Four Ways to Stay Motivated as you Create Your Dressage Musical Freestyle

Creating a musical freestyle takes time. You may begin the process all gung-ho and then find that your motivation lessens as time passes.

So far on your freestyle journey you have clarified your goals, decided on a course of action, gathered your resources, found your BPMs, and started the music search. 

Whenever I feel a lack of inspiration I spend some time doing the following. I would love to know how you stay inspired. Please share in the comments below or with the Freestyle Facebook group. 

Go to a Show

If you have the opportunity to attend a live event I think that it can help spark motivation. Even a local schooling show with one freestyle can motivate you. Watching a fellow rider in the ring, showing their finished freestyle is encouraging. Sometimes the lack of entries is also inspiring, it confirms the fact that creating freestyles is a lot of work and it means that your freestyle will stand out from the crowd.

Make plans to attend a big show if you live near high-profile showgrounds like Saugerties, NY or Tryon, NC. Are you making plans to attend the World Equestrian Games coming up this September (2018)? Regional and National Championship shows typically showcase the freestyles in the evening for the enjoyment of the audience. 

Watch YouTube

This is by far the quickest way to get motivated and inspire new ideas. I have saved individual Playlists for each level, Training through Grand Prix, and would love your help to add more. If you want to inspire other riders please send it along. Click on the freestyle level you are interested in seeing, the link will take you to my YouTube playlist for that level.  

• Training

• First

• Second

• Third

• Fourth

• Intermediare

• Grand Prix

If you have a video you would like me to add, please post the link in the comments below, email me at beginthedance@gmail.com, or post your video in the Freestyle Facebook Group. I would love to share your finished freestyle, it doesn't matter if you are starting out at Training level.

Browse Quotes

When I am feeling down I jump onto Pinterest and start searching for motivational quotes and sayings. There aren't that many quotes related to musical freestyle...believe me I know! That's why I have created my own using quotes related to dancing, music, and riding. Click here to browse my collection of quotes here on my website or you can follow my Dressage Musical Freestyle board on Pinterest. 

Join a Community

Being a part of a group of like-minded riders is helpful to stay inspired and get encouragement. I started a Freestyle Facebook Group specifically for riders that want to ask questions, share their journey, and receive encouragement along the way. It is a positive group of ladies, many of them I know in "real life" too! Click here to join.

You can also join a few other Facebook groups called Musical Freestyle (Dressage Kur) and Musical Freestyle Dressage. 

There are also two online forums that you can ask questions and interact with other members on the topics of musical freestyle. These are the two that I recommend, the Chronicle of the Horse Forum and the Definitely Dressage Observation Lounge Forum.

If you find any other fun, positive groups online please let me know in the comments below or email me at beginthedance@gmail.com. I hope this post helped you find some motivation to continue working on your freestyle. Don't worry, everyone gets stuck, I think it is basically a right of passage! When you are struggling through the third, even tenth edit of your freestyle music it can feel like it is taking forever! Good luck!

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Download My Free Resources

Stay organized with my Musical Freestyle Checklist and begin sketching choreography with my Blank Arena Diagram Page.

Browse my Freestyle E-Book Store

Learn how to create a musical freestyle from start to finish or choose an e-Book with choreography ideas just for your level.
Click here to view all Freestyle e-Books.

SECOND LEVEL Choreography eBook for Dressage Musical Freestyle

$29.00

FIRST LEVEL Choreography Ebook for Dressage Musical Freestyle

$29.00

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Where to Find Music for Your Dressage Musical Freestyle

Searching for freestyle music is usually the part of the freestyle process that everyone seems to enjoy. However, it can be overwhelming if you don't know where to begin.

Before you search for your freestyle music you will need to figure out your horse's BPMs so you can narrow down your choices and save time.

Save a Playlist

I like to search and save freestyle music on my Spotify app so that I can listen to it while I am riding. You can create one playlist for your horse and extra playlists for each gait or different themes if you are still choosing one.

Don’t have Spotify? You can also use iMusic if you have an Apple computer, Amazon Music, Pandora, YouTube Music, and other music apps depending on your preference. Just search ‘music’ in your App Store.

Use an App to Check Song BPM

As you are saving music, it is helpful to use a smartphone app to check a song’s BPM on the fly. I play the song in Spotify and then open my BPM app to tap the screen. When you listen to the song begin to tap your foot to the beat and that is usually your BPM. Do a Google search of the song if you aren’t sure. Sometimes a song will sound like the canter when you are in your car but when you actually check the BPM it may not match your horse.

Pick a Theme

I find it easier to start with a theme or genre to help me narrow down music choices. Don’t worry if you change your mind as you go…just use a theme as a starting point so you feel that you have a sense of direction.

