Dressage-News

Mar. 8, 2025

Competitors in Wellington’s Global Dressage Festival CDI Freestyles are now required to submit their music before every performance, a decision aimed at reducing false starts due to incorrect sound tracks.

The decision for the music to be deleted from the system after each competition and a new version uploaded by the rider before each show was made by Global management after the wrong music was played a month ago. It was compounded at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala Friday night.

Both cases occurred after competitors were given time ahead of the competitor to check the music, typically on the arena’s speaker system, and gave their approval.

However, in Wellington’s World Cup qualifier in February a new version used the same introduction as a previously recorded sound track of the rider’s freestyle and the go-ahead was given before reaching new music for a change in movements.

The situation was different in Ocala where the rider halted shortly after starting, stating it was the wrong music. The rider was reported to have approved the version during the sound check and was one of two riders in the class not to have uploaded their music to the score keeping service.

In both Wellington and Ocala the judges at C permitted the riders to start again and points awarded in the first part were not included in the final scores.

The FEI-International Equestrian Federation–rules are not specific to music the rider reports during the performance is not correct.

The pertinent parts of article 420:

“2.2. In the case of an Athlete’s music failing during a Freestyle Test and in cases where there
is no back-up system, the Athlete can, with the permission of the Judge at C, leave the
arena. There should be minimum interference with the starting times of the other Athletes.
The affected Athlete should return to complete or restart their test during a scheduled
break in the Competition or at the end of the Competition. The Judge at C, after conferring
with the Athlete, will determine when the Athlete should return to the arena. It is up to the
Athlete whether to restart the test from the beginning or to commence from the point
where the music failed. In either case, the marks already given will not be changed.

“2.4. If an Athlete has to restart a Freestyle test, they can choose to start from the beginning of
the test or from where stopped. In any other test, the Athlete must restart from where
they were stopped unless the Athlete was required to leave the Arena, in which case the
Athlete must be given the option to start their test from the beginning or from where they
were stopped. Any scores given before the interruption remain.”