Reprinted from DRESSAGE TODAY, March 2003; pp. 44-50

Preparing Builds a Partnership
An FEI rider talks about communicating
with your horse through half halts.

By Nancy Later with Beth Baumert
Photos by Trudi Boyd Mitchell

Preparation is everything! Your horse can't try to please you if he doesn't know what you want. When you tell him what's coming up, he has the chance to become interested in where and how you want him to go. Successful communication turns your horse into a dancing partner who understands your wishes mentally. Physically you are able to put him in an improved balance so he can execute the movements for you.

Preparation by riding forward and using correct half halts creates balance and a sense of understanding between you and your horse, allowing a beautiful partnership to develop.

The opposite scenario is the rider who throws each movement at his horse, doing corners, straight lines and circles without putting the horse in balance or telling him what's coming next. This inevitably produces physical and mental tension for the horse. There is an unhealthy attitude among some people in our sport that the horse is trying not to do what we want, and the rider needs to force him into doing his work. A relationship built on this supposition will never be beautiful.

Communication with your horse isn't ever going to be perfect. But as long as you have a horse that is suitable for this sport and for the level you're doing, you can go into your training sessions every day with him as a dancing partner instead of a beast to conquer. The key to achieving this ideal partnership lies in preparing for what you want and then allowing your horse to do the movements in freedom.

Preparation and Anticipation
The process of watching a talented competitor do his test can be misleading for the rider wishing to learn about preparing his horse for each movement. This competitor looks as if he is not doing anything- which is what we want- but some homework needs to be done before getting to that point. Because of communication established during training, the horse knows what the rider's little weight shifts and half halts mean. Then he anticipates his rider's wishes- not only because of the rider's aids, but also because of where they are in the arena.

Some riders regard anticipation with a degree of stress because they don't want the horse trying to do the test by himself, but a clever rider can turn that anticipation into a positive attribute. The horse appears to be doing the test on his own, but with every half halt he waits for his rider's aids and is rebalanced. Then the rider just softens the reins to open the door for the horse to do the movements on his own. That preparation and learning to wait is done at home long before the competition and then is repeated in the warm-up at the show.

Steps to the Half Halt
Your horse needs to be trained to respond correctly to the half halt. I participate in riding my students' horses regularly so when my riders do the proper preparatory half halts, I know the horse will react correctly and give the rider that feeling of control and connection so he can set the horse free in the movement.

The big mystique behind a half halt is unnecessary in my opinion, because it really isn't complicated. The basis of a half halt develops from mastering the downward transition from trot to walk without pulling on the horse's mouth allowing him to go forward. The key to riding forward in downward transitions is to always have an element of bend. With bend, you can always ride forward to a restricting outside rein. Here's how:
1. Set Up. Ride a 20-meter circle to the right in a forward working trot. Confirm your 20-meter bend: Position your horse slightly to the inside wrist. Weight your inside seat bone and bend your horse around your inside leg. Shift your outside leg slightly back and keep an elastic and receiving outer rein. Even if you don't have the ability to spend much time in the sitting trot, you want to sit the trot before the downward transition. If you only sit in the moment of the transition, the horse will stiffen his back and put on the brakes. He should not think that every time you sit, he should stop.
2. Block. Normally your wrists are relaxed, allowing the movement to go through your fingers to the bit, but now you're going to prevent the forward flow of energy and block it by making a little fist with your outside hand. Note that if you give up the inside bending, you cannot block the forward motion with your outside rein and will need to resort to pulling - which will put a dead end to the forward energy. The energy will be recycled if you keep your horse bent and your wrists supple.
3. Hold with your body. Normally your hips are swinging with the horse's back in the forward movement. To cue him for the downward transition, hold your stomach muscles against your back and tuck your seat a little bit. This will encourage your horse to step underneath himself. When you block him on the outside rein, his hind legs should keep coming forward. Most horses are very sensitive to these downward transition aids that you have given. If you sit the trot, keep the inside bend, hold your stomach muscles and block with your outside rein, your horse should transition to walk when you soften.

