2006 World Equestrian Games

Great Sport, Some Not-so-great Music - WEG Dressage Freestyles

August 27, 2006 - Text By Karen Robinson

I have to preface this article on the Freestyle Final at WEG with the admission that mine is not an entirely objective point of view. Not only do I design freestyles for a living, I also had the tremendous thrill of seeing one of my freestyles performed in Aachen on Saturday night, when Mexican rider Bernadette Pujals rode Vincent made it to the freestyle final. What I can offer you, dear reader, is at least an educated commentary, if not an unbiased one.

Saturday night’s freestyle –and the entire dressage competition for some of us – was all about the wonderful gray mare Blue Hors Matine. Danish rider Andreas Helgstrand has had her under him for four years, and the partnership is nothing short of magic. Matine had been a little worried in the Grand Prix Special; Helgstrand said as much after the freestyle, where she was once more focused entirely on doing her best. The highlight of the performance was the horse, not the music. The mare clearly tries so hard, and at only nine years old she far exceeds what one would expect from a horse so new to the exercises of the Grand Prix.

The music had a vaguely rock and roll theme, but the only part that stood out was the final passage music, “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir”. There was a clop-like beat that sounded each time Matine snapped her knees up in the most expressive passage of the WEG. Whether or not the music worked for the mare overall (and that is always ultimately a matter of personal opinion, even with the judges), what was obvious is that Helgstrand had a good ear for the transitions in his music and really rode to it.