08/21/2026
๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐-๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ, ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐
๐๐ซ๐ฆ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐, ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐ญ
CVDA looks forward to our final clinic of 2026 with Ruth Hogan-Poulsen. Ruth has created freestyles for every test level, every regional competition, the Pan Am Games, the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics. She equally enjoys teaching people how to use music as part of their daily riding.
We asked Ruth to answer a few questions about the clinic. Read on to learn more! To register, please visit www.cvda.org/events
๐๐จ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐?
No! Every level of rider and horse can benefit from music in some way. Your subconscious hears the beat as well as your conscious mind. Your horse does as well so if youโre working on trying to improve your rhythm, riding to music is an excellent way to do so. If youโre trying to increase your horseโs energy level and tempo, riding to a faster beat can help draw the energy into you and your horse.
๐'๐ฏ๐ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ? ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ?
Riding to music has so many benefits, they are hard to list in a short answer! Exercising to music increases your endurance level up to thirty percent. The innate beat, providing it is correct for you and your horse, will help you maintain rhythm. Your brain can also only focus on a number of things at one time, so if the musicโs going, youโre less likely to worry about the tractor driving down the road. Youโd also be surprised that even though the beat of a certain piece of music might match your horse perfectly it may not be the right kind of music for your horse or yourself.
๐ ๐๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ. ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง?
Absolutely. Even though you might not be able to move to rhythm you have rhythm all over. You breathe in a certain rhythm and your heartbeat has a rhythm. Likewise for your horse. So even though you might not think you have rhythm, youโre made up of all kinds of it!
๐'๐ฆ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฅ๐. ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ฌ, ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐, ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก? ๐๐ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐'๐ฆ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค ๐ข๐ญ?
If you want to work on your own freestyle and you have ideas and music, yes, you should bring them. As for tweaking an existing freestyle, yes, absolutely. It depends on what format your freestyle is in and whether itโs an editable file. Also, where it came from - if it was from another professional, we would need permission generally to change it.
๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐?
I grew up with a lot of music in my household and played a number of instruments. I understand the math of music and I love all kinds of music except for maybe rap. I always loved riding to music so at my first opportunity I built a freestyle for myself. The only thing available to me was a dual cassette player with a stop button. Iโve learned a lot since then! I also have seen how much improvement music can bring to my horses and my students so itโs always fun to play with.
