative” doesn’t mean that you are the first person to ever think of the combination or pattern of movements; it means that you are putting the movements together in a unique way that highlights your own mount.

The only way to know if an idea on paper will work for your horse is to get into the ring and experiment with it. Olympian Michael Poulin, who demonstrated a Grand Prix freestyle on day one of the symposium, commented that it is critical to take your time and not over do the horse during the creation of the choreography. “Do part of your regular training, then play with a part of the choreography,” says Poulin. “Do this a few times. Don’t try to do it all in one day.”

Abby Hardy rode the impressive Geoffrey through intermediare movements to modern dance/pop music.

Considering Musical Interpretation

The concept of “interpretation” as it relates to freestyles is that the choreography expresses the phrasing and dynamics (loudness vs softness) of the music. When the rider is able to coordinate transitions and movements with these musical elements, the performance becomes more like a dance performance, as the movements “go” with the music.

In the early stages of learning to design and ride freestyles, it can be an additional challenge to consider interpretation in the performance. However, working towards improvement in this area is a sure way to improve the overall artistic score, and it is a “must have” when riders enter the upper levels.

Judges are trained to reward riders who are able to coordinate the following moments specifically with their music:

Initial halt/salute
First change of phrase
Trot lengthening/mediums/extensions (depending on level)
Canter lengthening/mediums/extensions (depending on level)
Gait transitions
Final halt/salute

Part of scoring well in the area of interpretation (which is worth a coefficient of 3 at the national levels) comes from having chosen appropriate music which suggests the horse’s gaits. When the music plays, the beat should suggest the energy of a walk, trot or canter. The next step is learning to ride with those beats. During the practical portion of the clinic, when Gallo and Yukins worked directly with horses and riders, a common theme was how strongly the tempo of the music playing would influence the rider. Riders can unwittingly speed up or slow down their horse’s tempo to match the music.

Gallo provides her own "musical interpretation". — Gallo provides her own “musical interpretation”.

Know Your Rules—the official and the unwritten

It is easy to review the rules and general guidelines for the musical freestyle available through the USEF or USDF website. Failure to adhere to the rules when planning the freestyle at the outset can create more work or lower scores in the long run. Here is a short list of official rules that competitors should be mindful of:

The minimum and maximum time allowed (FEI: 4:30 minimum, 5:00 Maximum (except for Grand Prix and para); USDF: no minimum but 5:00 maximum)
The halt/salute can be performed anywhere on center line, but must be done facing judge at “C”
It is required that the rider demonstrates straight strides into and out of the pirouettes
Movements that are at or below the level are allowed
Movements “above the level” are forbidden

In addition to the stated rules above, there are some “unwritten rules” which will help to improve the quality of the freestyle.

Extended trot must be performed on a straight line. It will be considered a medium trot if performed on a curve or circle. Medium trot may be performed on a straight or curved line.
Transitions do not have to be at letters (best if they are with musical phrases)
Lateral movements must cover twelve meters minimum (but eighteen meters is better)
Show a minimum of twenty continuous meters of walk
Avoid “embellished” entrances
Don’t include long lines of trot or canter with no purpose
Asymmetry is acceptable

Final Thoughts

Musical freestyles are amongst the most popular rides at a show, and inspire riders and non-riders alike. They provide the ideal means to highlight the artistry that goes into the performance and execution of dressage. But like any artistic endeavor, having a strong understanding of the technical aspects of the craft will enhance the quality of the final product, and can result in a freestyle that appears harmonious and effortless.

Clinic Reports

Judging Musical Freestyles with Terry Ciotti Gallo and Lois Yukins: Understanding Artistic Impression

June 11, 2015 christinakeim 1 Comment

The musical freestyle is by far the most accessible display of the sport of dressage; even non riders can appreciate the harmony, joy and majesty of the horse and rider partnership when it is set to music. A well-designed freestyle is truly a work of art, melding athletic performance with creativity in ways limited only by the rules of the USEF or FEI.

The Equestrian Center at Pineland Farms (the facility itself is a thing of beauty) in New Gloucester, ME, hosted a continuing education weekend for judges focused on the musical freestyle on May 30-31, 2015. Led by longtime USDF Freestyle Committee member and Klassic Kur founder Terry Ciotti Gallo and supported by USEF “S” judge Lois Yukins, day one of the clinic covered in comprehensive detail a system by which judges can objectively assess the elements on the artistic side of the scoresheet.

