Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music
The complete resource to developing, editing, choreographing, and performing a fabulous musical Freestyle performance.

Award-winning musical Freestyle designer Sandra Beaulieu has a lifetime’s experience as a dressage competitor and professional entertainer. Here she provides everything readers need to know to enjoy creating Freestyles of their own―whether for fun or for ribbons.

  • Learn how to find your horse’s beats per minute (bpm) in every gait.
  • Find out how to choose the music that’s right for you and your horse and navigate rules of copyright.
  • Discover easy-to-learn ways to edit your music and put together a professional-sounding playlist.
  • Review required movements through the levels for dressage and Western dressage Freestyle tests.
  • Explore ways to weave together your choreography to highlight your horse’s strengths and downplay the areas you are working to improve.
  • Play with ideas for exhibition performances, including ridden, trick, and liberty work, on your own or in a group.
  • Have fun making your Freestyle all your own with costumes, specialty tack, and more.

The musical Freestyle has become a form of equestrian display that draws large audiences in horse sports of every kind: dressage, Western dressage, and Cowboy Dressage; reining and liberty; breed classes and training competitions; drill teams and quadrilles. With plenty of advice for practice as well as putting on a crowd-pleasing show, readers are sure to find all they need to get started. Beaulieu writes with infectious enthusiasm and includes advice from 27 Freestyle competitors and performers, including Marsha Sapp, Mario Contreras, Tik Maynard, Lindsey Partridge, Luke Gingerich, and Rebecca Waite.

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Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music
The complete resource to developing, editing, choreographing, and performing a fabulous musical Freestyle performance.

Award-winning musical Freestyle designer Sandra Beaulieu has a lifetime’s experience as a dressage competitor and professional entertainer. Here she provides everything readers need to know to enjoy creating Freestyles of their own―whether for fun or for ribbons.

  • Learn how to find your horse’s beats per minute (bpm) in every gait.
  • Find out how to choose the music that’s right for you and your horse and navigate rules of copyright.
  • Discover easy-to-learn ways to edit your music and put together a professional-sounding playlist.
  • Review required movements through the levels for dressage and Western dressage Freestyle tests.
  • Explore ways to weave together your choreography to highlight your horse’s strengths and downplay the areas you are working to improve.
  • Play with ideas for exhibition performances, including ridden, trick, and liberty work, on your own or in a group.
  • Have fun making your Freestyle all your own with costumes, specialty tack, and more.

The musical Freestyle has become a form of equestrian display that draws large audiences in horse sports of every kind: dressage, Western dressage, and Cowboy Dressage; reining and liberty; breed classes and training competitions; drill teams and quadrilles. With plenty of advice for practice as well as putting on a crowd-pleasing show, readers are sure to find all they need to get started. Beaulieu writes with infectious enthusiasm and includes advice from 27 Freestyle competitors and performers, including Marsha Sapp, Mario Contreras, Tik Maynard, Lindsey Partridge, Luke Gingerich, and Rebecca Waite.

34.95 In Stock
Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music

Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music

Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music

Freestyle: The Ultimate Guide to Riding, Training, and Competing to Music

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Overview

The complete resource to developing, editing, choreographing, and performing a fabulous musical Freestyle performance.

Award-winning musical Freestyle designer Sandra Beaulieu has a lifetime’s experience as a dressage competitor and professional entertainer. Here she provides everything readers need to know to enjoy creating Freestyles of their own―whether for fun or for ribbons.

  • Learn how to find your horse’s beats per minute (bpm) in every gait.
  • Find out how to choose the music that’s right for you and your horse and navigate rules of copyright.
  • Discover easy-to-learn ways to edit your music and put together a professional-sounding playlist.
  • Review required movements through the levels for dressage and Western dressage Freestyle tests.
  • Explore ways to weave together your choreography to highlight your horse’s strengths and downplay the areas you are working to improve.
  • Play with ideas for exhibition performances, including ridden, trick, and liberty work, on your own or in a group.
  • Have fun making your Freestyle all your own with costumes, specialty tack, and more.

