“Once with a Lusitano I put on something that was too quick for him, and he adjusted to it. Then I played it slower, and he slowed down.”


Mutual Exuberance The United States Dressage Federa- tion (USDF) has rules for freestyle classes. At every level, each test lists the required elements the judge(s) will score. Those elements are the same movements required in a level’s regular test. To enter a free- style class at a certain level, the rider must have already achieved a mini- mum score in a USEF-recognized show (60% at a national level’s high- est test). Now, the fun: Riders don’t have to match movements


and transitions to the dressage letters, giving them much more freedom to make their own patterns and transitions. The judge looks for the quality of the elements and gives scores for artistic impressions. He or she looks for horse and rider dancing together, with the rider obviously enjoying the fun. A freestyle should invigorate both partners with its buoyancy. An agreeable pair can earn good marks, even if the horse


isn’t a super mover. “Music can make you look like you’re riding more forward, so you earn a higher gait score,” she explains. Gaits—their rhythm and quality—are an element in USDF freestyle tests, along with impulsion. “Generally horses trot better after they canter,” says


Cynthia. She notes Warmbloods often respond well to a typi- cal sequence of trot, canter, walk and trot movements. “If you move him up, you will score better,” Cynthia


advises. About one horse trotting half pass to music from old “spaghetti” Westerns, she says, “That encourages the horse more. It makes it look like he is pushing to the music.” When they tried alternatives, she explains, the impression was of the rider pushing the horse—not the effect you want. “Keep your body dancing to the music. Use the music to


your advantage,” she continues. With practice, she explains, the horse will learn the music’s phrasing and, when it changes, he will be ready for a transition. That can help the score for harmony, a mark in every USDF freestyle test. A freestyle can also tell a story, especially in a pas de


deux (two riders) or quadrille (four riders). Riders can play roles of characters, with or without costumes. In a pas de deux, costumes may be allowed in designated classes. USDF rules do allow “tasteful, matching outfits” in the quadrille test. Quadrille freestyle also specifies “conserva- tive” attire.


Benefits to Riding to Music “You’ll notice a nervous horse is able to start relaxing with music,” Cynthia says. Music can also encourage the horse,


Top Left: General SAC, PRE (by Bandolero SAC), Third Level, rider Laurel Peters, during the October 2017 freestyle clinic in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Top Right: Bella A, Danish Warmblood mare (by Lajos K), Grand Prix flying lead change, and rider Heather Brady at the October 2017 freestyle clinic in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bottom: Ferrollo CAS, Lusitano (Anastasio V FAR x Jaguar), Third Level dancing in a lead change to Latin music with rider Leslie Apfel at the October 2017 clinic in Santa Fe, New Mexico.


stimulating his footfalls to stay regular. Since steady rhythm is the first basic step on the training scale, this is a great benefit. Just like in regular dressage tests, freestyle judges look


for a clear rhythm in the walk, free in the shoulder and push- ing forward with an active hind leg. In USDF and FEI freestyle tests, walk movements are scored with double coefficients most of the time. (Check the varying coefficients in FEI tests.) The 1-2-3-4 beat of certain songs can cue the horse to


march in time. “I think he likes the music,” says a rider prac- ticing a Third Level freestyle at one of Cynthia’s clinics. “He usually doesn’t walk this well.”


Warmbloods Today 83


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