A. Steps 1-3. I ride a 20-meter circle to the right in a forward working trot, establishing the bend. Next I will make a little fist with my outside hand to block my horse's energy, hold my stomach muscles against my back, tuck in my seat a little and ask my horse to transition to walk. I am riding my 8-year-old Swedish Warmblood, Jolo.

4. Need More? Some horses ignore aids. If this happens, increase your back aids. Keep your back still and sit against your horse's motion. Don't accept the rhythm with your hips.
5. Need MORE? If your horse still doesn't come back, soften and try again. This time, close your knees and thighs to block the back-to-front energy from going through anymore. An inexperienced rider might notice that his thighs were already tight, so his horse wasn't able to be sensitive in that moment. If you need to use strong aids, praise your horse when he gives you the transition and then always go back to light aids. An effective half halt is not possible until your horse comes back from the light aids that you gave in steps 1 through 3.

B. Steps 4-5. If Jolo ignores my aids, I increase them and sit against his motion. If he doesn't respond, I close my knees and thighs to block the back-to-front energy.

6. The half halt with no transition. When your horse is sensitive to your aids for the downward transition, you will need to be very sensitive to his reaction to do the half halt. Just as he starts to balance himself to go into walk, add your leg to prevent the transition. Your horse will take smaller steps in trot instead of walking. Then allow him to trot forward again in an improved balance.

C. Step 6. When Jolo is sensitive to my aids for the downward transition, I repeat steps 1-3, but just as he starts to balance himself to go to walk, I add a little leg to ask him to take smaller steps in trot instead.

D. Step 6 (continued). Then I allow Jolo to trot forward in an improved balance. When beginning this exercise, I stay on a circle, then practice on a straight line.

The Half Halt Habit
In your daily riding at home, half halts will keep your horse in a balance that makes it possible for you to do the movements at the level you're riding. That balanced trot and canter, complete with reminding half halts, is a habit - an organized, thoughtful part of life. Your success level at the shows will be much higher if you do this preparation.

Now let's go through a few key parts of a dressage test so you can see how to keep your communication going in a real-life situation.

Entrance. Before you go down the centerline remember that the key to your half halt is bend. Whereas the bend is obvious on a circle, the bend can also be invisible on a straight line. The rider always has an inside and an outside leg, seat and rein. The horse gives in the poll a tiny bit to the left or to the right.

Some riders always enter the arena from the same direction regardless of which way they are going to turn at C because they feel more comfortable in that bend. However, your horse should be able to balance on either outside rein. Before I enter the arena, I always position my horse in the direction I will be turning at C. If I will be turning right at C, I position my horse slightly to the right with my left rein as my outside, half-halting rein for the entire centerline. My right fingers and wrist supple him invisibly to the right and mt right seat bone is a little more forward and deep. My horse appears to be straight, but I have a tiny bit of bend that allows me to control my horse without pulling on the reins.

1. Enter at A: When I enter the arena for a test, I always position the horse I am riding in the direction I will be turning at C. So if I will be turning right at C, I enter a A with my horse slightly the right. My left rein is my outside, half-halting rein for the entire centerline.

Prepare to halt. After I enter at A, I tell my horse that the halt and salute are coming. I make my little half halt on the outside rein to say "OK, we're coming to X. We're going to halt." This preparation will help him come to a balanced halt.

2. Prepare to halt: After I enter at A, I tell my horse that the halt and salute are coming. I make my little half halt to say, "OK, we're coming to X. We're going to halt."

Prepare to turn at C. Before the turn at C, I don't necessarily half halt because most horses back off a little at the judge. In my mind I ride a little bit forward down the centerline after X because anything I do says "wait" is going to get a very strong reaction when the horse is looking at the judge. I try to create a little balance by quieting my seat before that turn and ride the horse in the direction I want to go. When you know you horse, you have the advantage of anticipating his reactions and can negotiate the centerline accordingly.

