I've finally got video of my Second Level freestyle! The music is still a little hard to hear but it's the best we've managed.
I'm proud of this test. It's organized, it's forward, it looks comfortable. Considering we had to stand in the ingate for 15 minutes due to technical issues with the sound system, he did an amazing job to march in and drag me around. He was so forward in his first medium canter we ended up ahead of the music, wheeee! He wasn't giving me good simple changes which is usually a high point for him but the counter canters were rock solid. 67% and qualified for regionals.
Now Theo gets two months off. His next scheduled outing is regionals. He's earned 8 weeks of relaxation after that marathon.
This whole couple of weeks has been a whirlwind. The show season in New Hampshire is short, particularly when you ride a black, very muscley draft cross. We tend to show in June, break for all of July, do a show late in August, and then a couple outings in fall before the snow flies at the end of October. June is prime show season as well as clinic season. Combine that with commencement season at the university and I've been sleeping in hotels and driving all over New England.
First was Theo's trip to NEDA Spring. I went as the groom so I could get back into the swing of things while Trainer Z debuted Theo's freestyle. Warm up day was 91* and very sunny. Both Theo and Schrodie warmed up beautifully for Trainer Z. It's still whacky to me that she has two completely different horses as her competition horses: Mr. Fancy Pants Grand Prix Stallion Schrodie and . . . Theo.
Over dinner Friday night, the cold front arrived. We spent the rest of the weekend huddling for warmth as the wind blasted and the rain fell. It was 50* for a high and drizzling for two days straight. Theo had to wear his heavy Baker to stay warm. We were thanking all of our lucky stars that we didn't clip him in the spring so he still had some protection from the ridiculous weather. Schrodie couldn't have asked for worse conditions for his return to Grand Prix competition. The energy was too much for him on Saturday but on Sunday, he had a very nice trip with Trainer Z.
Given the conditions, I was very proud of Theo going into the ring like a total gentleman and not giving Trainer Z too much flack. He was tight in his back and jaw because it was raining and cold damn it! Theo does not like to work in the rain and the cold. Both of his tests went well but it was Trainer Z's first freestyle so there are some tweaks to the choreography in mind now that she's done it in competition.
But she got the scores for her freestyle bar and qualified for regionals so mission accomplished! Many more photos are coming of their tests, they're being processed by the photographer right now. The video was a complete bust since you can't hear anything over the wind. It demonstrates the conditions folks were dealing with at this show that video wasn't possible. It was utterly miserable and I heard that one ring had 8 eliminations in one day. That didn't include the folks that didn't make it out of warmup. Considering the conditions, it was a great success.
The very next weekend saw me loading up the trailer to take Theo to a local show for our first show together in almost four years. Nervous? Me? What would make you think that? Might be the green shade of my face that made strangers tell me 'good luck' and 'you'll be great!' as I walked to the ring. Grooming the weekend before did help as I'd at least been to a show recently and the old habits kicked in. I schooled the night before and realized Second 3 is easy for us now. I can do a 15 meter circle in counter canter, I can certainly manage that serpentine.
Theo was an absolute saint. Warmed up just like we were at home. I was actually wishing I hadn't wimped out and had put on my rowels and picked up my whip. I chickened out because I didn't want more horse than I could handle. Then I saw the two big puddles in the competition ring. Damn it, I could have used the bigger spurs. Theo does not like to go through ankle deep water and with it in the corners, I wouldn't be able to use them to set up for my movements. Sigh.
I was proud of my test. No errors, no major issues, just a cute draft that was not having it with cantering through the puddles and a judge with a (justified) reputation for being harsh. At one point I growled at him audibly and got an error for using my voice but I needed him to just go through the puddle already! Kicking like a pony clubber does not go over well at Second. I got fours for his 'lack of forward' or cutting the corner on any movement going into or coming out of a puddle. Which was two corners so . . . half my test. One judge gave me a 56%, the other gave me a 61%. Theo is always polarizing, no matter how far he goes in his training. Many pictures are coming of this test as well. I'm definitely doing my part to support the show photographers.
