Another dressage question

[Debbie]

If you can tolerate me asking all these, but it goes on the other question about the mare thrashing her tail....

What level are these dressage riders riding to when they set to music?? I mean, there must be a huge difference between novice and St Prix (if I've done that right). Are there different levels when horse and rider are doing their performances set to music? Or does the team need to reach a certain level before they can compete to music?

Is this set to music called Freestyle/Kur??

Pardon all the ignorant questions, but if I don't ask, I'll never learn

[knight]

Way higher levels than what I ride! In the US theyre mostly called freestyle but I think Kur is another name for the same thing. In the schooling shows I'e showed in they have freestyle for as low as second level if enough competators enter but I think the real thing is for upper level horses as they can showcase their beautiful high level movements. Be interesting to hear how it is in other places.

[merlinalison]

I think in Britain you can do Dressage to music from Novice level up (Harveydales has done quite a lot of freestyle).

[greydales]

Just to add that the lower dressage levels (national) are Preliminary through to Advanced; and the higher levels (international) are Prix St Georges through to Grand Prix.

[harveydales]

Gill - I didn't know they do a Prelim freestyle to music now - that's great!

Yes Debbie, there are Freestyle tests through all the grades. You have certain compulsary movements for each level which you ahve to fit into your programme but you are not allowed to include any movements from levels higher than the one you are performing. For example, if you are doing an Elementary Freestyle, then you can't put half pass into your programme because that movement only comes in at Medium level.

I used to do lots of freestyle up to Elementary but now, in the UK, they have brought in all sorts of music performance copyrights which has made it too expensive for the average rider which is such a shame.

[greydales]

Pam I wasn't referring to the dressage to music, just the actual dressage levels LOL!!

[harveydales]

Sorry Gill! I misunderstood - it was rather early in the morning when I posted! I saw that Sheepgate are running some fun DTMs this summer and are doing a Prelim, Novice and Elementary so I thought perhaps that BD had introduced a Prelim level.

[Debbie]

Oh for Pete's Sake!!! Copywrite over freestyle with a dressage horse? What will they think of next?

Thanks for explaining some of the levels for me