This program is just one of several being offered across the country; the goal is to help to create a more consistent standard of evaluation for the freestyle by giving judges an objective method of evaluating a subjective performance. In addition, it is hoped that riders will be inspired to work towards the creation of better, more effective freestyles—or perhaps even to try it out for the first time!

In this blog, I will review the elements of the artistic impression score, as considered by the judge. Information about creating a freestyle, the focus of clinic day two, will be handled separately. There was so much content shared over this weekend that it is simply too much for one article!

Five Categories of Assessment

For the USEF levels, there are five categories of assessment on the artistic impression side of the musical freestyle scoresheet. They are (in order on the scoresheet):

Harmony between horse and rider
Choreography (design cohesiveness, use of arena, balance and creativity)
Degree of Difficulty
Music (suitability, seamlessness, cohesiveness)
Interpretation (music expresses gaits, use of phrasing and dynamics)

For FEI freestyles, each category has a coefficient of 4 (and they combine music and interpretation into one mark, and add a category for rhythm, energy and elasticity), but for the national test levels, the coefficients vary. Understanding that the biggest coefficient score will come from choreography can help riders to prioritize this score over degree of difficulty. While “harmony between horse and rider” might sound like something which should be on the technical side of the scoresheet, it is scored artistically in USEF tests because harmony reflects the “artistry of the rider”.

Understanding the score for “Music”

In presenting the analysis for each category, Gallo chose to begin with music, as this has to do with selection and preparation, factors which are taken care of before the show. This score is the only artistic impression mark which should not be affected by the technical execution of the freestyle, unless a horse is feeling so naughty that they don’t demonstrate their basic gaits. The score for choice of music should not be influenced by the personal likes or dislikes of the judge, but rather by evaluating the suitability, cohesiveness and seamlessness of the music chosen.

Suitability is the most important aspect of the evaluation, and in judging methodology it represents the basic element for the score; the other qualities can modify the score higher or lower. Suitability means that the music enhances the horse’s way of moving, and should fit the character of the horse. Gallo says that a wide range of genres of music can be suitable -dance music, not surprisingly, can work well for many horses- but it must be level appropriate. Lower level horses are going to be overwhelmed by big, powerful music better suited for pirouettes, half pass or tempi changes. Yukins used the analogy of a supermodel that could look good wearing anything, including a burlap sack, but the average woman must more carefully consider cut and fit. Some horses are so expressive, so beautiful, that nearly any music will work. However, for a more average horse or one that is a flatter mover, well-chosen music can elevate the performance. If the musical selection is suitable, the score for the mark should start at a 7.

Cohesiveness is a modifier to the base score for music, and it means that the pieces of music chosen for each gait have a unified feel. This may be due to genre (all one style, like jazz, classical, rock and roll, etc.), theme (an underlying quality or idea, like all Elvis, all children’s music, and so on) or instrumentation (all pieces are played on piano, or with full symphony, etc). Yukins and Gallo both emphasized the importance of not making the theme too hard to understand—judges have too much to analyze during the five minute performance of the freestyle to make more obscure associations. As Gallo put it, when the theme is so obvious that the judge doesn’t have to think about it, the score goes up; she encouraged judges to give the rider the benefit of the doubt if the music seems sort of cohesive but the judge isn’t sure why.

Seamlessness is the final music score modifier, and this has to do with the editing of the music. The music must flow together, with no jarring shifts which disturb the ear. Editing can be done within a song, or between songs, and is needed in order to have appropriate music for each gait. Basic editing can be done with the use of downloadable software or riders can work with professional editors. Abrupt cuts and overly long fades should be avoided, but short fades can be helpful to create smooth transitions between pieces for each gait. Gallo advises against using a fade out on the final center line, preferring instead to end the freestyle with a closing note or chord in the music.

If all three aspects of the music score are done well, the final mark should be above an 8. The mark for music carries a coefficient of 3.

Understanding the score for “Interpretation”

The score for interpretation of the music is largely determined by what happens during the performance itself. Considered in this mark is how well the music expresses the horse’s gaits, as well as if the rider has coordinated movements with the phrasing and dynamics within the music. Getting a good mark for interpretation requires both advance planning and on pointe execution. It also requires the understanding of some basic musical terminology.

The term beat is used to describe the underlying pulse of the music; it is what your foot wants to tap to as you listen, if you are so inclined. In a horse’s gait, the beat is a footfall. Most riders understand that the walk has four beats, the trot two and the canter three (though for freestyle planning it only has one, which I will discuss in my next blog). Rhythm in musical terms is a repeated pattern of sounds, while for the horse rhythm is the timing and sequence of the footfalls. Tempo is the rate or speed of the beat in music or the rate of the repetition of the rhythm for the horse.