I am honestly content with my results. I got it done, looked like I had a clue, and definitely reinforced the idea in my head that I am ready and able to show again. Which seems insane given the professionals that thought my riding career was over. I was all smiles during my test because the score didn't matter, I was going down centerline. That was already a win. Folks commented that we clearly knew each other and he looked quite content to do his job. Except for splashing through puddles.
And then I had a clinic the next day. The plan was to hand my feedback to the clinician and work on that but that plan was made before we had our little puddle problem. Hard to replicate those issues in an indoor arena! Turns out I didn't need to worry, she'd seen our test. She was right, the test was completely fair because everyone had to conquer the puddles. Some did it better then us, some did it worse. But as I was reminded during my ride, how could I expect to get through the puddles when I still let Theo spook out of the corners on a typical ride? He has to go where I want him to go every single ride. I was also put on blast for my jiggley hands. I might be getting my possessed right arm tied down with a polo in future lessons. Not sure but she was definitely discussing some sort of plan with Trainer Z to address that issue.
All of that aside, we got a clean flying change in each direction with no drama. So I guess we're still on our way to Third!
Now I get a weekend off. I'll ride Saturday and Sunday as usual but no activities planned. The following weekend is a handling clinic where Kiki will be learning about her new job as a fancy dressage prospect. Being fancy is kind of natural for her but doing it in hand? That may take some work. Kiki likes to be fancy on her own terms.
Second day of competition had me doing another Second level test and my freestyle. It was a pretty big freestyle day with multiple classes. Sound checks started Friday night and kept going between classes right through to the lunch break as Freestyle was starting.
Some of my friends thought Theo needed some extra decoration
I was assigned a 10:06am soundcheck and dropped off my disc with the secretary. I had somehow wrapped my head around the idea that my Second level test was after the freestyle and only realized I had a 10:53am test at 9:23am. Theo was not groomed or braided and had enjoyed a big roll during his morning handwalk. UGH. I slammed his braids in while Trainer A got him cleaned up. I made it to soundcheck on time, wearing my show clothes and with my tacked up pony following along.
The very nice young lady running the music asked for my disc and I said she already had it, I turned it in the night before. Nope, she didn't have it. I hustled off to the secretary who gave me a disdainful look and announced she'd sent all the music down already. Yes, they lost my music. I fortunately travel with a back up and ran like a demon to Barn C to retrieve it from my trunk. I then ran all the way back to the sound booth (in my riding boots) to hand it over. I listened to my music, had them turn the volume down a couple times, and then hustled off to make it to warm up for my Second level test.
I swung on Theo and he felt lit up. I quickly realized I had a situation and chucked my whip. I asked for a canter and he tried to blow his top. It was a very crowded warm up and I wanted to keep a lid on the situation, but he had decided that he was a fire breathing dragon that didn't understand half halts. Or whole halts for that matter. His second jump buck combo was apparently very athletic and rather frightening for my friends on the side lines. It didn't rattle me much because there was no spin, he wasn't trying to ditch me, but it didn't bode well for the test in front of the judge that gave me a 60% at First.
Lo and behold, I heard Trainer Z behind me. She'd come over to see my ride and started calling orders for me to get the situation back under control. Shorten your reins, put on your leg, and do transitions until he stops being over reactive. Haunches in, shoulder in, make him accept your leg. I managed to get Theo mostly under wraps and took him in for his test.
There were things I liked. He was going forward, the circles were nice, and he behaved himself through large parts of the test. We had one big blow up but it was contained to a single movement. I didn't push him down to his First level frame and didn't try to squash the energy. Trainer Z was happy to see me be brave and keep him up rather than shutting him down. She'd predicted we'd have rides like this as we progress. We spent months jazzing him up and now we're letting it out in strange arenas. Sometimes it's going to boil over.
I did not at all enjoy him blowing his top, ignoring half halts, or feeling like I didn't dare ask for a real medium, but it was a good learning experience for both of us as he ups his energy levels. This energy level is much more appropriate to Second. Let's just say I don't have to kick in the canter these days. Everyone has a bad test sometimes. We were tense and distracted, he thought my input was unnecessary and locked me out of the bridle at times, but we got it done with minimal drama and some movements that were actually good.