Some theme ideas:

Mary-Jo uses her smartphone to check her freestyle music. Photo Credit: Kimberly Chason

• Movie soundtracks like Zorro, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Spirit

• TV Soundtracks like Outlander and Game of Thrones

• Favorite Bands or Songs on the Radio (not sure about the lyrics? Keep reading down below)

• Time Period like music from the Medieval, Renaissance, or Victorian era

• Musical Genres like Jazz, Classical, Hip Hop, and Folk Music

• Broadway Musicals like Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, and West Side Story

More theme ideas:

• Horse Breed ex; a Mustang rides to Spirit or an Andalusian rides to Flamenco

• Horse coat color ex; Black horse rides to Black Horse and a Cherry Tree or Zorro soundtrack

• Age of Horse & Rider ex; a young rider would look cute to something like the Minions soundtrack or Peanuts

• Size of Horse ex; a very large draft horse lends itself to something powerful and dramatic (think Gettysburg soundtrack) as opposed to a pony that needs something cute and light (think Disney themes)

Too Many Lyrics?

Is there a particular song on the radio that you just love? Lyrics are discouraged in the show arena (unless they lend a special quality to the performance) but you can typically find a variety of cover songs and remakes online.

Search the song name in your music app and add keywords ‘instrumental’ or ‘cover’ to help narrow your search. Some of my favorite bands that create instrumental cover songs are Vitamin String Quartet, Eklipse, and The Piano Guys.

When you think of your favorite style of music keep in mind how it makes you feel. Gravitate towards music that gives you confidence and keeps you focused, some music can create a lot of excitement that might translate into tension at a horse show.

If you haven't started already, I hope this article inspires you to begin your music search. Putting together your own musical freestyle is a challenge but well worth it in the end.

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Download My Free Resources

Stay organized with my Musical Freestyle Checklist and begin sketching choreography with my Blank Arena Diagram Page.

Browse my Freestyle E-Book Store

Learn how to create a musical freestyle from start to finish or choose an e-Book with choreography ideas just for your level.
Click here to view all Freestyle e-Books.

The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music - Signed by Author

$34.95

FIRST LEVEL Choreography Ebook for Dressage Musical Freestyle

$29.00

SECOND LEVEL Choreography eBook for Dressage Musical Freestyle

$29.00

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How to Determine your Horse's BPMs for your Dressage Musical Freestyle...

Learn how to create a dressage musical freestyle. Click here.

I get asked about BPMs (beats per minute) frequently from riders who need help finding freestyle music. They know that they need to figure out their horse's bpms but aren't quite sure what that means or how to go about it. It is actually quite simple once you give it a try. I have included a few different methods, hopefully one of them will work for you!

Why You Need To Figure Out Your Horse's BPM:

Every piece of music has it's own beats per minute. When you match your horse's bpm to the music's bpm you can feel confident that the music will match. Of course, there is more to it than just matching the bpm (picking a theme, matching personality, and whether your horse enjoys it as well) but is a good place to start. 

Items You Will Need

• A Timer or Cell Phone (with one of apps listed below)

• Leg Wraps - use one easy-to-see color

• Video Camera (optional)

• A Helper/Assistant

Start by wrapping one of your horse's front legs with a colored polo wrap. You only need this one wrap but the leg will show up better in a video if all the legs are wrapped with just one that is brightly colored.

Learn how to find your horse's BPMs for your musical freestyle.

I suggest that you warm up first so that you can be sure to have the best representation of your horse's working gait.

Every time that front leg touches the ground at the walk or trot, you will count it as one “beat”. At the canter, you count the leading foreleg as one “beat” when it strikes the ground.

Use a Timer

Using a stopwatch or the timer on your cell phone, have your assistant set the timer for one minute. Have them count the number of footfalls (of that one foreleg) while you ride your horse in a consistent working walk, trot or canter. As long as the horse stays steady and your helper is a good counter (haha) you will have your bpm. You may want to take an average after multiple tries.

Use an App

Have your ground person use a metronome app on your phone, adjusting it up or down until the “beep” sound of the metronome matches the footfall of the wrapped leg. A good app to try is Metronome.

OR

Have your ground person use a BPM app, tapping the screen every time your horse's front leg touches the ground. It will give you the average bpm within a few strides, try it a few times to double check consistency. I have been using the BPM by Motokazu Sekine for many years.

Take A Video

Take this opportunity to have your assistant video your horse at a consistent walk, trot and canter. Make sure to include your working gaits and lengthened/extended movements. Stay in each working gait for at least one full minute. You can count the footfalls from the comfort of your own home on your computer. The video will also be helpful for you to test out different pieces of music.

Here are some basic BPM guidelines:
Walk- between 50-65 BPM
Trot- between 75-90 BPM
Canter- between 95-110 BPM
Passage/Piaffe- between 60-65 BPM

*Generally the canter is twice the beats of the walk and the trot lies somewhere in between.

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Browse my Freestyle Book Store

Learn how to create a musical freestyle from start to finish with my Freestyle Guide or choose an e-Book with choreography ideas just for your level.
Click here to view all Freestyle Books.

SECOND LEVEL Choreography eBook for Dressage Musical Freestyle

$29.00

FIRST LEVEL Choreography Ebook for Dressage Musical Freestyle

$29.00

The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music - Signed by Author

$34.95

Related Articles