A musical freestyle (also known as the kür) is the free-form event in dressage: not a prescribed test, but a choreography you put together yourself to music of your own choosing, with a list of required elements per class. For many riders, it's the most enjoyable test there is — and at the same time the one where you can leave the most points on the table, because besides riding you're also the choreographer and music editor. This guide works through the three building blocks: the rules, the music, and the floor plan.
How a Freestyle Is Judged
The judges give two kinds of marks. The technical mark assesses the execution of the required elements, just as in a regular dressage test. The artistic mark assesses choreography, music choice and use, and the difficulty of your build. That artistic side carries real weight: two combinations with identical technique can end up percentage points apart on choreography and music alone.
Which elements are required — and what's specifically prohibited because it's above your class — is set out per class in the current freestyle protocol. Check knhs.nl for that; the protocols are revised periodically, so don't work from an old copy lying around the stable.
Choosing Music That Fits Your Horse
The foundation is tempo: the music has to match the rhythm of the gaits, or the whole test will feel off.
- Film your horse at walk, trot, and canter, and look for music whose tempo tracks the picture. Play the candidate music under the video: you'll immediately hear whether it fits or clashes.
- Give each gait its own section. A freestyle uses a separate piece or section of music per gait, with recognizable transitions between them. Choose pieces that are clearly related — one style or theme — otherwise it becomes a medley with no story.
- Presence matters. Heavy, weighty music on a light pony type is laughable; a big, powerful mover can actually carry volume. The music should make the horse look bigger, not drown it out.
- Instrumental is usually safer than music with lyrics: vocals pull attention toward the words instead of the picture. Exceptions exist, but make them a deliberate choice.
You can edit the music yourself with free audio software, but it takes a careful ear; there are also specialists who build a complete freestyle soundtrack from your video and preferences. For a first freestyle at national level, editing it yourself is entirely doable.
The Floor Plan: Choreography That Scores Points
The floor plan is the map of your test: which movement goes where in the arena. A few rules that every good freestyle shares:
- Check off the required elements first. Build the skeleton from the required elements and decorate afterward — not the other way around, since a forgotten required element costs points immediately.
- Show your strong points where the judges see them. Ride your best movement in a clearly visible spot — the center line and the side at C are the shop window; the far corner isn't. The arena letters are your graph paper.
- Symmetry pays off. Show movements on both reins; a freestyle that rides everything on one rein gives away exactly what you'd rather hide.
- Difficulty is a trade-off, not a goal. A bold line that comes off raises the artistic mark; the same line failed costs you both technically and artistically. Choose difficulty where your horse is reliable, and safety where things get tense.
- Plan breathing room. Transitions need preparation time; a floor plan that looks packed on paper rides rushed in the arena.
Then practice in sections. Ride separate segments against their piece of music and pay attention to your timing at a few fixed checkpoints — if the canter music starts while you're still trotting, you know where to adjust. You only need to ride the whole freestyle at full effort a handful of times before the competition; horses learn a choreography faster than you'd think and will otherwise start anticipating the music.
In Practice, on Competition Day
Submit your music the way the organizer asks and always bring a backup copy. Be on time for a sound check if one is offered, and agree in advance who starts your music and on what signal. Salute the judge, wait for the bell, and start your music only once you're ready — the clock on a freestyle starts at your first salute in the arena, and a calm start sets the tone for the whole test.
In Short
- A freestyle = required elements per class + free choreography; the judges give both a technical and an artistic mark. Current protocols are on knhs.nl.
- Choose music to the tempo of your own horse — film the gaits and test the music under the video — and stick to one style.
- Build the floor plan from the required elements outward, show your strong points where they're visible and on both reins, and choose difficulty only where your horse is reliable.
- Practice in sections with fixed checkpoints; ride the whole freestyle sparingly.
- Sort out the music logistics in advance: submission, backup copy, sound check, start signal.
See also: Preparing a Dressage Test and Scoring Higher · Dressage Arena Letters and Figures · Riding Your First Dressage Test · Glossary: musical freestyle · Level: Competing More Seriously