Quick tips and facts about the new Freestyle requirements!
1. There is a maximum time limit but NO minimum time. Maximum time limit for all USDF freestyles is 5 minutes. Your time begins when your horse moves off after the entry salute and ends at the final salute.
2. One point will be deducted from the total artistic score for exceeding the time limit.
3. Movements done above your level will be penalized by a four point deduction from the technical score for each “clearly forbidden” movement done.
4. The rider must enter the arena within 45 seconds of the signal from the judge and within 20 seconds of the start of the music or will be eliminated.
5. Halt and salute are now judged at the beginning and end of a freestyle. The halt with a salute must be facing “c”.
Yes, they are finally done! I have just finished the new Riding with Soul(TM) CDs. It has been quite a month with the World Equestrian Games and moving the horses and crew to Florida for the competition season, but now they are ready! I have been getting so many emails from you about when the new CDs are coming out and what type of music you want. Thanks!
Due to popular demand, I have made a second Jazz and Big Band CD. In my first batch, the Jazz and Big Band CD flew out of my inventory faster than I could make them! So for all you Jazz enthusiasts, ballroom dancers, and big band swingers, this one’s for YOU!
I have VERY exciting news for you! I have purchased a farm in Wellington, Florida to be able to continue to give my clients and horses the best possible training facility and “home away from home” as possible. I’ve been working on this special project since last April, and it’s finally done.
I am going to be offering a special rate for the first season of operation at our new facility, as well as offering month to month full care and training for those who can not afford the full season. After talking to numerous people about their needs and budgets, I have found over the years that a lot of you would love to take the opportunity to come to Fl for training. But due to the traditional billing of seasonal stalls, it’s just not feasible.
Of course, stall priority will be given to those horses who would like a stall for the entire season. But I am determined to offer training and full care at an affordable price for those who would like only 2 or 3 months instead of the entire season. I feel that this is a service that has been overlooked in Wellington.
Hi everyone! I hope that the warm weather and the beginning of summer has inspired you to start implementing your new goals for you and your horse. The beginning of a new season is a great time to set some goals and start attaining them one step at a time. I find that writing my goals down as if I have already achieved them helps me stay focused and positive about my day to day progress. It’s easy to over look how much progress you have made in any area when you get drawn in to the day to day routine. Be fair to yourself when you are looking at where you were 6 months ago and where you are now. Sometimes when we have a bad ride or a bad day, our first conclusion is that we are “stuck in a rut”. But if you look back to the challenges you were having 6 months ago, you will find that there have been positive changes! Remember that training is relative! What used to be good enough 6 months ago is maybe not good enough now. So for example, if you worked 6 months ago on putting your horse in front of the driving aids, and you realize that you have to have that lesson again, it may not be because your horse slipped back in his training, it could be that you are in a new place in training and that your expectations are higher than they were 6 months ago.
So many riders find it hard to keep their seat and pelvis in the correct position on their horse. Your own conformation and the conformation of your saddle plays a huge role in allowing your seat to be in the correct position.
Your Seat and Your Saddle
Do you find it hard to keep your seat and pelvis in the correct position on your horse? Your own conformation and the conformation of your saddle play a huge role in allowing your seat to be in the correct position.
Take a look at the conformation of your saddle. Even if your saddle fits your horse, it doesn’t mean it fits you. Make sure that your saddle allows you to find a neutral pelvic position.
1. Treat you horse’s feet like your hands. For example, if your hands are dry, you would put on a moisturizer; if they are not dry you would not. Your horse’s feet are the same. If they are dry and cracked and brittle, put on a product that increases the moisture content of the hoof. If the hoof capsule is wet and soft, use a product that shields the hoof from environmental moisture. Environmental moisture can come from a wet stall, wet grass, the wash rack, too many baths, or a wet soggy pasture.
2. Pick your horse’s feet before and after you ride. Pick your horse’s feet before you ride to examine the health of hoof and to remove dirt, stones and any debris. You should also pick them after you ride to make sure you haven’t picked up any foreign objects such as rocks, nails or hard packed footing.
3. Always pick the horse’s hoof from heel to toe. In other words, pick in the direction toward the point of the frog.
4. Be sure to clean in the clefts next to the frog where thrush can be most prominent.
5. When examining the hoof while grooming, check for sharp clinches which can cut your horse and may also indicate a loose or twisted shoe.
6. Keep your horse on a regular shoeing schedule, even if he just needs a trim or reset. Keeping your horse on a regular shoeing schedule can prevent many costly and damaging lameness issues.
I’ve had a lot of people ask me about the best way to listen and ride to music. There are a number of factors to consider.
1. Your safety and the safety of others riding with you is the number one priority, so be sure that your horse and the other horses around you are aware that the music will be on and that you don’t start it in full volume. An unannounced drum roll at the wrong moment can surprise any horse or rider, so be thoughtful about the start of the music. You should consider starting at low volume and then turning it up make sure your horse and everyone around you is OK with the music. Once the music is going, most horses will enjoy it as much as you will!
