“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.”
Cynthia. “Most horses have an opinion, and most horses love it.” She adds, “You sit on the horse, but you ride his brain.” Riders can earn USDF Freestyle bars of bronze, silver and
gold. Horses can be honored with Adequan/USDF Musical Freestyle awards, and qualify for the Adequan/USDF Musical Freestyle Challenge.
Raoul, KWPN (Lancet x Vincent), Fourth Level, with his rider Sarah Lindsten during the May 2015 freestyle clinic at Scottsdale, Arizona.
A horse’s natural walk can be disrupted when trained
up the levels and music can help the horse demonstrate a pure walk. Also, music in a slightly slower tempo can help produce a more relaxed gait. Using music editing soft- ware, the designer can adjust tempo of songs to match the horse’s gaits. An example song Cynthia uses, the Beatles “And I Love
Her,” has a very clear feeling of the walk gait in the song’s verse. “Music must fit the footfalls,” she says. “The music has to work with the horse.” The walk sequences are not long in the USDF freestyle
tests requiring two walks, each minimum of 20 meters. Besides the music, riding the horse on a diagonal or a broken line can improve the walk. A diamond shape might also help the horse. A diamond of four 10-meter sides would meet the requirements: two sides at medium walk, and then two at free walk for Training through Second Levels. A Grand Prix test could be extended walk C-S-X and collected walk X-R-C. The sequence of gaits in a freestyle—putting the walk early in the program—might mask a not-so-clear walk that’s offset by the longer trot and canter sequences. Even a horse who has flat movement can get jazzed by
the right music. For example the pulsing rhythm of “Walk Like an Egyptian” might synchronize with a horse’s flying changes of lead. “Usually you feel your horse moving better,” says
84 March/April 2018
Freestyle for Multiple Levels A freestyle’s music and pattern may fit the horse at more than one level. A Lusitano in one clinic picked a lively Latin version of “Paint It, Black” for trot, for example. Cynthia can adjust the tune’s tempo as the horse develops. “I’m thinking this year to go with the quicker tempo. Right now he can’t hold the trot slower, but he will when he gets stronger,” she says. “It’s important to match the team, where the horse and rider are at this moment.” Using all instrumentals, changing the tempo to slower or
faster can be subtle and unnoticeable. Although vocals are acceptable, Cynthia focuses on melodies without words. She starts with the horse performing simpler movements, while planning for more demanding choreography (for later) as horse and rider dance to the same music. A First Level freestyle can be adapted to Second Level with changes in choreography, and then even up to Third Level with move- ments rearranged. “Most freestyles you can use at two levels,” Cynthia says. A Fourth Level freestyle can be adapted to Intermedi-
are. For example, the canter working half-pirouette can be replaced with a full pirouette when horse and rider advance to that level. And a first-year Grand Prix horse can show the minimum ten piaffe steps, adding another piaffe segment as he gains strength. He can also earn marks for the additional transitions in and out of piaffe. The degree of difficulty demonstrated, such as unex-
pected patterns, can increase the challenge and earn higher marks. “Because the horse has a good extended trot, ride it on a curved line,” Cynthia advises a Fourth Level rider. “The curved line is more difficult.” Whether riding freestyle for pleasure or awards, the fun is
contagious. In an energetic freestyle, even the spectators will be dancing in their seats and singing along. And sometimes even the judge taps his or her foot to the beat!
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