Cees Slings: The pioneer of freestyle music in dressage has passed away

According to reports from Eurodressage, Dutch composer and music producer Cees Slings passed away on October 14th, 2025, at the age of 73 after a brief illness. Slings achieved international fame for his musical contributions to dressage, among other things. He harmonized the movements of horse and rider with specially composed music, setting new standards in the sport of dressage.

Pioneer of a new generation of riders

Slings began his career in the 1980s by composing music for television productions, documentaries, and commercials. Together with his longtime partner Victor Kerkhof, he worked for television in the Netherlands and Germany for almost two decades. In the mid-1990s, the duo turned to dressage and began a pioneering collaboration with Dutch rider Anky van Grunsven. This partnership resulted in freestyle music for the Olympic Games, including "Bonfire Symphony" (1996 in Atlanta, silver), "Something Old, Something New" (2000 in Sydney, gold), and "L'Esprit Chanson" (2004 in Athens, gold). The high production costs of these works are particularly noteworthy - according to the source, the recording of the first freestyle music alone took 34 studio days.

Slings and Kerkhof were regarded as pioneers of a new type of freestyle music in dressage, with their music precisely adapted to the horses' movements. Their musical style was characterized by an orchestral dynamic that differed significantly from the usual practice until then.

Lasting influence over decades

After the duo split up in 2006, Cees Slings remained closely associated with international dressage. In the years that followed, he worked with numerous leading international riders, including Laura Bechtolsheimer, Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Matthias Alexander Rath, Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfvén, and Sönke Rothenberger. A particularly formative example of his work was the freestyle with Cosmo at the 2017 European Championships in Gothenburg. His artistic work has had a significant impact on modern freestyle dressage.

Photo: Kevin White

Video: Sönke Rothenberger and Cosmo - LONGINES FEI European Championships Gothenburg - Grand Prix Freestyle Final