A question I am often asked is “How long will it take to create a dressage musical freestyle?” In general it takes most riders somewhere between one to six months to complete their freestyle. However, this is dependent on the rider’s experience, how much time the rider is able to dedicate to their freestyle, and how many challenges they may encounter throughout. But in the end you will be so excited to ride down that centerline and make lasting memories with your horse. 💖

Plan for Success

Set aside as much uninterrupted time as possible for creating your freestyle. Consider taking an entire weekend to devote solely to the creation process. Unless you’ve done this a time or two, you probably will not complete an entire freestyle, but with the help of my Freestyle Freebies, you could be well on your way to dancing down centerline.

Know Your Music 🎶

Become really familiar with your freestyle music by listening to it as much as possible. In the car, at the barn, at home, you get the idea! Knowing your music transitions makes a HUGE difference in the show arena when you are feeling the pressure. Deanna Corby (USDF Grand Prix competitor) shares her thoughts for success in the show arena.

“Creating the freestyle did not take that long - I would say no more than two - three days to figure out what movements worked best with the allotted time frame and the changes in the music. Perfecting the piece took much longer - about two months. I listened to my music every chance I got to make sure I knew the beginning, middle, and end as the parts were coming. I envisioned the movements with my horse in certain sections. It’s very important to end the ride right as the music finishes, so knowing the music really well can help you work through any mistakes that might happen during the ride. For instance, if I made my center circle too large, I know I need to cut off the next corner in my turn to make up time so that I stay on track with the music.” (Excerpt taken from Sandra’s Freestyle book 📚)

Work Together 🤝

Two heads are better than one and working with your friends makes the process even more fun! Nancy Conley (western dressage trainer and upper level competitor) and her friends worked together to choose music that best suited her horse, Truly Unsurpassed (Breyer model horse).

“It took about eight months to develop my musical freestyle. I sent videos of [my horse] Truly Unsurpassed to Esther for her to get the feel and personality of my horse. She then chose several pieces of music for me to pick from that she thought would match my mare’s gaits…We looked at videos and listened to different pieces of music to see how I felt about them. I also had two other friends vote on the music choices. When we listened to the pieces that we really thought fit my horse, we all simultaneously voted for them! We took the next day to ride, video, and get our timing. We then matched the music tempo to Truly Unsurpassed.” (Excerpt from Sandra’s Freestyle book)

Organize 📝

Download FreeSTYLE FREEBIES TO ACCESS THIS CHECKLIST PLUS ADDITIONAL WORKSHEETS AND DIAGRAMS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY.

Sometimes the conditions are not ideal for riding your freestyle or practicing choreography. I used to live in Maine and I remember those months of snow, freezing rain, and then mud. BUT there’s still plenty to be done while you wait for the rain to pass or the temp to be above freezing. Start sorting through music, draw out choreography ideas, and use recent videos of your horse to figure out their BPMs. During the winter months, Lena Witham (dressage competitor) worked on her First Level dressage freestyle while waiting for better riding weather to practice.

“It took us several months to complete the freestyle, mostly because we could not ride the movements in a large arena to get accurate timing due to winter. Once we were able to ride outside in the large arena and had some assistance with choreography and music editing, it took about a month.” (From Sandra’s FREESTYLE book)

Deadlines! 📆

Are you a major procrastinator, but tend to accomplish a lot when the pressure is on? Give yourself a deadline by picking an upcoming show or event on the calendar. A ride-a-test clinic is a great opportunity to test out your new freestyle as well. My friend, Ashley Mancuso (USDF Grand Prix rider and instructor) was able to pull her basic level western freestyle together in a short period of time with a very specific goal in mind.

“We put this together quickly! As with so many things in life, you have to seize it when you see it. I saw a perfect venue, a perfect time, and we had it worked out in only two weeks.” (Excerpt from Sandra’s Freestyle book)

Losing Motivation?

It can be easy to get bogged down in the creative process and lose your excitement. Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Remember to take a break from your choreography and go for a trail ride instead, rewatch the movie that inspired your routine, or go watch others perform freestyles at a show or exhibition to reignite the spark for creating your own freestyle!

Meet the Author

Hello! My name is Sandra Beaulieu. ⭐️ I have created a variety of resources to help you create the freestyle of your dreams. Learn how to do-it-yourself with my Freestyle Book, Choreography e-Books, or the Dressage Freestyle Academy (online course).

Or…I can do it for you with a Custom Freestyle or Custom Music Editing. But first, make sure to sign up for my Freestyle Freebies and stay in touch with me! I would love to be a part of your freestyle journey. 😀

Download My Free Resources

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.

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How Long Does it Take to Create a Dressage Musical Freestyle?