Balance before the corner. Immediately after your turn to the right at C, your horse's nose will be at the beginning of the corner. This is the time to prepare for the corner by balancing your horse with a little half halt. Think about balance. If you've done your homework, your horse will come back from steps 1-3 that say, "stay with me here."

Prepare in the corner. Your seat will expect slightly smaller, more balanced steps as a result of your half halt before the corner. The smaller your horse's steps will be in the corner, depend on the depth of your corner - which will depend upon the level of your horse. The corner of a Fourth Level horse will be deeper than that of a Training Level horse. Regardless, you will keep your inside bend by using your inside leg and outside rein. Exactly how you ride this corner before a lengthening, you want to gather up that energy and say, "Are you with me? Get ready. Something hard is coming." My lower legs might say, "Come on. Let's get excited here," but my quiet seat is keeping the trot a little bit together so when I come on the diagonal, all I have to do is open the channels of energy with my fingers and the horse's energy comes out. Hopefully you've impressed him a little bit in the corner, and he's dying to make a beautiful lengthening.

If I'm going to make a shoulder-in after the corner at M, my stable body might say, "Wait here for a second, because we're going to make a shoulder-in." Then the shoulder-in is just an exaggeration of that corner - a continuation of the bend but on a straight line.

3. Prepare in the corner: Exactly how you ride a corner will depend somewhat on the movement that follows. If I'm going to make a shoulder-in after the corner at M, my body might say, "Wait here for a second." Then the shoulder-in is just an exaggeration of that corner- a continuation of the bend in the corner but on a straight line.

 

 

Preparatory Problems
1. Some horses aren't forward enough to sustain the half halt with losing impulsion. Then the rider may accidentally drive the horse too much through the corner into big steps that make the hind legs go out behind him. This will create more weight in the hand instead of less.
2. Some people do the half halt when the horse's nose is already in the corner - which is too late. Then the horse is not prepared to step under himself in that deep corner. Instead of lowering his croup and engaging the hind legs, the effect of the half halt can be to make the hind legs fly out behind him. The hind legs also can come to the inside. Regardless of what evasion the unbalanced horse chooses, he isn't able to come straight through the bend.
3. When the bend isn't confirmed of the rider forgets to support his horse with his outside leg, the horse will always want to straighten and his hind legs will go to the outside in the half halt.
4. Remember that physically your horse is doing a lot more than you, so you might need to give him the breaks and meet any health needs in order to make it possible for him to be your willing partner.
5. Sometimes at a show, the horse is excited and more forward than at home. This causes the rider to take his legs off his horse's sides. Don't do that. Our horse is more relaxed when you keep your legs on and you won't surprise him when you need to use them for a transition.
6. Some riders try to avoid pressuring the horse by doing ring work only a few day a week. They go out on trail rides or turn the horse out in a paddock the rest of the days. However, horses like routine and they like to know what's expected of them. Physically they need to be prepared for the work you're going to do with them. Lack of ring work can create more pressure rather than less. Be diligent about taking enough arena time to learn the movements, confirm the response to a half halt and make your horse strong. Even if your horse gets nervous at shows, he is going to feel comfortable with the same routine that you use at home and continue at the show. The first few shows may not give you the immediate gratification you are looking for, but be diligent and stick to it. Your work will pay off.

If you've been really successful in your preparation, all you have to do is "whisper" to get your next movement. The long term benefits of your careful preparation will be even greater. Your balanced horse will be gymnastically developed so he will stay relaxed in his work and sounder over the years.

IN FIRST LEVEL, TEST 4…

You are required to make one canter loop, maintaining the left lead (H-X-K) and then a change through the trot on the next diagonal (F-X-H). Your bending and half halts before the first corner at H will make your horse's steps slightly smaller. These smaller steps help because many horses and riders feel as if they're going across the diagonal in this movement so the steps often become too big and the frame too long for the horse to be able to keep his balance. Since you are very organized on your left lead and your horse is balanced between your dominant left seat and leg and your elastic right outside aids, you're set up to make a soft arc to the right on the left lead.

