Music and horses, both my life.
Creator and founder of DressageTunes, a one-person studio based in Nürnberg, Germany. Built for riders who want their music to actually fit their horse, not the other way round.
Music at heart, dressage at soul.
I'm Tom. I was a competitive dressage rider before I was a music producer. Now I'm both.
The studio
DressageTunes runs from one studio in Nürnberg. It's me, my tools, and a workflow tuned over years of making freestyles for competitive riders. Solo means no handoffs, no second-pair-of-ears slowdown, and a producer who's actually accountable to the rider on the other side of WhatsApp.
The riders I work with are competitive: Introductory through Grand Prix, across Europe and the United States, plus a handful of CDI campaigners. Some send me a video and a vision; some send a video and "help, my show is in three weeks". Both are fine.
The approach
Most freestyle music gets made by stretching a stock track to roughly fit the horse. The result is music that's about 70 percent there, and the rider rides into it instead of with it. The judges feel it even when they can't name it.
I work the other way. I read your horse's BPMs from a video at each pace, then edit the music to those exact numbers, halt to halt to your test. Every transition gets timed; the entry halt and the final salute are anchored to the second.
The music has to fit the horse, not the other way round. Everything else is a workaround.
The values
A few things that drive how the studio operates:
- BPMs at each pace, halt to halt. The technical bar. Anything less is the stretched-track approach in nicer clothes.
- Revisions stay open after the show. Horses change between making the music and the show. The freestyle gets adjusted until it works in the arena. No extra fee for the post-show round.
- Transparent pricing. Specific numbers, by level, on the site. No inquiry form, no quote requests. You should know what you'll pay before you write the first message.
- Free consult, no commitment. Send a video, get BPMs at each pace, a music direction, and a specific offer back. Whether you order or not, the read costs you nothing.
- The conversation lives on WhatsApp. Fast, mobile, human. Email works too, especially for US riders, but WhatsApp is the default.
The reach
Based in Nürnberg, working across Europe and the United States. EU riders get GEMA-clean pricing context and Signature Composition for streamed-show licensing. US riders get a level map to the European tiers (shown on the pricing page) and a producer who replies fast across time zones.
The work, ongoing
70+ national title placements, 430+ freestyle tests ridden with our music, an 80.2% average artistic score, freestyles delivered at every level from Introductory to Grand Prix. Mika Barel's three Inter II national titles, and a long quiet list of riders who came in for one freestyle and stayed for the next test, the next level, the next horse.
If you want music that fits your horse, send a video. The first reply is free.
Where the music gets made.
From a clip on WhatsApp to a synced freestyle.
A multitrack Vegas project, the BPM finder open in another window, references queued, the test memorized. Each freestyle takes under three hours of focused production time. The rest is the listening, the cuts, the adjustments after the show.
Music producer, also a rider.
The horse is the brief.
Twenty years in the saddle is what makes the music side work. I know what a half-pass feels like when the music is half a beat off. I know what the extended trot needs to land into. The producer side is built on the rider side.
Send your video.
Free BPM read, a music direction, and a specific offer for your level. The conversation lives on WhatsApp.
Send on WhatsApp