Creative Centerlines for your Dressage Musical Freestyle
Make a strong first impression with your musical freestyle! Your entrance sets the stage, just like the opening scene of a movie or the start of a song, creating the mood and giving the judge a glimpse of what's to come. Whether you're at a beginner level or beyond, there are plenty of ways to grab attention from the start.
Douwe and Sandra enter for their First Level Musical Freestyle. Photo taken by Spotted Vision Photography.
Use Lyrics
Lyrics are becoming a popular choice for musical freestyles, but it’s important to pick songs that enhance your routine, not distract from it. Fun song openings or catchy jingles can set the tone and bring a smile to the audience.
For example, I once designed a freestyle using the iconic intro to James Brown’s "I Feel Good." It was instantly recognizable and helped make a great impression on both the judge and audience. The rest of the routine followed the same genre and received plenty of compliments.
For my client Carolena, we used “Lollipop” for her entrance. She nailed the halt and salute to the recognizable "pop" sound, adding charm to her Training Level freestyle. The routine continued with fun songs like “Sandman” and “Tweedle Dee.”
Consider iconic lines from movies like “Bond...James Bond” or Broadway hits like “He’s here, the Phantom of the Opera!” These memorable phrases make for great entrances.
The beauty of using lyrics is that the music doesn’t always need to match your horse’s stride. While it’s ideal, the entrance is all about making an impression and setting the stage. If the lyrics are right, go for it—even if the beats aren’t perfect!
Sandra and Rovandio showing a Second Level Freestyle. Photo credit Spotted Vision Photography.
Use Transitions
Transitions like walk to trot, trot to canter, or walk to canter are often overlooked, yet they can really elevate your freestyle. At lower levels, centerline options are limited, but using entrance music with clear transitions can boost your artistic scores and showcase your technical skills to the judge.
I rode a Third Level freestyle with my horse Rovandio many years ago and our violin music started slow and then added a distinct trot beat. I cued the music, began at the walk and then transitioned to the trot when the music changed.
Only try this if your horse is really consistent in upward transitions! If they tend to brace or come above the bit I wouldn’t risk it, just stay in your preferred gait.
Add a Lengthening/Extension
Impress the judge with a dramatic extended trot down the centerline! If your horse has a reliable and high-quality medium/extended trot this can be a really good option. Also using medium/extended canter can really ‘WoW’ the judges and set the stage for a powerful ride.
This entrance works well when you have are going all the way down the centerline to your first halt. Some riders prefer to halt around L or G to set up for their first movement closer to the judge.
Sandra used Outlander music for her Friesian gelding Douwe. Photo credit Spotted Vision Photography.
Add Sound Bites
You can add a little more sparkly and pizzazz with your opening salute by accenting with additional sound bites. This could sound like a gong, a magical chime, a drumroll, or perhaps the sound of people clapping. You can get creative and add sounds that will go along with your entrance music and the overall theme of the freestyle. Having a definite sound or accent for your salute elevates your freestyle and shows that you pay attention to detail.
You can search for sound bites on websites like www.audiojungle.net where you can purchase short music clips and search by instrument and genre. Use keywords like “Intro” to search through hundreds of short clips that people use for music videos, movies, and promo videos. They are generally short and already fade in/out so they would be very easy to incorporate in the editing process.
More Ideas…
I personally like the sound of an orchestra warming up if you are using classical music
Sound clip from a band playing live…sometimes they will address the audience to get everyone fired up
Drumroll that you hear at the start of a movie
Record your own voice over your entrance movie to create something unique and special
Sound clip from a motivational speech
Have Fun!
No matter what you decide, I hope you have fun in the process! Creating a musical freestyle is a rewarding process that takes patience, determination, and creativity. Let me know in the comments below what you used for your musical freestyle entrance I would love to know. You can also email me with questions/comments to beginthedance@gmail.com.
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Stay organized with these handy Checklists, Worksheets, and begin sketching choreography with my Blank Arena Diagram Page.
