Dressage to Music with Mary Harrison

Mary Harrison’s background includes training as a professional pianist and opera singer, music teacher, theater director, rider and driver. She was a music teacher in public schools for over 25 years and still teaches piano and voice in the private sector. She has performed on numerous stages in the New York Metropolitan area and on television, as well as having directed many amateur and community dramatic productions and musicals. She combines her love of music with her love of dressage and driving by training horses in the freestyle, pas de deux, and quadrille and has become a nationally known freestyle designer and lecturer.  

Mary is a USDF “L” graduate and an American Driving Society “r” Judge. She is the ESDCTA Quadrille chairperson and a USDF committeewoman. In 1997, she was awarded the USDF Region Award for “Overall Contribution to Dressage” and was the ESDCTA 1rst and 2^nd level Freestyle Champion from the 1997-2002. She has designed Freestyles for all the levels to Grand Prix and has coached in nine states around the country. She has designed both music and choreography for second and third level quadrilles and for a driving freestyle at DRESSAGE AT DEVON and has coached many winning teams at the ESDCTA Team Competitions.

In 2000, Mary was a featured speaker at the Pony Club National Convention and at Equitanna 2000 with “Lets Do Musical Freestyle” including live demonstrations with a Grand Prix rider. She was selected as the Freestyle designer for the U.S. Paralympic Team that competed in Sydney.

In 2004, Mary again was a featured speaker at the National Pony Club Convention in Philadelphia. Her subject was “Dressage to Music”, the title of a book she has written to help riders develop their own music and choreography for freestyles and quadrilles.