2003 North American Dressage Trainers Club Symposium

Freestyle Discussion

Highlights of the second day included an in depth discussion of freestyles. Dr. Moritz and Ms. Withages shared their considerable insight about the elements of a good freestyle and the proper methods of judging one. Both judges agreed that the music should not contain excessive vocals. "They distract from the performance", Dr. Moritz said. Ms. Withages then used words to paint a very graphic image.

"Imagine that you have a rider who uses the music from Dr. Zhivago. At the beginning there are some vocals, before the rider enters the arena. Midway through the ride, a few more vocals are heard. This helps set the mood. Now, imagine you have a different rider who chooses Pavarotti for his music. Imagine that rider's horse going through his entire test with his mouth open". The audience laughed, but the point was well taken.

The above example illustrates the in-depth understanding these judges have of their material. Of course this should be expected, since these two members of the panel help write the rules of international competition. The audience was treated to some insight as to why and how the current rules of freestyle competition developed, what problems were assessed, and what goals the rules are intended to define.