Dressage to Music - A Newbies Guide

 One of the main reasons I had for going affiliated last year was that it gave me the opportunity to compete in Dressage to Music. Given my "delusions of DuJardin", the drama of sassy little diva pants Pippa pony and my own background in music, theatre and dance- Freestyle to music was an obvious choice for us - and one which I continue to enjoy a great deal. It is a lot of work- but it is my favourite thing to do with her and once you get started it is so much fun! There is nothing quite like dancing with your pony to music you have chosen.

A few people have asked me for help on this.. I don't claim to be an expert but here is what I have discovered whilst doing this myself for the last year:

STARTING OUT- HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND HOW TO WRITE A FLOOR PLAN

1) If you intend to compete at unaffiliated or affiliated level you must have a Music licence- this is free for BD members and you can find out info here. Being a musician myself I am a huge stickler for this one- royalties are royalties people - musicians work hard and they must be paid for their Art. If you intend to do dressage to music at all in public this licence is a legal requirement. More info of how to obtain it can be found here: Dressage to Music | British Dressage

If you intend to compete on an online platform such as e riders ( which I highly recommend.. and a post about this is pending) they have their own rules about how music is used and you would need to contact them directly about whether you require a music licence as they use the BD freestyle tests but I'm not sure on the licencing. Susie is fabulous and very helpful to get hold of 😁

2) Next you need to decide what level yo are going to compete at - as a rule of thumb for starters I would aim for keeping it simple and building up. I started at Intro and now do Prelim- I will be moving to Novice BD Summer 22 now that I am a touch more confident. 

It's worth while looking at the compulsory movements required for the freestyle at the level you want to do and then deciding which works best. The test sheets are available from BD and are cheap ( 50 p per sheet or £5.50 for the whole lot) via this link: Music Freestyle | British Dressage

3) Once you have decided on a test the fun can start! this is the bit I love- and here is how I do it: 

* Write out the letters of a school on A4 paper- remember that BD will make you do the test in a 20x60 but most unaffiliated places ( including e riders) use a 20x40 - this WILL have an impact on the test once you create it and the length of the music. As a rule of thumb I go for 20x60 test and then if I pull out the test for e riders or for an unaffiliated competition I just add in a circle here and there to fill out the extra music- remember the only person who knows your actual test is you- trust me - in a year of competing to music I have NEVER ridden the same test twice. So think of your floor plan as GUIDELINES rather than a strict test plan- you get marked on the compulsory elements and the artistry so everything else is flair! If you know you are only ever going to do a 20x40 just stick to that :) I just know how complicated the music bit gets ... better to have too much music and add in a serpentine than not enough music and end up finishing in silence!

* Depending on the stride length and speed of your horse you then create the test- Pippa and I only do the minimum movements- there are no extras or flair in our tests simply because she is a short a** and we can't fit anything else into the 5 minute requirement. The test cannot go over five minutes. 

* Don't be precious about it - IT WILL CHANGE 

* As you are writing the test use different colours for different paces to help you break it down. 

* tick off the required elements as you go and make sure you fit them all in. 

4) Now it gets a bit more complex. You need to practice your test and once you are happy with it and you have got it to the correct time - FILM IT. Trust me on this - it will make your life easier in the long run....and whilst you are at it film your horses walk, freewalk, trot and canter - this will help you sort your music. 

ADDING MUSIC 

5) If all this has seemed a bit complex so far you can always go directly to a company like the excellent Equidance and get them to do the floor plan and the music for you- prices for this start at about £79 for a bespoke Intro floor plan and music - and I have heard very good things about them SHOP | Equidance.

However if , like me, you are crazy enough to plumb for the DIY music version then settle in for the how to....

6) The first thing is working out your horses BPM footfalls - you will have an idea about the sort of music you like and would like to perform to- but this may not match the BPM of your horses walk/ trot/ canter so make sure you have a few ideas.