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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 Books & e-Books.
2020 Equus Film Festival Winner in the Equine Training Category!
This book will inspire and educate riders of all levels on how to create a musical freestyle. I focused on three areas, riding to music for personal enjoyment/training, for the competition arena, and also for exhibitions. This is a hefty book at 279 pages and covers a broad range of information.
Your copy will be signed! There is a place for you to enter a special message if this is a gift.
Includes 338 Choreography Diagrams for USDF Freestyle (Training - Fourth Level) and for WDAA Freestyle (Basic - Level 4). Yes it includes western dressage! Freestyle is quickly becoming a popular class within the discipline.
Interviews with today’s top riders and performers including Mario Contreras, Marsha Sapp, Lindsey Partridge, Tik Maynard, Frances Carbonnel, Luke Gingrich, Nancy Conley, Elizabeth James, and many more!
This is the Second Edition with a brand new look and unique pre-choreographed tests. If you need help designing your First Level musical freestyle, this e-book is meant for you. It reviews the required freestyle test movements, offering a variety of ways to perform them with your horse. It also includes TEN ready-to-ride freestyles that you can choose from - just add music!
You can also use this Ebook if you need to create a freestyle in a hurry or to move up to the next level.
This ebook includes:
10 Fully Choreographed Test Patterns
38 Pages of Choreography
Blank Arena Diagram Pages (for you to take notes and draw your own choreography)
Musical Freestyle Checklist
You can also join the Create Your Own Musical Freestyle Facebook Group where you can ask questions and share your freestyle videos to gain valuable feedback from a community of like-minded, creative equestrians!
Note: This is a DIGITAL product so you will not receive anything in the mail. After your purchase you will be taken to a page with the link to download the .pdf document. You will also receive an email with the same link. You will need Adobe Reader to view the .pdf document. Click here if you do not have Adobe.
The download link will only stay active for 24 hours (a security feature of this website). If you are unable to download the e-book within that time frame don’t worry, just send me an email at beginthedance@gmail.com and I will send you the file attached to the email so that you can download it at any time.
This Ebook dives deeper into choreography, specifically for Second Level. It covers the required movements, offering a variety of ways to include them in your freestyle. It also includes TEN ready-to-ride freestyles that you can choose from - just add music!
NEW Version recently updated March 2022!
Use this eBook if you need to create choreography for your freestyle quickly and on a budget. This ebook includes:
10 Fully Choreographed Test Patterns! Just Add Music!
43 pages of unique choreography!
Blank arena diagram page for you to print and draw your own choreography
*** RULE CHANGES for 2019 *** Please note that the qualifying score to compete a musical freestyle has been changed from a 60% to a 63%! You also need to show at least one of your medium trot and canter on a STRAIGHT line. You may ride a medium trot/canter on a bending line for artistic marks but it will not count towards your technical score.
If you need help with the ENTIRE freestyle creation process check out my book The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music.
Take a moment to join the Create Your Own Musical Freestyle Facebook Group where you can ask questions and share your freestyle videos to gain valuable feedback from a community of like-minded, creative equestrians!
Note: This is a DIGITAL product so you will not receive anything in the mail. After your purchase you will be taken to a page with the link to download the .pdf document. You will also receive an email with the same link. You will need Adobe Reader to view the .pdf document. Click here if you do not have Adobe.
The download link will only stay active for 24 hours (a security feature of this website). If you are unable to download the e-book within that time frame don’t worry, just send me an email at beginthedance@gmail.com and I will send you the file attached to the email so that you can download it at any time.
Related Articles
Are you ready to bring your Second Level freestyle to life? Designing choreography at this stage can feel both exciting and overwhelming—there are more movements to include, more creativity to play with, and more opportunities to showcase your horse. 🎶
These choreography tips will give you a solid starting point to build a freestyle that is clear, flowing, and judge-friendly.
Sandra runs through all the required movements - Medium Trot and Canter, Shoulder-In, and Simple Changes to name a few!