I got a 55% and a very clear message that this judge thought we had no business at Second. Not much of a surprise when she didn't think we were ready for First the day before and that test didn't include airs above the ground. It wasn't just the 'creative' canter work. Every trot movement got a 5.5 or lower and we got a 5 for submission. OUCH. Well, 2 out of 3 judges think we're ready for Second and the one that doesn't think we're ready is the most junior, so I'm not going back to First. If she was the only feedback I got from the weekend, I'd be crushed. When she is the minority voice, I'm better able to shake off the bad ride. That's all it was, a bad ride.
I decided that I should get on early and work Theo down before the freestyle. He doesn't need that level of energy for a First level test and a blow up in a freestyle is disaster. You end up off from your music and it's hard to get back on track. I hopped on an hour before our test and started walking to warm up. He flipped out for unknown reasons and started flying backwards. I jumped off of him and told a friend to meet me at the lunging area with my lunge line. I'm not sitting through that nonsense.
Theo put on a fifteen minute display of rears, bucks, and scoots. It was so ridiculous. At the point he reared straight up, I realized I had made the only safe choice and that I might be scratching my freestyle.
After the nonsense he started trotting around like normal, licking and chewing. I jumped on and headed to warm up without giving him a chance to recharge. Another fifteen minutes of trot and canter under saddle seemed to have his brain firmly between his ears again. Just barely in time for us to head in as the first test after the lunch break. Theo was still scooting a bit and jumped at some dumb things like the judge's bell, but he hit centerline like a pro.
Please ignore the commentary from my friends, I'm very appreciative they took this video for me
68.5% and third place behind two pros that scored in the mid-seventies. I had so much fun with my freestyle. My music is great and lots of people react to it positively. At this point, the actual test is easy for us and we can enjoy it. We bobbled our medium walk due to his higher energy levels and one of our circles was straight up wonky due to me losing my starting point, but otherwise it was solid. So proud of the second canter lengthening. We still have bracing in the leg yields but it's getting better. I was able to get him back and the crossing was good. If I could get him to not go above the bit the second I ask to go sideways, they could really be a highlight.
We had the same judge from our last show at B and we got a 69.3% from her. Lost 1% due to increased tension (and a wonky circle) but that's fine. The judge at C was less sold on our music and we got a 67.6%. It was really the only place where their scores differed. I knew the pop music with lyrics was a risk so it doesn't bother me. Choreography continues to be a solid score for us and since it's x4, it's important. Harmony is also a very consistent score for us. What can I say, we generally get along and he looks happy to be there.
After a long day, Theo was happy to go cuddle up in his stall while I sat on the hill and watched the FEI freestyles. After the show was over, my friends hosted a taco night followed by s'mores. Showing with friends is a lot more fun than showing alone.
Friends take amazing pictures like this after the Freestyle when his earnet came off for tack check
The forecast showed 100% chance of rain for Sunday and I saw that I had the same judge for Second 1 yet again. I'm not planning on selling Theo, but there's no need to go back in front of a judge that really does not think we're ready for the level and put another mid-fifties score on his record. I'm all about doing tests for practice, but not in the rain after Theo's been in a stall for three nights. I decided that I would just scratch that last test.
And then I got clobbered in the head with a board so it was moot, but at least I didn't miss any tests I expected to run. My friends packed us up and got Theo home. Unfortunately that means both of my music discs are gone and I need to make new ones before our next outing. Gross.
But we hit both of my goals for the show, so I'm calling that a win.
People know who I am now. I guess that was coming with a horse named Expect the Unexpected. He got it for such an icky reason, but now people think it's because he's such a fun horse in a very sleepy package. They also know me as the one that travels alone. No groom, no entourage, no trainer. I'm there 13 hours a day keeping my heathen as happy as possible with unending hand walks, feeding, mucking, and grooming. I eat breakfast and lunch next to his stall since he'll settle if I sit down and he knows I'm staying put for awhile.
Hand walking is how I get to 30k steps a day at shows
Today started at 3am technically. That's when the fire alarm went off in my hotel. No evacuation needed, someone burned a cup of noodles in the microwave, but that is not a fun way to wake up.
Theo was in relatively good form when I got there and I stuck to just hand walking. No lunging today. The deep footing was eating away his energy and he needed to keep some for the ring. When I went up for my warm up, he was a bit buzzy and distracted. Buzzy enough to spook badly at the watering truck and have a spin/buck fit. He smashed my phone that I forgot was in my back pocket, so I'll be getting a new phone. Bad, Theo.