In my second blog related to this weekend, I will discuss how knowing the tempo of your horse’s gaits is related to choosing appropriate music.

When you hear each piece of music, its rhythm and tempo should suggest the gait which it is being used for. While neither the FEI nor the USDF require that riders match the beats of the music to their horse’s footfalls, Gallo says that the smart rider will try hard to do so. That being said, it can be hard to stay right with the beat of the music, especially at the lower levels, as the horses here lack the strength to stay off the ground in the new movements introduced at each level (the leg yield at First Level or the shoulder in at Second Level, for examples). Gallo says that music must at least suggest the gait which it is being used for to get a good mark for interpretation.

If the music is well chosen, it will have clear phrasing and dynamics. Phrasing is a musical unit; at the end of a phrase, the music changes in some way. Dynamics relates to the loudness or the softness of the music; Gallo explained that a forte or crescendo of louder music would indicate a bigger movement (like a lengthening or extension) while softer music suggests circles or pirouettes.

To help judges, Gallo presented the minimum requirement of “Six Point Phrasing”. Basically, a rider who demonstrates their initial halt or salute, their first movement change, their trot and canter lengthenings or extensions, their gait changes and their final halt or salute with musical phrase changes should get at least a 7 for interpretation. Judges should try to note each time the rider goes beyond these six basic points and can add to the score accordingly. If the rider executes the six point phrasing and also matches the footfalls to the beat of the music, the score should be at least an 8. If the rider can also take advantage of the dynamics, then the judge should add a few more tenths of a point. The score for interpretation carries a coefficient of 3.

Understanding the score for “Degree of Difficulty”

The degree of difficulty mark is only worth a coefficient of 2 for the USEF tests First-Fourth, and a coefficient of 1 for Training level, for a reason: attempting to add difficulty that results in poor technical execution makes for bad freestyles. Gallo and Yukins both emphasized how important it is to be totally confident that your choreography will work well for your own horse. “Consider carefully,” says Yukins. “Only do what you can do reliably and well.”

Gallo reminded judges that in a freestyle for a specific level, they should expect to see transitions and movements which correlate to the requirements for the highest test of that level; she even suggested reviewing this test before watching the freestyle. It then is easier to evaluate whether the freestyle performance reflected what the judge was expecting to see (“met” expectations for the level) or exceeded them.

One thing which riders need to be aware of is that they cannot use movements “above the level” to increase degree of difficulty. Judges must be mindful of this and deduct 4 points for any above level movements which are intentionally executed. However, there may be movements which are not traditionally included in standard tests that are permissible for that level of freestyle. On the lower left of each scoresheet, there is a list of movements which are allowed for that level; note that some of these lists changed for 2015.

Examples of ways to increase the difficulty include: a movement at a steeper angle than for a standard test at that level; unusual placement of movements (like a shoulder in off the rail or movements on the center line); demanding transitions (like a canter lengthening to the walk on the same line); challenging combinations (such as a leg yield zig zag); reins in one hand; tempis on a broken or curvilinear line; doing greater than the required number of flying changes.

In terms of scoring, a freestyle that matches the basis for the level should receive a 6 for degree of difficulty. If the freestyle matches the highest standard for the level (such as the movements in the highest test), the score should be a 7. The judge can then add to the score for each element which exceeds their expectations.

Remember that the score for degree of difficulty is linked to the quality of the execution. If a rider tries to do something ambitious and does it well, then they will receive both a high technical mark and a high mark for degree of difficulty. Passable execution will result in no deduction but also no credit. However, if the rider tries for something complex and the quality of the performance falls apart, they will receive penalties in several areas.

Borrowed from "The Chronicle of the Horse" Image uncredited. — Borrowed from “The Chronicle of the Horse” Image uncredited.

Understanding the score for “Choreography”

The choreography relates to the “construction of the patterns”, according to Gallo. There are four criteria which fall under this score: design cohesiveness, use of arena, balance and creativity. Of these four, design cohesiveness is the most important and is the basic score.

Design cohesiveness relates to the clarity and logic of the movements used in the freestyle. It does not need to be symmetrical, but the design should never leave the judge wondering, “what was that?”. If there is clarity in design, the score for choreography should start at 7.

Use of the arena is a modifier to the score. The choreography should use the arena in its entirety, distributing movements around the ring. Freestyles which have all the elements at the far end, for example, are not using the arena well.

