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1st Place Training Level Dressage Team at Festival 2007 Ronnie Hodgkinson SM, Hannah Rice, Kaitlin Sally, Courtney Claunch and Kirstin Hill with Trip Harting in the background
Questions for the Dressage CommitteeQuadrille Freestyles How do you create freestyle for a quadrille when the requirements are so vague? Also what is the best way for a quadrille team to practice? Our club has fours girls who want to do a quadrille next year and go to championships, and I have volunteered to help them learn, but I have limited experience with Quadrilles. Thanks, Krista Amos Degitz Bits and Blazes Pony Club
Krista -
Thank you so much for asking this question. I'm sure there are great number of others who have this same question on their minds when choreographing a Freestyle.
The Quadrille Freestyles are designed to be as creative as you can
possibly make them. If you go to http://www.usdf.org/pdfs/140.pdf
, you will find not only the Rules and Guidelines for Freestyle Quadrilles,
but what is "Clearly Allowed" and "Clearly Forbidden"
for each level. By sticking to those guidelines, you should be able to
come with an extraordinary Freestyle. Be creative...use your
imagination...ask for help and suggestions.
Your next question, "What is the best way for a team to
practice" I would like to offer a few suggestions. First,
gather your team together for a pizza lunch or dinner, and talk about
Quadrille, making sure to ask your Team members this question. I also strongly
recommend your purchasing Introduction to Quadrille, http://uspcbooks.stores.yahoo.net/intoquad.html ,
an excellent video produced by the California Quadrille Association.
You should show this video not only to your Team, but to the Club as well!!!
There is also a Primer available that includes tests, terms, etc., as well
as the DVD.
And, finally, don't be afraid to contact members of the USDF Freestyle
Committee http://www.usdf.org/CouncilCommittee/Freestyle/index.asp ,
or give a call to any USEF Licensed Judge, who has experience with
Quadrilles.
Quadrille is fun and incredibly educational for everyone. As long
as you keep that in mind, you have nothing to fear!!! Good luck, and I
hope you have a GREAT ride!!!
Trip Harting
Musical Freestyle
Our
Pony club has a dressage question for you. In judging of musicals, does the
item in which the judge rates the "cohesiveness of the music" refer
to how well the music suits the horse's gaits OR how well the three different
musical selections mesh with each other? We have music that matches the
horse's gaits but it's from three very different musical genres, i.e. rock,
Celtic and smooth jazz. Should we look for different music that mixes
better together so it doesn't sound so choppy, or should we keep the
three selections because they work well with the horse? What do you think? Caroline O'Halloran, Bridlewild Pony Club
Caroline -
This is a very good question,
and I'm glad you asked it.
Specifically, there is no such
thing as "cohesiveness of the music". Regarding #5 of the
Artistic Impressions, we judge "Choice of music & interpretation of
music". Perhaps you are confusing what we are looking for in the
Choreography (#3). One of the elements of Choreography is cohesiveness,
which refers to the flow of the performance and the relationship of one
movement to another.
With the music, we do consider
editing, and how the music flows from one gait to another. If the flow
is abrupt, sudden or dramatically changes themes, we are not going to score
that ride as high as someone who's music just flows like that of the figure
skaters. We also look for music that carries a theme. For example,
music that is western, or Caribbean, or from musicals...things like that.
The mix that you referred to seems to have no theme, so it would not make a
lot of sense to either the judges OR the spectators. Musical
interpretation is about how the rider and horse interprets the music we are
hearing...not the other way around.
I hope I've been able to answer your questions. Trip Harting
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