THE HALF-HALT (1) Introducing The Half-Halt In The Walk
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- In the first part of my new video series about the half-halt, Thana and I will show you how you can use a slight shift in your aids to invite your horse to listen and respond to their first half-halting experiences.
What is a half-halt, how does it work and why does it matter? I’m not going to attempt to answer these loaded question in a short, few sentences here, but I’d like to offer some glimpses into these concepts and how you can start to familiarize yourself and your horse with them in the walk.
What is a half-halt? You will find many variations on the definition of this subject because it is described and taught differently depending on the riding methodology you’re following. To me, this is one of the more straightforward ways to look at the half-halt: “The half-halt is a specific riding aid given by an equestrian to his horse, in which the driving aids and restraining aids are applied in quick succession. It is sometimes thought of as an ‘almost halt,’ asking the horse to prepare to halt in balance, before pushing it onward to continue in its gait." (Wikipedia).
How does a half-halt work? Have a look at my video and you will find some pointers that will get you started with this principle in the walk.
Why does a half-halt matter? As with all practices in Dressage, familiarizing yourself and your horse with the many variations of the half-halt will enable you to fine-tune your communications under saddle and help your horse to develop the strength and balance it takes to be in increasing levels of self-carriage.
In order to help you get started with this concept I will go over the following questions in this video::
1. What are the three main components of a half-halt in Dressage?
2. How can I start implementing the three components of the half-halt in the walk?
3. How do I know that my horse understands and responds willingly and correctly to my half-halting aids?
Watch, experiment and take your time with this sequence of movements. You may also find the videos in my ‘Riding On The Bit / Yielding to Aids’ playlist helpful:
• Riding On The Bit / Yi...
Happy riding! :)
PS: Get your free Arena Pattern Guide at www.katjaelk.c....
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Horse: Thana, 20 year-old mare, Oldenburg/WB; Background: Imported from Germany; formerly ridden and competed as an upper-level jumper; Health: Carefully rehabbed and trained after a neck surgery to treat Wobbler’s syndrome in 2015, eye surgery in 2020, and arthritis; Training: Careful Dressage and ground training. Temperament (0 being extremely calm/laid-back, 10 being highly excitable/hot): 7; Personality: Alpha mare; reacts to pressure by either pushing back or becoming overly forward, with a tendency to run and grind teeth when feeling stressed; Sweet spot: Loves to have an open two-way conversation; learns best when new things are presented in small, digestible pieces and likes to collaborate when no one asks too much too soon.
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Note: Viewers should consult a professional before adopting any of the training techniques shown in this video. Any activity you do with your horse is at your own risk and may produce varied results.
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California-based Dressage trainer, instructor, clinician and life coach, Katja Elk, provides gentle training solutions for riders and horses of all backgrounds.
“Over the course of my life, I have been fortunate enough to learn from many amazing human and equine teachers. In my videos, I share tips and pointers with people interested in expanding their knowledge about foundational Dressage and different types of groundwork. You will see me work with my clients’ horses of various breeds, levels and backgrounds, highlighting parts of the journey we call work/play-in-progress with our equine partners. None of the shown clips are flawless. In fact, they all show the many imperfections an active, aging rider faces who entered the professional field as an instructor/trainer later in life and who keeps on striving to show that Dressage can be an activity we all can enjoy with our horses at most stages of our lives and at varying levels of expertise. The videos are honest, heartfelt attempts to show you ways to nurture a kind, joyful and productive relationship with your horses as you are exploring and expanding on the many facets of Dressage and groundwork.”
Katja applies the concept of a friendly, trust-based, two-way communication system to riding Dressage, work-in-hand as well as groundwork such as halter-work, longeing/lungeing and longlining.
Additionally, Katja, a Martha Beck certified master life coach, works with people who are looking for relief from anxiety, depression and/or other challenges in their lives.
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Music by lemonmusicstudio from Pixabay
Thank you for this super video. Such a good explication .. 👍👍
You are welcome! Thank you so much for your kind feedback! 😊
This looks so informative, will be watching this! 💕
Thank you so much for watching! Hope you like it! 😊
I am going to try this with my horse Arthur who marches in walk and who is sensitive to rein and leg aids
I'm glad to hear that! Let me know how it went! :)