DRESSAGE TO MUSIC : The opportunity to ride to music and use it as a tool to increase the overall enjoyment of ridingis becoming more and more popular with both able bodied and disabled riders and also theircoaches and trainers.
Why use music?
Riding to music is great fun and can be done by riders of all abilities, at any stage of their riding
education, using any type of horse and/or pony. DRESSAGE TO MUSIC doesn’t only have to be for
competitive purposes. It can be a way of schooling, learning to ride better without the rider or
their horse realising it!
The right choice of music can:
• Relax rider and/or horse,
• Motivate and give enjoyment,
• Help riders’ understand and maintain consistent rhythm and tempo in all three paces
(walk, trot and canter),
• Entertain spectators,
• Encourage rider development and progression.
Trainers and coaches can use DRESSAGE TO MUSIC:
With a group of riders or with an individual rider as part of a normal lesson
To enable riders to create a musical drill ride or quadrille. This could lead to a
performance for parents etc. and/or a competition. For example, the National RDA
Musical Ride/Carriage Ride DVD Competition.
To encourage individual riders to progress their riding enough to ride a freestyle
dressage to music test (kur).
DRESSAGE TO MUSIC How Can We Proceed?
There are a number of steps to take if you are planning to use music with your riders:
• Step1 Calculate the horse/horses’ walk, trot and canter tempos
• Step 2 Find some suitable music to use
• Step 3 Identify how to use music as part of normal lessons and what opportunities there
are to compete within the RDA organisation and beyond
• Step 4 How to create a freestyle dressage to music test or musical drill ride
• Step 5 Understand the legal implications of playing music in a public place
• Step 6 Know where to find additional resource material.
No compulsory movements except halt on centre line at the beginning and end of the test.
This test can be performed in the following: Walk, Walk and Trot, Walk Trot and Canter
You can only perform the paces allowed in the test you have entered ie no trot walk in the walk
only section.