Sorry not sorry, mom
The freestyle didn't go quite as smoothly. Because Theo was more distracted and on edge, I had to ease the first canter transition which put me behind my music. I ended up going for my back up plan which is a canter lengthen on quarter line instead of on the rail. I pulled it off and managed to get back with my music. No one seemed to notice. Score one for having a back up plan! Got a 70.3 from a different judge so I think I'm really on to something with this freestyle.
The ladies in the office were after me to start budgeting for a trip to nationals with scores like that. I must have looked like a stranded fish, standing there with my mouth working and no sound coming out. Who, me? Go to nationals? But the girl is no one! But if I keep scoring 70's . . . They were quite insistent and promised to bug me again at the summer show.
Theo was dragging his tush when I went in for his First 3 test, but he picked up and marched well for me. I was practically carrying him down that final centerline but I must have masked it well. We got a 68 with comments about how obedient, harmonious, and easy the test looked. But we need to cover more ground and have greater suspension. Pony was exhausted, so I'll take the 6.5 for impulsion.
4 tests, 4 qualifying scores for regionals. And just like that, we're qualified. I can play at Second level for the rest of the season and not worry about collecting scores anymore. That's an amazing feeling.
Except now I have to sit the trot in competition. Two weeks until our Second Level debut!
I was so freaking nervous going into today. After all the trouble Theo gave me on Day 1, I was not looking forward to having to go into the ring and perform. I took him up to graze by the ring first thing in the morning and he was feeling better, but when I told him he couldn't drag me home, he threw yet another fit and ended up back on the lunge line. It was only ten minutes of ridiculousness, but it was enough to have me very uncertain about our chances of survival when out there all alone in the competition ring.
It doesn't help that I heard all morning about horses melting down. Spun reared and withdrew, got rung out for disobedience, scratched because they couldn't leave warm up, etc. Marshfield is a tough, tough showground. I thought our trouble at our last trip here was due to Theo's inexperience. Nope, everyone says this facility is tough. There's a bunch of activity and noise behind the judge's booths due to a landscaping company that is always working with machinery. They use horse trailers as judge booths and that freaks a lot of horses out. And there's just something about the layout that triggers all the barn bound and herd anxiety.
I brought him up to the warm up early for our freestyle so he could cope with the idea of being up there. He actually adapted pretty well once we started to warm up. Lots of long and low, trying to keep him with me and chill. I cantered both ways and sure enough, he would let me sit and ride. I joined up with the other lady riding a freestyle and we headed over together so our horses had company.
Theo chilled and made out with strangers while waiting for his turn. He really does love people and somehow managed to schmooze a mint out of a spectator. How does he always know who has treats?
I took him in for his turn and there was construction behind the judge's booth. The landscaping company was loading things onto a dump truck with a front loader. REALLY? Theo inflated quite a bit but stayed with me since I was absolutely not letting go of that left rein and letting him get out that left shoulder. Nuh uh. The bell rang and I sent his distracted, nervous butt into the ring.
He surprised me. As soon as we hit center line, he quit trying to dance around and stare at the construction. He was all business once we started our test. My music started and I started grinning. I really have been waiting a long time to do this and my pony was right with me. Didn't even get sticky on his leg yields. It probably helps that once we were going along, I wasn't nervous anymore. I was thinking about my music, my routine, and how much fun we were having.
We finished and I gave him a hug and tried not to start crying in the middle of the ring. I was so proud of him. Theo strolled out on the buckle, ears relaxed and looking for the lady with the mints again. I threw him back in his stall for a break and went to get my score. 70.5. From an S judge. Yeah, I totally teared up.
Unfortunately I left everything in the ring on that first test. When I brought him up for his First 3 test he was dragging a bit. Pony wanted a nap and I had no interest in pushing any of the buttons that would wake him up. He had to march in one more time and with a judge break after our test, there was no one in the area. Rather than tickle him a bit and wake him up, I let him doze and walked around the ring on the buckle. No surprise, our test was obedient, smooth, and flat. The comments were obedient but needed more elasticity and more ground cover. Yup, we did, but I was focused on keeping all four on the floor. 62.2. Hey, that's the score I needed, so works for me!