Balance in this case refers to the relative equality of movements on the left versus right rein.

Creativity is a modifier which many judges and riders think is the main criteria. Creativity is important, and it refers to combining the elements in interesting ways, or using uncommon lines. Creative choreography is imaginative and not test-like. This does not mean, though, that the choreography is brand new/one of a kind/totally unique. “Not test-like” means that the choreography is not like the movement configurations of any tests currently being used at that level. It does NOT mean that a configuration that was part of a test at that level in years past is off the table. Let’s face it—at the lower levels, there are just not that many movements required and there are only so many ways to put them together.

Choreography really is one of the areas in which both judges and riders need to release their usual concerns regarding test riding and learn to think creatively. Transitions should be made with musical phrases, not at letters. The halt and salute can be done anywhere on the center line so long as they are facing the judge at C. Gallo likes doing diagonal lines that end on centerline, which then allow riders to turn in either direction.

Gallo says that the relationship between the execution of the movements and the score for choreography is indirect. Riders must show lateral movements over a minimum of 12 continuous meters (18 is better); trot extensions must be done on a straight line (mediums may be done on a 20 meter circle) and canter pirouettes must have straight strides into and out of the movement. The only time where execution can really detract from choreography is when a horse has a strong reaction and the judge cannot tell what they did. It is also important to make sure than in an attempt to show creativity, a movement does not appear to be ‘above the level’ (haunches in on a diagonal line looks much like half pass, for example).

Understanding the score for “Harmony between Horse and Rider”

Harmony is something which every dressage rider should aspire to, and watching a well-made freestyle in which horse and rider appear to seamlessly dance to the music can give you chills. The score for harmony reflects the trust between the horse and rider, and the horse’s confidence in both the rider and his own ability to execute the demands of the test.

Getting a high mark for harmony requires that the horse stays calm and attentive and that the performance shows ease and fluidity. This is actually another area in which the FEI and USEF differ—the FEI considers harmony to be about the submission to the aids but the USEF considers it an artistic criterion because it goes into the relationship between the horse and rider.

Harmony takes into consideration the challenges of a good freestyle: staying to the beat of the music, aiming for musical interpretation, the extra demands of increased difficulty and the great number of adjustments that riders must make relative to a standard test. To quote Gallo, “judges should truly appreciate and reward a harmonious freestyle”.

Click on the link above for a visual representation of “harmony between horse and rider”.

Tips for Judges

Gallo and Yukins both emphasized that evaluating the artistic impression of a freestyle is not a matter of simply taking a percentage of the technical mark and calling it good. Judges must use the same kind of system by which to fairly evaluate a ride and arrive at consistent scores that they do to judge regular tests. The “L” program teaches learner judges that to arrive at a score, one must use a formula:

Basics + criteria +/- modifiers= score

By using this same methodology, even something seemingly subjective like artistic impression can be evaluated in a more objective manner.

The artistic impression scores are interrelated with each other, but not all of them relate to the technical performance. Harmony and degree of difficulty are directly linked to the quality of the technical execution. Choreography and interpretation of the music are independent of but modified by execution. Only the music score is not affected at all by the execution of the test.

Judges must be mindful of a few critical rules that pertain to freestyles. For Training through Fourth levels, rides have no minimum time but cannot exceed five minutes. Any movements performed after the time ends are not judged, and a one point penalty is taken from the artistic impression score.

Gallo has a few words of advice for judges. First, in regards to “creativity”, it is important to remember that even if a combination of movements has been done before, or is done the same way by a number of riders, it can still receive positive marks for creativity. The idea is to compare each rider’s performance to what is seen in regular tests, not to what is seen in other freestyles. Secondly, Gallo hopes that judges will continue to learn more about using a standardized system to assess the freestyle. She points out that most judges are experts in dressage first, and have had to learn about freestyle after the fact, and so are going to need time to adjust to a new system.

Yukins cautioned that the judge’s comments on artistic impression are really important, as they will help to shape the future of freestyle. She reminded participants that the role of the judge is extremely difficult, as they have so much to consider. “Judges have six minutes to evaluate a product which riders could have been working on for years,” says Yukins.

Gallo suggests that judges practice their freestyle judging skills by utilizing videos on You Tube. Judges should work to develop a note taking system which allows them to keep track of phrasing and other artistic elements without losing track of the technical score. Another technique is to create a personal “cheat sheet” which can help the judge to keep track of the various elements.

Next up: Creating a Musical Freestyle: Tips from the Top