2. Where are you riding when you want to listen to music? Are you in an indoor or outdoor ring, or are you hacking out? If you are in an indoor arena with a convenient power supply, most any sound system or boom box will work. (If no power supply, get a big stash of batteries!) Many of the newer boom boxes come with a small remote control you can put in your pocket so you don’t have to get off or have an assistant to change the music or volume. Although headphones used with an iPod or Walkman type gadget is more private they can present problems. It is NOT safe to ride in an arena with other horses and riders with headphones on. If another rider has a problem or a loose horse comes running into the ring, you may not be aware of a potential problem because you can’t hear what is going on around you. Think of riding like driving your car. You should be completely aware of what is going on around you to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.
The second reason I don’t like my riders to use headphones is that the horse cannot hear the music! Yes, in fact the music does influence your horse. Many horses will know when “their” music comes on and quite remarkably adjust their gait into the tempo of the music.
3. There are some products that have been made for small speakers to go into your saddle pad, so that both you and your horse can hear the music. I think this is a great compromise for hacking and riding to music for pleasure without the danger of using headphones. However, if you are riding to music on a daily basis with the goal of competing to music, then you need to use a sound system where the music is louder and around you as it will be at a show. You and your horse need to experience the sound and fullness of the music as it will be at a show, many times before you go down the centerline. In doing this, you will help your horse adjust to the music, volume and depth of the sound. This will help eliminate spooking or getting nervous when the music comes on. Many horses will become more “alive” when their music comes on. Try not to squash this enthusiasm, but rather use it and recycle it for more expression and brilliance! After all, it’s FREESTYLE! GO FOR IT!
Hi everyone. A lot of you have been asking me about how I begin to diagram a pattern or how I start to memorize a test.
I start with these blank arena diagrams. I find them useful for a number of things.
1. Memorizing regulation tests.
2. Learning the exact geometry of the arena.
3. Learning my exact tangent points for movements such as circles and serpentines.
4. Drawing my tests from beginning to end.
5. Drawing each movement according to where the judges are judging (this way I know when the judge begins judging a new movement).
6. Showing a student where a movement begins and ends exactly.
7. Mapping out individual movements when I start to create choreography for a freestyle.
8. Looking at the pattern from beginning to end of a new freestyle, to see if I have used the arena wisely.
9. Checking to see if I have included all required movements for a competitive freestyle.
10. Mapping out each movement of a new freestyle so my clients and students have something to study that is very visual.
11. Checking to see if I have been inventive with the pattern.
12. Checking to see if my movements are equally used from the left and the right.
…and many more!
So I though I would give these diagrams to you guys for your use. Feel free to print them off and use them any time you want, and while you are on my site, sign up for the newsletter if you have not already! You will automatically get the link for the diagrams in the welcome letter of my newsletter, so you don’t have to go looking for it! Ruth
Before you can pick the perfect music for your horse, you need to understand the difference between rhythm and tempo.
Many people use the words rhythm and tempo interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing. This month, I’ll go over the meaning of each–both in musical terminology and in riding terminology.
Rhythm – When riding, regularity of the rhythm refers to the even spacing between each step in a stride of walk, trot, or canter. In music, rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sounds and silences are put together to form patterns of sound which are repeated to create rhythm.
Look at the two descriptions of rhythm and put them together. Think of the sounds and silences of the musical terminology and the even spacing between each step of your horse’s gaits as the same thing. When the horse’s foot is down it is a sound. When your horse’s foot is up, it is silent. This is how we can relate the rhythm of music to the rhythm of your horse’s gaits.
Tempo –Tempo is the speed of the music or the speed of your horse. Depending on how fast you want to go, you can adjust the rate of repetition of the rhythm.
Tempo in music can be fast, slow, or in-between. Music sounds and feels different depending on how fast it’s played. The same piece of music will have a different effect or mood depending on whether it’s played fast or slow.
Hopefully, this description clarifies the difference between rhythm and tempo as it applies to music and to your horse.
Next month, we’ll talk about choosing the particular kind of music that will accentuate your horse’s strengths. Stay tuned for a whole lot of fun!
Pick music that matches your horses BPM within 4-6 BPM range.
(For example if your horse has a canter of 104 BPM, choose music that is between 100 BPM and 108 BPM)
Choose music that has a very clear down beat. (The down beat is the beat that you would tap your toe to.)
If you CAN’T tap you toe to the music or clap your hands easily to the beat of the music… it’s not great riding music!!
Choose music that will help you achieve your horse’s ideal tempo. For example: if your horse is a bit on the lazy side, choose an upbeat and energetic piece of music that will help YOU continue to strive for more energy. If your horse is more on hot or nervous side, choose music that will feel calmer, steadier and will help you with rhythm and relaxation.
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