.:EQUUS:.

Fortissimo Freestyles was set up by the dressage rider and classically trained musician, Melissa Widdis.  After being shown her site by mum, I emailed to see if Melissa would be able to answer some questions about her amazing career choice.  The answers she kindly sent and you can find below.

For those of you attending Equitana over the next few days, you can find Melissa Widdis of Fortissimo Freestyles in the education area of Equitana at the showgrounds.

Have you always been interested in horses and how did Fortissimo Freestyles come about? Was it something you foresaw as an income possibility?
From the time I knew what a horse was I was interested in horses.

Fortissimo Freestyles came about through the black horse Aria who is on my web site. I was competing with him in a team event which required freestyles for each team member and as the only musician on the team I thought I’d have a go at it… then I was hooked.

I didn’t consider it as an income possibility. Not full time anyway.

How much of your day/week is hands on with horses?
Every day with my own horses and every day with clients horses but mainly through a video or dvd with clients.

In this field is it possible for someone to be a full time professional, earning a livable income?
It depends what you mean by “livable income”. I work full time but as my business is only in it’s infancy I have done a lot of work for free (especially this year with the Olympics and Equitana) so it’s hard to get a guage on what my actual income would be and what people are prepared to pay.

In Europe and the US, designers make a killing because people have to ride a freestyle to qualify whereas in Australia people have to qualify to ride a freestyle.

What are the general steps taken to be able to provide such a service to others for freestyle events? Is there a large demand for this type of work?
I help people design their choreography which they then film and send to me. We then select the music which I edit around the horses movements.

As far as demand it’s really an unknown quantity. I don’t think I have been in the business long enough to answer that but freestyles events are definitely increasing in popularity. As people are now becoming more savvy with technology a lot of people have a go at doing their own music.

Any advice for those interested in pursuing this line of work?
You need excellent people skills and you need to be prepared to really put yourself out there. People in the dressage fraternity expect the best not just in relation to the final product but with customer service also.

Is there anything else with horses you’d love to learn about or try?
Yes I’d love to learn more about intuitive horseman/womanship so we can train in a more harmonious way rather than saying “do it or else.”

The more I can learn in any aspect relating to horses the better.

Favourite horse memory?
Sneaking out my bedroom window as a kid to ride my horse bareback in the moonlight… she was a very special horse!

Future goals?
To be the best in my industry and to get to PSG on my mare before she retires then ride her baby onto Grand Prix.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
The endless pursuit for perfection… same as music really

“DRESSAGE, n.: the passionate pursuit of perfection by the obsessively imperfect.”

Tag: freestyle dressage, equine music, dressage test, fortissimo freestyles

EQUUS will be hosting the next Carnival of the Horses on December 1!

There are benefits as the writer of a piece to receive more interest and readers on your blog, so why not consider submitting a piece or two for the carnival.  Perhaps you’ve got a post that has received a lot of interest that you could submit or a newly written piece…

tag: life with horses, blog carnival, writing, horse blogs

The first of the Horses of Half Moon Ranch series. To live on a ranch where you’re able to horse ride daily, going out with clients of the property – I wish! Wild Horses details such a ride in which Kirstie ends up trapped – due to a landslide – with a herd of wild horses.

The troubles dealing with clients who ‘think they know better’ while on a trail ride ring true and I can’t help but think that the leaders of the ride handled that particular client with a lot more diplomacy than I would have!

The descriptions used on the first trek throughout the initial couple of chapters of the book help you to picture the ride as if it’s real. What I struggled to find so real however was Kirstie’s actions with a wild stallion that she ended up caught with.

From a realistic point of view, I couldn’t personally picture any wild horse allowing such contact when instinct would be screaming to stay away. If the natural response of flight proved to be unfruitful, I would expect the frightened animal to move into fight mode and consequently found the first half of the third chapter to be unrealistic – but this is fiction and allowed a little poetic license.

The feel of the book is great, with a determined young female as the lead role and someone who’s obviously horse crazy and willing to do what it takes to make sure the animals they love are looked after.

Although Kirstie isn’t caught up too long in the after affects of the land slide, the beautiful black stallion is and the rest of the story details her work to get him free which results in the meeting of some interesting characters and situations that test her strength.

The book was well written conjuring up images of the lovely environment in which it was set and I look forward to reading the second which will shortly be reviewed also.

Author: Jenny Oldfield
http://www.jennyoldfield.com/
Fiction
In my library?  Sure!  A lovely book to read, I’m sure Wild Horses is the start of a great series that’ll have horse crazy young girls rushing out to get the latest book of the series after devouring all others.

“A little horseplay… the way best to enjoy a summer day!”

Tag: horse story, equine book review, jenny oldfield, equine author, horse library, horse writing

Not exactly what you’d consider a full time career, perhaps being a Barrier Attendant is something for the person keen to continue hands on work with horses while being in amongst the racing scene.

OH&S has really stepped up in the racing industry in Victoria with Barrier Attendants now being highly visible on televised race days in their uniform including personal protective equipment.

“The protective equipment will include a helmet, steel-capped boots and sunglasses and is the most suitable equipment for barrier attendants’ safety. There are summer and winter uniforms and all equipment is weatherproof.”

According to a Barrier Attendant at East Gippsland racetracks in Australia, if someone were interested in such a part time job, they would “have to get accreditation as well to be able to work, which means you need to apply for the job and work a day, and then be accepted.”

On race days barrier attendants are in use for the loading of racehorses into the barriers before each race.  To be qualified for the job, you’d need to have confidence around horses as well as a decent amount of handling experience.  Barrier Attendants are employed by Racing Clubs and are only really needed on race days.

Consequently those that are employed for such a position tend to have another job, often something else with racehorses or another horse related position.

Take a look at a Barrier Attendant position description (.pdf file) as described on the Racing and Wagering site, Western Australia.

“…his hoofbeats fall like rain, over and over again.” - Rachel Field

Tag: barrier attendant, horseracing industry, OH&S, starting gates, starting stalls

Referring to more than just horse racing, the word handicap comes from the term hand-in-cap.  In the 17th century this was a popular lottery game were players bets were placed in a cap.

These days with reference to horse racing, it’s a bit more involved and there are also races known as Handicaps.  A handicap is assigned to a horse dependent on their racing history and relates to the weight that horse carries over a particular distance or race.

For example, one horse may be in a race and carrying the weight of 56 kilograms while another could have been assigned the weight of 52 kilograms.  Over a one mile race the weight difference between the two will make the race that much easier on the horse carrying the lesser weight.

The idea of these different handicaps is that a more seasoned horse that is proving to be placing or winning on a regular basis is given a higher weight to carry to make the race that bit more fair.

Due to the racing industry making a lot of money through betting, this also helps with the turnover of funds making people more inclined to back a horse that hasn’t proven itself yet but may be at an advantage with it’s lower weight.  The handicap can also depend on the jockey with an apprentice being afforded a lower weight than a more seasoned jockey.

Responsible for determining the weight a horse will carry in each of it’s races, a handicapper must be able to assess a horse’s racing form and have a good understanding of racing.  Handicappers are employed through the Principle Racing Authority.

Links of interest:
Handicapping at Wikipedia.
Principles & Techniques of Handicapping - Mark McGrath.
Handicap Races

“God held a handful of ash, blew into it saying “Let it be the purest of creatures.” Out of His hand galloped the black horse.”

Tag: handicap, horse racing, punting, racing handicap