Theo is doing better in his stall today. I took him out for his last handwalk at 8pm and he was okay with going back into his stall with a fresh pile of hay.
I did a bit of shopping, then went back to my hotel.
Used the bath bomb, now I'm curled up with my M&Ms and cider. The tiny unicorn was just adorable.
Tomorrow we do the same thing, same ring, so I will try to be brave and light my pony up a bit. He can do big boy gaits, I just have to be brave enough to ask for them.
What is it about Marshfield? Completely civilized experienced show horses suddenly flip their tiny lids and commence with screaming and flailing. Including Theo.
Especially Theo.
So much for him being experienced and ready to go after his outing at the Big E grounds. There's something about the walk from stabling up to the rings that makes all of the horses certain they are going to be tortured and killed. They need help! They need friends! They need to scream and spin for home! Even Theo who generally doesn't care who's around so long as he's not alone. He was calling for his Friesian neighbor and spinning every time he got a response. I walked him in hand for an hour. With his rope halter due to his inability to deal with himself. He was actually doing really well, but every time he went to stabling his brain broke again.
I went to get on and realized Theo was unrideable. Completely lit, explosive, actively looking for a shot to explode. He started to spin and fly backwards and I got the hell off. I borrowed a lunge line from my neighbor and he spent a full thirty minutes cantering. A little trotting, but it was pretty much all cantering. He'd start to look tired but I'd move or shake the whip and he'd start with the head snaking and scooting again. I didn't let him stop until he was actively trying to stop. Then I got on and went back to the competition rings.
Like magic the brain worked! He was rideable! Sweat truly is the brain's lubricant. I sent him right down centerline so he understood the game when we got there, but after doing yet another 30 minutes of work, he was ready to mosey around on the buckle. That shivering skin was gone. I did dismount for the walk back since he had to pass his Friesian friend who was having his turn flailing on the lunge line.
Completely soaked saddle pad
Almost three hours of work to get Theo through ring acclimatization. I was exhausted and I'd worked right through lunch. I was starving and so utterly done with the horse show. I went to my sound check and that went fine, then took off for my hotel to check in.
The hotel had the expiration date of my card wrong in their file and it took 45 minutes and a phone call to my bank to get it all sorted. I didn't get my dinner until after night check.
It was a well earned margarita with a rib eye steak. The salad I got was the best tasting thing I've ever eaten. That's how you know I was starving, I woofed down a salad.
Tomorrow's plan is to handwalk in the morning when I get there, then school for an hour once the warm up rings are buzzing so he's not alone up there. I ride at 1:30 and 3:30, so he'll get some nice breaks but it's going to be all about keeping the energy levels down to the point I can actually ride him. And hope that all of his neighbors stop screaming for each other. Seriously, what is it with this place?
I love having a schooling show facility right down the road. We get to practice packing, trailering, warming up, and showing without the same level of freak out or expense. Theo has been to Oakrise so many times that he might as well have a stall there. He gets off the trailer, looks around, and goes 'oh, cool, the food booth is open' and gets to work.
Our goal for the day was to let his other rider practice her First level tests (she moved up!) before her rated debut with him. I threw my stuff in the truck so I could do a run through of my freestyle in a show setting at the end of the day, but not competing. I'm good friends with the secretary and she let me enter as a Test of Choice with freestyle.
Theo's other rider warming up, went with the solid black PSoS browband to go with her beautiful coat, Smartpak saddle pad with black and silver piping
First was Theo being a school master and showing his rider the ropes at First. I coached in warm up for how Theo warms up best. Keep it minimal. Get him forward and off your leg, but make sure you leave all the good stuff in the tank for your test. He did about about 15 - 20 minutes of actual work and he was ready to roll. His rider was a bit nervous with the small warm up, but she trusted me and went with it.
Still the best tail in the region
The first test had some navigation issues, not helped by me reading the test and Theo sometimes transitioning on my cue, not his rider. 58% for purely technical reasons (blew by a letter, didn't transition at X, etc). Her second test, however, I got someone else to read. Someone Theo doesn't know. 63% and High Point for First. Woohoo, school master Theo!
