Is the Kur to Music concept in a crisis or not? After the show weekend of July 24-26, which featured the World Dressage Masters Finals in Hickstead and North American Junior and Young Riders Championships in Lexington, KY, one would say "no".
Edward Gal rode a new World Record Kur score of 89,400% with his powerhouse Totilas, even getting an 96% score for his artistry from British judge Isobel Wessels. American Junior Rider Nicole DelGiorno won freestyle gold at the 2009 North American Junior Riders championships riding to Pirates of the Caribbean music. So what is the problem?
Here's an answer: Some judges' sputtering knowledge of music and the riders' lack of inspiration when arranging a kur. There is not one single tune which has been worn out more in Kur to Music than the Pirates soundtrack! The original Pirates kur was Leslie Morse's for Kingston and the music has been copied more by riders all over the world than Louis Vuitton hand bags!
The Kur to Music is a crowd magnet as it popularizes the sport and makes dressage more accessible to laymen. But the sport has to stay attractive for the riders and fans. Dull, uninspired music, like Pirates of the Caribbean, should be bygone, as well as brain-numbing freestyles which are not tuned into the horse's movements, but which sound like metro muzak, boring background music played to chase away the homeless from the underground.
Furthermore, at the 2009 European Pony Championships a squeaky sound system made ponies spook and caused their child riders tremendous stress. The entire competition became as unpredictable as a Formula 1 race in rain. Bad sound systems are also a reason for frustration at high performance level. Dutch Olympic team rider Imke Schellekens vented her aggravation about the bad speakers in Hickstead. "The music was totally imperceptible to me in the show ring," Schellekens vented. "There was much wind and the music was too soft. The only music I heard where bits blowing in the wind. It made me insecure as I didn't know when the transitions were going to come. What a pity that such a beautiful five-star CDI has such a bad sound system."
Fortunately there are show organizers who take the kur to music seriously and provide equipment up to standard for the riders. A much bigger concern is the judges' lack of knowledge of music. This does not concern the technical aspect of the freestyle but the musical core: the artistic notes. Is there anyone else out there who has noticed that the artistic marks are always just a few percentages higher than the technical mark and there is nothing more to it. It seems like it doesn't matter if the music matches the horse's movement or if the choreography were original?
The ultimate example was given at the 2008 CDI-W Mechelen were Anky van Grunsven accidentally brought the wrong CD and rode her test to the wrong music. She still scored an amazing 83% for artistry. Or what about Gal and Totilas at Hickstead?? We're not questioning the horse's mega-potential and athleticism, but their music. The horse performed a freestyle with pure background music; the tunes hardly ever marked a transition or supported the horse's footfall But let's just throw some irrational points at it! Isobel Wessels scored it 96%. We're flabbergasted. It doesn't matter if you have good music or bad, because some judges don't even recognize it. As long as the horse is good, the music is good too. Errrr!
Maybe the judges need a tool that helps them? We acknowledge that it is a difficult job to judge the execution of a movement and look for synchronicity at the same time. It's too much for the human brain to handle and we can't give judges two pairs of eyes. One option could be to appoint a few judges which scrutinize the artistic level of the test and a few that only look for the technical aspect.
Another option could be looking into this new program that's on the market called EQ-Musync. This revolutionary new program has been provisionally tested in Spain and could be fully up and running by the 2010 World Equestrian Games. EQ-Musync is an idea of Cees Slings and created by a team of computer and music experts. This computer program is connected to two man-handled small video cameras taping each ride and a separate computer with technician which handles the music. Motion and music are brought together on this pc which carries the EQM program that measures the synchronicity between the horse's locomotion and the music. Each judge would get a small screen in their judges' box on which a score flashes that represents the level of synchronicity right after each test. For instance, "26%" of the test was actually performed synchronous to the music. The judge can then use this relative score and include it in his final artistic assessment.
The biggest mistake with many freestyles is that the music has the wrong tempo. Usually it is too quick or too slow, not matching the footfall of the horse. Of course a perfect synchronicity is unachievable as we're dealing with animals, but that's why the EQ-Musync result score will be a "relative mark" which can be applied by judges as a guideline. At least it's a better tool than the guesswork some judges do know. Look at Wessel's absurd 96%.
In the "FEI Handbook: Guidelines for Judges" the definition of the Kur clearly states that is should be TO music, not WITH music. "The music of a Freestyle test is not just a background: performing in synchronization with the rhythm is the ultimate aim. Freestyle is the pinnacle of Dressage execution and when it works, the result is magic. " The EQM program could help judges to see whether the music is bad or comes close to being something good. Why not use the tools we have at hand?
EQ-Musync is totally uncomplicated to understand and can partly be implimented in the existing cabling and computer networking at shows. At the current stage two cameramen and two engineers are required to have it up and running, but in the future this could be reduced, according to the EQM team. The system can improve the sport though and that's what is important. Look at what the Hawk Eye system has done for tennis. It's a fixture at Wimbledon and the crowds and players love it! The EQ-Musync score could be integrated on the running score board, so the crowds can see it as well. As each ride is recorded, all tests can be gathered in an FEI Video Data Bank, which can then be used by judges as educational material or by riders, who could pay a small fee to see their own ride. Maybe the EQM people should team up with the Live Streaming companies and connect their cameras to the program?
In any case, it would be interesting if EQ-Musync were to be tested at the Judging System Trials in Aachen September 7-9, 2009. Hopefully the FEI Dressage Task Force has an open mind to improving judging of test, not only on a technical level but also on artistic plane!