The musical Freestyle has become a form of equestrian display that draws large audiences in horse sports of every kind: dressage, Western dressage, and Cowboy Dressage; reining and liberty; breed classes and training competitions; drill teams and quadrilles. With plenty of advice for practice as well as putting on a crowd-pleasing show, readers are sure to find all they need to get started. Beaulieu writes with infectious enthusiasm and includes advice from 27 Freestyle competitors and performers, including Marsha Sapp, Mario Contreras, Tik Maynard, Lindsey Partridge, Luke Gingerich, and Rebecca Waite.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781570769306
Publisher: Trafalgar Square
Publication date: 02/04/2020
Pages: 296
Product dimensions: 8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Sandra Beaulieu is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist, a USDF “L” Graduate with Distinction, and an award-winning musical freestyle designer. Beaulieu has entertained with live performances of her popular musical freestyles, as well as her Art on Horseback painting process. She has appeared in print and television advertisements, and served as a rider and head equine trainer for multiple films. Beaulieu offers dressage, liberty, and trick training clinics, provides freestyle design services for riders of all levels, and enjoys sharing the unique talents of her beloved horses Douwe and Rovandio in exhibitions. Watch videos and download free resources online at www.beginthedance.com. Sandra lives and trains in Havana, Florida.

Table of Contents

Foreword Marsha Sapp vii

Special Dedication and Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

My Journey 1

One Moment in Time 1

Learning to Perform 2

Passing It On 6

How to Use This Book 7

Part 1 The Dance Begins 8

1 Making Music a Part of Your Riding Life 10

Start with a Dream 10

Benefits of Riding to Music 11

Begin with the Beat 13

Tempo vs. Rhythm 18

2 Choosing and Using Music 20

Music for Improving Mood and Cooperation 20

Music to Increase Forward Energy 23

Music to Slow a Rushing Horse 26

Music to Develop a More Effective Seat 28

Bringing Music on Your Ride 29

Where to Find Your Freestyle Music 30

Music Copyright 35

Music That Suits You and Your Horse 37

Part 2 Competition Freestyles 44

3 Introduction to Competition Freestyles 46

Should I Hire a Freestyle Designer? 46

Other Options: Premade Freestyle Music and Choreography 48

General Competition Rules to Remember 50

Review Your Freestyle Test 51

Choreography Basics 58

Putting a Routine Together 61

First Steps: Creative Centerlines 65

4 Dressage Choreography 70

Working/Free/Collected/Extended Walk 70

20-Meter Trot Circles 74

20-Meter Canter Circles 76

20-Meter Stretchy Trot Circles 79

Serpentine in Trot 81

10-Meter Trot Circles 83

Leg-Yield at the Trot 87

15-Meter Canter Circles 89

Shoulder-In 92

Travers (Haunches-In) and Renvers (Haunches-Out) 94

Trot Half-Pass 97

Lengthened/Medium/Extended Trot 99

Counter-Canter 104

Simple Changes 106

Canter Half-Pass 108

Single Flying Changes 111

Lengthened/Medium/Extended Canter 115

Tempi Changes 119

Canter Working Half-Pirouettes 122

5 Western Dressage Choreography 126

Working/Free/Collected/Extended Walk 126

20-Meter Jog Circles 130

20-Meter Lope Circles 132

20-Meter Stretchy Jog Circles 134

Jog Three-Loop Serpentine 136

10-Meter Jog Circles 140

Leg-Yield at the Jog 142

15-Meter Lope Circles 145

10-Meter Lope Circles 148

Shoulder-In 150

Haunches-In/Renvers (Haunches-Out) 153

Jog Half-Pass 158

Lengthened Jog 160

Counter Lope 164

Simple Changes 166

Lope Half-Pass 169

Single Flying Changes 171

Lengthened Lope 174

Lope Half-Pirouettes 176

Half Turn on Haunches/Pivot 179

Half Turn on Forehand 184

360-Degree Pivot 187

Rein-Back 189

6 Putting It All Together 194

Video from "C" 194

Adding and Editing Music 195

Music Editing: Learn the Basics 201

Preparing Final Music 210

Before Your First Show 214

At the Show 214

Analyze Your Scores 216

Part 3 Exhibition Riding 220

7 Create a Performance Routine 222

Rework Your Competition Freestyle Into an Exhibition Freestyle 222

Starting from Scratch 223

Ideas for Performance Venues 225

Choreography 226

Incorporate Trick and Liberty Training 227

Adding Unique Props 230

Safety First 235

Riding with Dancers 240

Riding with Other Horses 241

Bareback and Bridleless 244

8 Completing the Picture 246

Considering a Costume 246

Costume Function 246

Finding Your Costume 248

Horse Tack 253

Hair & Makeup 257

Grooming Tips 263

Improve Your Showmanship 266

Performance Anxiety for Horse and Rider 267

9 Wrapping Up 277

Having the Courage to Be Creative 277

Planning Tips: How to Avoid Overwhelm 278

Stay Inspired 278

Final Thoughts and Encouragement 278

Index 281

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