Still sticks his tongue out for the picture
Tough judge, but nice and her comments are all very solid. She taps you hard when you deserve it, but she's generous with the 7's. She's an 'r' judge and judges schooling shows the same as rated shows, which I appreciate. The test looked like a 63% and she got it. His other rider is feeling more confident about going First with him in a month after he carted her around for both tests. Leg yield was sticky, but his lengthens were much bigger than what he does for her at home. Good she got to experience that.
And then it was my turn. Theo got grass and time to chill while I got dressed. I did about five minutes of warm up total, enough to let him know mom was on board and the requirements had changed a bit. I had a friend video taping, I had the sound guy ready, and I bombed down centerline.
First take away: EARNET!!! I gooped him up with Swat but his other rider was nervous about his history of shaking off his bridle when in an ear net so I left it off. We were doing good until the head shaking started. You can see it starting in the second leg yield and I was simply trying to keep his bridle on during the walk. I couldn't really steer through that section of the test. He's not a head shaker, there was a bug in his ear and he was super upset. I corrected the head shaking in the canter and that was the blow up. MOM there is a bug in my ear and I need it fixed NOW! Ugh, Theo. Ugh. I made him run the test again afterward as schooling and it was spot on fantastic. No bug in the ear = totally peaceful test.
Second take away: The choreography can be completed even when I have a massive resistance which makes me much more confident. Theo completely blew that 15m circle and yet we completed with our music and we hit our markers. Whew.
Third take away: The canter section needs work. It is tight and does not flow as well. The judge (who I didn't know was judging, whoops) commented on the canter pattern needing more flow. Part of it was me hitting markers with our blow up at the start so things were rushed or a hair behind the music, but the first half of the canter work is not very flowing. I've already sat down with my freestyle app to rework the canter, using the fact that he's very good at counter canter to move the lead changes to spaces where we have more room to breathe and we won't interrupt the flow. Also giving the movements more time as his more collected canter has slowed slightly. Not usually noticeable, but it adds up in a freestyle.
Fourth take away: You can totally tell I'm in pain. My SI was out and I kept trying to sit the trot out of habit and it was just too much. Thank goodness for First level tests and being able to post.
Artistic and music both got 7's, getting us to 64.1 despite some of our technical issues. AKA pony temper tantrum in two movements he usually scores well in while I tried to not move my lower back. I'm overall happy with his performance and am way more confident in our next outing where I'll do my freestyle twice. I feel like survival is set, now I can polish. And buy more earnets. And visit a chiro.
We took papi home and tucked him into bed with many cookies. He was a good pony and there were many compliments on his correct, forward self. Hopefully my SI will settle and I'll be able to sit trot again soon. Two weeks until NEDA Spring!
So that First level freestyle I was so excited about? That's a hell of a lot harder than I thought.
I did my first attempt at a full run through last night. I thought it would be easier since I'd have music to help me remember my test. NOPE. Instead I'm aiming for letters because my figures need to be spot on while listening for musical cues to tell me if I'm off course. It's not the music telling me when to go, because when I ride like that, my figures get inconsistent and the timing goes to hell in a handbasket. So it's a perfectly memorized test that I can ride identically every single time, then add music.
I didn't didn't have a perfectly memorized test that I can ride identically every single time. I had a hot mess that involved a lot of 'wait, that's my lengthen!' and 'how was I supposed to be there already?!' and 'sorry, Theo'. A friend was spectating and I think I've ruined her for ever wanting to do a freestyle. She watched me careen around and swear to music, shaking her head.
So I'm turning the music back off and drilling that test to make sure it is exactly as laid out every. single. time. I'm actually okay with Theo learning this test right now because if both of us know it, we might stand a chance. Once I can ride the whole thing without even thinking about what letter I'm aiming for, I can turn my music back on.
This is not what I thought it would be like. This is freaking hard! Dressage is all about precision, yes, but when you start adding musical phrasing it gets even more precise. Not only do I need the figure to be the right size, it needs to take the right amount of time to complete so no deviations in pace are allowed. No firing up, no dragging along.
I'll try to get video of our run through on the 19th. I'm only hoping to complete the test around the same time the music stops right now.
I've got my choreography! I'm so excited and emotional about it that I tear up when I hear my music. Hopefully I'll be past this by the time I show. I've really been dreaming of doing this since I saw the Lipizzaners when I was 9 so a bit of emotional outburst is expected.
