TRICE STUDIO DeWolf

Personalized Residential Interior Design

Creating Interiors That Delight Your Senses And Celebrate Your Style

Linda has extensive experience in equestrian themed designs.

“Linda has worked with us designing 3 different homes. She remains a joy to work with and I can’t imagine collabora�ng with anyone else on a “house project!”

R.A. Carithers

Apassionate interpretation of your tastes, your needs, and your desires -

PROFESSIONAL MEMBER of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS

CERTIFIED by the NATIONAL COUNCIL OF INTERIOR DESIGN QUALIFICATIONS www.tricedewolf.com

STUDIO: 352-694-6294

By Appointment

Anna and Collier, how do you put together and prepare the freestyle? Do you work on sections at a time with that music and then puts the pieces together?

Collier - I start with the beginning and the end. Those are the book ends to your story and where we’re going to capture the viewers the most emo�onally. From there, it’s finding music that naturally connects, and ebbs and flows – not only with the sec�on that you’re a�aching it to, (i.e., what music do I want to use a�er the halt, salute? What is a natural jumping off point from there?) - but also the floorplan as well. So, in that sense, it’s very sec�onal. Anna would send me her ideas for what music she wanted for certain movements and then I’d pop that idea into the so�ware and start building around it to see how it would work, or I’d send her over an idea for a sec�on and she’d ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ it.

Anna - Once I pick the music, I always look for the hit of the group of songs I’ve picked. If it’s a movie soundtrack, it’s the theme song, if it’s an eigh�es freestyle, it’s the most famous or popular song on that list of eigh�es songs. A lot of �mes I put the hit song at the beginning and the end and then weave the theme throughout the rest of the freestyle with strong enough music to carry the front and back end. Other �mes the hit song will be for the canter or trot work depending on where it fits best. I listen to all to the songs I’ve picked on repeat and then have a loose layout of what sounds good with each of the movements. Then the real work begins making the music fit to the pattern of the test. We usually work on one sec�on at a �me. O�en, when we work on one sec�on, it changes another so the whole thing is constantly changing as it goes on. My ideal freestyle is that the choreography is based on the music as much as possible, not the other way around, so that way we can keep full phrases of music and make the flow beau�ful and seamless.

With the more complicated upper-level freestyles’ floorplan, Anna do you get a section of required moves that you really like and that flows for you, and then are there other sections that you feel need to be reworked and are more difficult?

Anna - There is a list of required movement you have to include in the floorplan based on the level you’re riding or compe�ng at. There’s a degree of difficulty scale that you can increase or decrease based on the movements and how you put them together. I try to make the freestyle difficult, yet symmetrical and flowing. My trainer and I make the floorplan together so it highlights each individual horse’s strengths and it makes the whole ride quite fun when you’re pu�ng together very difficult movements but your horse likes them too!

Do you ever change their mind about music and switch it out?

Collier - All the �me. If you’re constantly ques�oning the music and transi�ons in certain sec�ons that ul�mately leads to a be�er freestyle. If you pop in a different piece of music that sets up the final center line be�er than it did before than that’s worth the ques�oning. A lot of �mes I like to put a freestyle I’m working on away for a day or two and then come back and watch it with fresh ears and eyes. Stepping away for a bit helps me to be more cri�cal and ques�on it later. Once you know something is “it”, you know. It’s a gut feeling. For example, Anna’s passage music right before her walk, I popped that sec�on in on a whim, simply because I loved the horns and it �ed into the song Anna sang for the walk. Sure enough, I sent that over and we were both said, “That’s it. That’s the passage sec�on.” www.ThreeWishesfreestyles.com

Anna - Constantly! I think we changed music out un�l the week I performed the freestyle for the first �me.

Anna, do you find music you like and that i nspires you and works the required moves in, or Collier do you look for music that you thinks will showcase her horse best for specific movements?

Collier - For me, it’s a bit of both. While I will always pull music that inspires, I’m also looking for music with movement, with natural transi�ons, with ebb and flow, with emo�on, and with themes we can repeat throughout. I always want to showcase the horse, in every movement. Freestyles are a story, and you have to create music that communicates that story.

Anna - I always start with music I’m inspired by. I believe that if you’re inspired by it, everyone else can be too. Then I start to think about how my horse will look with the music, if it fits their movements, and personality, or is it too heavy or light for them, does it make their movements look bigger or smaller etc. Thankfully there’s a lot you can change with pitch and tempo and even remaking the song to fit your horse, so the music op�ons are not quite as limited nowadays. I also think that a fun challenge is catering to the audience and the range of genera�ons of people that are watching. I need to entertain and relate the music to both the seven-year-old girl and her mom or grandmother who came with her to the compe��on. Familiarity is key for people being locked in immediately and not overusing music that has been used too much.

What is it like watching and riding to this freestyle?

Collier - Watching it has been such a highlight of my career for me. Especially at FEI Dressage World Cup Finals. To have achieved the goal we set out to for (props to the ENTIRE Buffini team) and to hear Anna’s freestyle in the arena with that amazing sound system; I was crying as soon as the music started. I have to say, Anna is one of the few riders that knows how to embody a freestyle in the arena, and I swear her horses know it too. I really don’t worry about her competing in the arena. I’ll give her a hug for good luck earlier on and will be there as much as she needs me, but she’s so on it. It’s hard enough to keep on �me to the music, but then take it to the next level and become the visual representa�on of that music for a full six minutes, is truly special and a gi�.

Anna - I love riding this freestyle. You can’t help but feel a li�le of what Maverick felt in his cockpit while compe�ng it. It’s very intense and I think you have to embody the music when you ride to it. My mare Diva and I definitely turn up the intensity to fit the music. I feel like a storyteller while I’m out there to make the audience feel like they’ve seen the movie again by the �ne we’re finished. It’s a 10 out of 10 on the difficulty scale so it requires an extreme amount of focus, but my mare has such a huge heart she’s always up for it and I absolutely love performing it because it was designed to show off her strengths.

What is your favorite part of the Top Gun: Maverick freestyle?

Collier - Oh jeez. I love Diva’s passage sec�on right before the walk. Those soaring horns to the theme of “Hold My Hand” right before Anna sings it herself is one of my favorite sec�ons. The music just floats off and gives you chills! I also love the final passage line, it just brings it all home.

Anna - I really can’t pick just one, but the reason I knew Top Gun: Maverick was meant to be our freestyle was the very first day I decided to play around with it. I put the new main theme song over a video of Diva doing the last center line of the freestyle and it fit perfectly to the very last second without tempo changes, edi�ng, or any effort and that sealed the deal for me.

What is the qualification process for an FEI Freestyle?

What can you tell the readers about any upcoming projects you two have coming?

Collier - We have a lot of exci�ng things in the works. I was just out in California visi�ng Anna and we’ve been spending �me on upcoming projects. Though it may be hard to top Top Gun, I hope everyone looks forward to what we have coming!

Anna - I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am for Diva’s next freestyle! I’ll give a small hint that it’s going to be totally nostalgic for millennials, but everyone will know it and love it. I haven’t heard an en�re freestyle made from this music so I’m very excited. My other Grand Prix mare, Fion�ni, has a very special one coming up too, and then a�er that I have about 20 other ideas ready to go, so stay tuned!