How did you find the person/business?
Were you happy with the product/results? Have you done more than one freestyle with the same person, or tried someone different?
How did it work? Did you give an idea of the music you like, your horse’s best movements, in addition to sending a video?
Or did you work in person?
How long did it take?
What were the biggest challenges, logistically?
What haven’t I asked that you most want to share?
Thanks!
I’ve done all the above - literally. Used my trainer, used a person off the internet & used a referral for a local person. The easiest process for me was the local person, I had a referral for, but didn’t really know. It was a 2 day freestyle clinic & a lot of fun. They played different music for us to ride to & we picked what we liked. I had total control & I love the result.
I found it was too hard working with my trainer, as I didn’t feel I could be as objective. The end result was what they wanted & not something I would have picked.
Although I’m happy with the result, I would never do a long distance one again. It’s too hard to work with someone you don’t know & have to communicate with via email. The process was much longer - 2 months & it was a struggle to get what I wanted.
My best advice - have an idea of what you want before hand, both for choreography & music. Go to some shows & watch the freestyle class. Write down what you like & don’t like. Don’t be afraid to ask riders who they used. Freestyles are very personal - you have to like it & have some sort of control over the process. You want that feeling - when the music comes on - that your favorite song just came on the radio. Don’t settle for less.
I had exactly the opposite experience as Ken :lol:
Done it a couple of ways, my best was when I just spent the $$ and worked with the person who does my trainer’s FS who is across the country. Sent videos. My trainer did the choreography.
The key is having music that flatters but doesn’t overwhelm the horse. Choose that first, then your personal preference comes second.
My old guy is very atypical for a dressage horse, so we picked music that played off of his breed.
My mare is very light and refined, so when we were working on her FS we needed music like that. Bubbly and light, very feminine.
I’m about to start working on the FS for my young horse and he is completely different - not heavy, but not light and feminine. Kind of a hard working guy who is solid. For some reason I’m thinking elvis for him.
You also want music that plays off your strengths. In my case we’ll want to do minimal walk because he goes to sleep, lots of canter and counter canter because he’s good at it, minimal trot lengthenings but play off our ability to do the smaller trot figures. That tells me I don’t want to have trot music with tons of crescendos because it will emphasize the fact that we have crappy trot lengthenings :lol:
I have used Karen Robinson and Applause Dressage for years. Give her an idea, send a video and she runs with it. I’ve worked with her at her clinics that she travels around and does (and I’ve organized them too), and now after doing so many freestyles we have no problem putting one together in two 45 minute sessions. Everything from country western to Spanish music and first level to I1. She puts in great transitions into the music to make it fit your choreography and I always get great comments on the choreography and degree of difficulty. She is very good at knowing what to do for each horses’ strengths and weaknesses.
And she does a great job over video and email, but it takes more time. Even if you do do a clinic, I like to email her beforehand with a video of the horse and what style of music or freestyle you’d like so she can bring a good selection of music for your horse.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Anyone else?
I’ve seen enough to know that a good freestyle is much more difficult to put together than it might seem … I listen to songs and muse and ponder. Not a lot of 3-beat playing on the radio, it seems 
I took a clinic with Karen Robinson, and would work with her again if given the opportunity.
However, I usually stubbornly go it alone.
First I list the required and not allowed movements. Then I consider my horse’s strengths and weaknesses to come up with a pattern that highlights our strengths and minimizes our weaknesses.
Usually freestyles have more than one judge here, so I try to make sure it looks good from A, B and E by videoing from those angles.
I video riding the freestyle including the entrance, and then attempt to pick music.
I am really not good at it, but I figure the more I try the better I will be!
Not a lot of 3-beat playing on the radio, it seems
Yeah, that’s part of your problem right there- a horse’s canter SOUNDS three beats, but put to music there is another silent ‘beat’ that must be counted. You don’t canter to a waltz!
That silent ‘beat’ is the moment of suspension between the leading front leg, and the first hind leg of canter. So to match a canter to music, you have to have four beats.
If your horse CAN canter perfectly to a waltz, you’ve got a BIG problem (like a western-pleasure tranter) that you won’t want to emphasize in front of a dressage judge
Best of luck with putting together a freestyle, I hope you post a video when you finally do it in front of a judge.
Okay, so THAT is embarrassing! I have wondered how come I’m counting four for music when I’m watching for a “3-beat”!! Most of the freestyles I have seen are as a scribe and I rarely get chatty during those classes because they do require a lot of attention and concentration.
My trainer is working with someone very exclusive for one of her client’s FEI horses, so I’m trying to do advance research for something more modest.
I will definitely share if the results are something share-worthy … and people here are still alive!
You may want to visit my free web site www.equimusic.com to explore musical selections for a freestyle.
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