The process was very straight forward. I started with picking my music from a library on www.musikur.com, sending in a video of a First 3 test, and filling out a questionnaire about what my pony is good at (naps and snacks). It's kind of embarrassing that I had nothing for the question 'what do you want to end your test with to wow the judges'. Uhhhhhh, do they have any garbage cans they need moved with great gusto or maybe some lunches stolen? He's good at that . . .
He very purposefully knocked the jump over and then stared at me to see what I was going to do about it. Jerk.
We discussed when I needed my routine. I'm planning on a June debut, so lots of time. I suspect there are a lot of 'I show in a month!' type of requests, so it was nice to have a huge span of time. Beth said she'd probably get it done in February (we started in Jan) since it was a small project for her and she'd squeeze it in between the bigger projects. Cool! Then I waited, but not anxiously since the big ring won't be available until late March at the earliest.
I received a copy of my music, adjusted to Theo's tempos, and a pencil sketch of my choreography for my sign off about a month later. I rode through the bits that looked like they might be tricky and they all rode just fine (canter lengthen at P, working at M, turn onto centerline, head back to R and change leads through the trot, 15m circle at R, lengthen to F, back to working). My leg yield will be getting some extra work in preparation of this routine since I've got a change of direction and one leg yield that goes all the way across the ring. Not at all a concern, but if I'm going to go for it, I better make sure that leg yield looks amazing.
I can't do a ride of the full choreography until the spring thaw, but if he can do that canter combination with the total chill he showed, I have no worries. I emailed back that the choreography looked good and she locked everything down. She emailed my final choreography, a copy of my music with verbal cues for when to start movements, and a copy of my music with some final adjustments based on the chosen choreography. I received two copies of my music burned to CDs in the mail along with my final choreography.
I'm not going to post my full choreography or final music for obvious reasons, but the plan I got is a series of movements drawn on rings and very easy to follow. I got 21 movements with notes on how long the moves should take and time markers for interesting parts of the music. Beth did a great job of cooking up a routine based on what Theo is good at and minimizing where he's weak.
I'm planning to debut my routine at NEDA Spring in June. I'll be calling in some favors to use a large ring with a sound system in May for practice and hopefully get a run through at the end of a schooling show so I can ride in front of a judge. I don't even need scores, I just want to have my music start and need to enter while someone watches.
I love my music. I'm so happy with it.
I'm delighted with my experience with MusiKur. It was super simple from my perspective and Beth was very transparent with what was happening and checked in with me on every step. I would have stressed out doing this for myself, so it was worth the money to have a professional take care of everything. Come spring, I'll start running through my choreography and learning the exact timing. I'm sure there will be some tweaks, but overall it should be a flattering test for the feral yak.
I'm not very good at making commitments. I waffle and fuss and debate for a long time. I'd set my sights on some Latin tango music for my freestyle but it wasn't something that completely blew my mind. I liked it, it suited Theo, but I wasn't sold. But if I'm going to use a freestyle in June, I darn well need to get in the queue to have my choreography done. I logged into Musikur to request an invoice and lock in my music choice. Because I'm me, I skimmed through the music. Hmm, a new section called Vocal? What's that all about?
Guys, I have my freestyle music.
The trot music:
The canter music:
I can't actually identify my walk music. The whole thing can be heard here under the Feel It Still music. I really fell in love with the canter music.
'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ey I'm on top of the world, 'ey Waiting on this for a while now Paying my dues to the dirt I've been waiting to smile, 'ey Been holding it in for a while, 'ey Take it with me if I can Been dreaming of this since a child I'm on top of the world
Yeah, I want that for my freestyle music.
I've picked my music and I'm paying for the choreography to be written up made to order. I don't want to stress over this. Maybe for Second Level I'll write my own. For this one, I just want it to be done for me.
I've sent a Youtube video of Theo doing First 3 to the lady that will be writing my choreography. It's out of date but his speed hasn't changed much. He looks much more correct now, but he covers the diagonal in the same amount of time. My next step is to fill out a questionnaire about how I want to present my horse. Show off the counter canter and circles, hide the lengthens, don't leg yield off the wall.