♮The music also needs to suit the horse and have some sort of a theme. It's no good for example doing a routine to Black Sabbath on an 11;2hh prancy Welsh section A- you get my drift... the music should suit the horse and preferably say something about your partnership - my first effort was a sassy bum playlist with J.Lo, Shakira and Beyonce- which I loved and had so much fun with- but something I learned early on- if you want to do it at affiliated level they are not wild about lyrics!! Online and unaffiliated tend to be less bothered by this. 

♭Trot music is easy to find, as is walk- canter is a 3/4 time signature- trust me 4/4 much simpler and I am still trying to get my canter music right- if in doubt go for something floaty with a less prominent bass line to cover up the lack of accuracy in BPM. ( check out some of the pros on Youtube- they ALL do this 😂)

HINT:

Have a THEME- ours is "Sassy Disney Princesses" works for us- this will also help you gain artistry marks 😏

7: Get yourself a CHEAP Bluetooth speaker- mine cost £10 from B and M - go to the yard and play the songs you have picked through the speaker - it is a fiddle to do by yourself ( easier if you have an apple watch so you can start and stop the music yourself - DON'T TRY RIDING WITH YOUR PHONE IN YOUR POCKET IF IT'S CONNECTED TO THE SPEAKER- learned this the hard way- the Bluetooth won't stay connected- leave your phone by the speaker. If you have a friend it makes it easier. You need to also film yourself moving to the music- to check it works. This means having a separate camera to film as you can't play music from a phone and use it to film at the same time (learned that too). 

I have always ridden to music when I school - I find Pippa and I both relax more- I have a "Pippa playlist" on my phone for schooling along to- I put my phone speaker on so we can both hear it and just ride like that ( if you have a yard where you are alone you could just use the speaker) it has also desensitization  for her to the noise of the music which makes life easier. Build up the volume until your horse is used to it! 

( And me being a lead singer in a metal band has meant Pippa has had to learn to happily school to the Philharmonic Orchestra and Killswitch Engage with equal calmness 😂) 

A LOT OF THE HINTS HERE ARE TO SAVE YOU FROM THE STRESS OF FINDING OUT THE WAY I DID ABOUT THESE THINGS- LUCKILY PIPPA IS CHILLED SO IT WASN'T LIFE THREATENING JUST ANNOYING!

8) Once you have the music you want and it all works with your horses' paces - its time to edit it together. This is where the film of the original floor plan comes in to its own. Go back to it and write down how many seconds of walk/ trot/ canter you will need - and where the changes will need to be in the music- this is where accuracy and the simplicity of the test will be your friend. More changes in pace means the music may end up too choppy. Once you are ready to put the music together you will need to enlist the help of an IT savvy friend or young person who is skilled at these things. ALTERNATIVELY - if like me you have none of these things in your life- you will have to learn to do it yourself! I am happy to suggest some apps and if there is the need - put a "how to" blog post up for people if they think it will help :) 

9) Once you have the music- get it on a CD or an audio file and then PRACTICE - I promise it won't be the same every time but you will quickly learn how to adapt to it and fudge things to make it work- improv is key here! Plus your horse will learn to listen to the music to- I swear Pippa knows our test better than I do! Also play the music in your car - on repeat- on every drive- all the time- until you know it inside out and back to front- then you will know exactly when the changes are coming so you can ride even more accurately.

10) Now after all that work- all of which I found fun as it was so new and different for me - get out there and compete- strut your funky stuff!!!

Other top tips: 

#If filming a test get the person to stand at C and have them control the music and the speaker and the video- the judges need to hear the music so having the speaker next to the camera that is filming is your best bet. :) 

#In all competitions they will ask you to signal when your music starts by placing your hand up at a specified point outside the arena before you enter, make sure you have enough intro music to get you down the centre line and halt and salute so you will need 5 seconds of silence before the next track begins. I always signal at K before I enter. 

# practicing on your own is a faff at first but it gets easier once you learn the tricks that work for you- be patient!

Good luck!