Don't ride the movement like two short diagonal lines or your horse will think he is going on the diagonal. Ride three half circles: The corner is the first of your half circles. The larger counter canter arc from H to K to X is the second and the final corner is the third.

As you come out of the first corner, half halt to say "OK, now this is really hard, the left side is still the inside." (See photo below.) Then steer on the arc toward X with your hips and your center. Don't pull with one rein or the other. When you turn your hips to the left with your seat bone a little heavier, you will go left and vice versa. After X, keep balance around the inside (left) leg and support him with your right leg so your horse's outside hind leg (right) doesn't start taking steps that are too big for counter canter. Continue steering with your hips instead of using your outside right rein to help you return to the track.

At the second quarterline, half halt to prepare for the final corner. Your horse has been working hard, and after the third corner, many people will say, "Whew, the hard part is over." But you're still in the middle of the test, and you have to ask for a little bit of balance and energy in the corner in preparation for the rest of the movements.

On the F-X-H line, think about going straight to X without losing your slight positioning and bend left. Stay bent in the direction of the lead until you half halt and make the transition to trot, then do your new flexion and bending to the right in preparation for your right canter transition. If you're really talking to your horse and riding him through the change of lead every time, there will be no misunderstandings between you about the difference in a change of lead and the counter-canter serpentine.

Left: I ride a collected canter in the corner at H and practice my half halts to make sure Jolo is accepting them correctly. I must steer with my hips in counter canter without pulling on one rein or the other. When I turn my hips to the left with my left seat bone a little heavier, I will go left and vice versa. If steering with your hips is a problem, be sure you are practicing it in true canter as well.

IN SECOND LEVEL, TEST 4 …

You are required to make a serpentine of three equal loops the width of the arena from A to C with simple changes (canter-walk-canter) each time you cross the centerline.

1. Your first serpentine loop is one half of a 20-meter circle to the left that starts at A. (Now you don't ride the corner!) Half halt before A, then with your hips, steer your horse toward the circle point four meters beyond F.
2. You'll touch the track for one step at this circle point, and then, as you're leaving the track, you already should be thinking about making your walk transition before the centerline at a point two meters from L, so half halt as you're leaving the track. Plan to do three to five walk steps centered over the centerline - which means that you have to be walking when your horse's nose is at the centerline. Your half halt says, "OK, something hard is coming so make your body ready." The steps become slightly shorter, and then ride a little bit forward to say, "Keep cantering" to the place, maintaining the clear but gentle left bending around your leg.
3. The next half halt says, "Now, make the transition here." Make a little half halt on your right rein to make a organized collected walk. Then soften your inside bending to straighten him on the centerline.
4. Change the flexion and bend. Use your new inside right rein just enough to point your horse on the new line of travel. Slide your legs into the new direction and weight your new inside seat bone. Your new inside seat bone is what makes it so clear to the horse that he should be on the new lead. If that new seat bone is clear, he won't make the common mistake of picking up the same left lead again.
5. Then canter after the centerline. Because you have so effectively changed the positioning, your canter depart is already made for you. You just sit into him with a little bit of inside right leg and seat. The outside left leg is already in the correct place, you create a little pressure and off you go. In the transition, look up at your destination - E - so you're going to the right place. Your inside rein is suppling a little but your hips are turning so you don't need to use your inside rein too much.
6. The second simple change is the same as the first one. Maintain your bend and steer with your hips to conclude your serpentine.
7. The next movement is a medium canter from H to K. So before you reach C, prepare. Since you were just working in collection, ask yourself if you have enough energy and impulsion to create the medium. Create a little energy with your lower legs, and half halt before your corner at H to prepare for a beautiful medium canter.

In the serpentine movement, the judge will give you separate scores with a coefficient of two for each simple change. You get a score for the first simple change, another score for the second change and a third score for the quality and balance of the canter and accuracy. So, if you make a mistake in the first simple change, keep your head together, put your horse back in balance and ride in an organized way for the second change in order to gain some points. Just because you made a mistake, don't stop riding!