I'll keep things updated here as the process progresses. I'll be getting diagrams of my freestyle and a copy of the music with audio cues to help me practice. Then I just need to wait for the spring thaw so I can set up the large arena. I'm so excited!
Since this is my season at First level and I will hopefully (please, please, please let this happen) get the score I need to do freestyle this week, I have to actually start working on having a freestyle. This is a ridiculously daunting process if you've never done it before.
I originally planned to have it choreographed for me to pre-edited music, but that service isn't available anymore. It's looking like $700 - $900 to get a custom top to bottom freestyle. I can't really justify that expense considering how rarely I'll get to use it. It's not like I'm campaigning a young stallion in Florida or something. Only two shows in the area even offer freestyle classes.
In an effort to save some dough, I'm going to need to do my own choreography and then have music edited to match. That looks to be more in the $250 - $300 range. That I can justify. So how the heck do I do that?
No, that is not part of my choreography.
I found an app to help me out and I'm now putting together some rough drafts of my potential choreography. I'm trying to find the balance between interesting and more pressure than papi and I can handle.
For those considering doing the same thing, the app is on the Google play store. It's $11, so not free but way more inviting than trying to figure out all of the distances and times on paper. I pop in the move, the gait, the start point, and the end point. It fills in how long it will take and helps keep track of where I am in the ring. It also has options for setting up your music. You can play your choreography through and watch the little horse move around the arena to see how it flows. It's got some bugs (sometimes the horse is going backwards and the pause button occasionally doesn't work), but I haven't found it frustrating. You can set the speed of the gaits for your horse and have a good idea of how long your choreography will take and how much music you'll need for each segment.
It's on my phone, which I'm not terribly happy about, but on the plus side I can play with freestyle designs when bored at work. I have three versions right now that I've completed. I started last night. I can't imagine how long that would take using paper and a pen.
Now that I've got some rough drafts that I think will work, I get to start trying to actually ride them. Since that part is rather mandatory. Some of my ideas are a bit . . . ambitious. A leg yield zig zag, some counter canter, halt ten meters after lengthen trot, it might be a bit much. But the only way I'll know is to start trying them out.
So, as my update, I have the following process:
1. Gait tempo analysis
2. Create choreography
3. Test ride choreography
4. Finalize choreography and video tape
5. Select appropriate music
6. Send video, choreography, and music selection to editor (and money)
7. Have a freestyle
I'm currently on step two, about to start step three. So I guess that's progress? At least I get to start actually riding my future freestyle.
There was some curiosity on how I'm getting my music together for next year's freestyle. So I'm going to do some updates as I go with how it's happening.
First step was to submit my video of my First 3 test to musickur.com to get the tempos of Theo's gaits. Here's what I got back:
walk - free walk is 53 and medium is pretty close to that. trot
- I see quite a bit of fluctuation in the trot from 74-78. I would be
inclined to record at 76. You might get away with 75, but could only get
away with 77 if you maintain the tempo in lateral work. canter - Canter started a little slower, but stabilized at 99.
Okay, great, step one complete. Step two is to pick out some pre-edited music, since I want to keep this as simple as possible for my first freestyle.
Theo's rhythms are on the fast side, so it cuts down on my selections.
This one is very close, but the trot only goes up to 75. It will be a hair slow, and Theo's trot leans more toward 78 when he's powering along. But I really like it and it suits him.
This one is also latin style, correct for his trot, and just a hair slow for the canter.
This one is too slow in the canter by a couple beats per minute, but I'm tempted to do it any way. It's the Hunger Games! Such epic entry music.
This one is only one beat too slow in the canter and would thrill my dad. And I can't say that I dislike a bit of jazz, but it's kind of dull. This one is the same, but with swing. Both are rhythm appropriate, but don't really sell me as anything I'd be excited to use.
Phantom Menace is too fast in the trot and comes off frantic with him. I was disappointed.
I'm currently thinking that I'll use either Tango in Ebony or Hunger Games. Both appeal to me, sound good when I'm watching him go, and are very close to the rhythms he needs. I wish I wasn't so picky on music. I really can't get behind the instrumental version of a lot of popular music.
I'm open to suggestions on other pieces, I haven't listened to everything in his tempo range. I've still got some time.
