10 minute read
The Mysterious Half-Halt
In this photo the horse is leaning in with weight on the inside shoulder, as well as moving the haunches to the outside. The rider can correct this by using the outside rein to guard the horse from overbending and falling in (rein opens slightly with contact) and the inside rein to help guide the horse back onto the circle with an indirect pressure on the neck. The rider's outside leg will move back slightly to guide the hip back behind the shoulder. The horse may need a half-halt on the outside rein to prevent him from speeding up as the rider adds the leg or on the inside rein to maintain flexion as the horse steps more underneath. Here the horse is more balanced over all four legs and is stepping the inside hind under the rider's centre and between the front two hoof prints. He is also filling the outside rein.
The Mysterious Half-Halt: What is it and When to Use it
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By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz Photos by Gary Wieben Horse: Pirro, 6-year-old warmblood gelding Rider Lisa Wieben
You have heard us mention the half-halt in many of our articles. But what exactly is the half-halt, how do you set up for it, and when do you use it?
In Western riding the half-halt is commonly called a ‘check’ as you are basically checking in with the balance of your horse. Ideally when the horse is moving forward correctly his centre of balance will be placed under the rider’s centre of balance and the hind legs will be stepping under with the shoulders evenly balanced, without leaning in or out, and the horse will be in an uphill balance. The horse will be bending correctly on a bending line and will be straight on a straight line.
The horse’s weight has a tendency to move more forward which places more weight over the shoulders and ahead of the rider’s centre or more to one shoulder which causes the horse to drift out or in on a circle.
You can think of half-halts in two ways: rebalancing or corrective.
In a rebalancing half-halt the rider will check in with the horse’s balance by squeezing the rein. Ideally the horse will give immediately, the rider will release, then the horse will move into self-carriage. If the horse feels heavy, stiff, or doesn’t yield to the pressure, then the horse is missing some key points. He may not be bending correctly, the inside hind leg is not stepping under with the inside hip forward and he is not off the rider’s aids.
If on a circle half-halt from the inside rein. If the horse responds immediately the rider will feel the horse shift back, the inside leg will step under, the inside rein will remain soft when the rider gives and the horse will ‘fill’ the outside rein. The horse is now bending correctly on the circle with good self-carriage.
The rebalancing half-halt helps the horse move his centre of balance back toward the hind legs.
If he is stiff during the rebalancing and pushes against the rein this means the horse is out of alignment and you will move to the corrective half-halt. Something to practice is to check-in/rebalance every quarter of a circle and a few times during each maneuver. The rebalancing halfhalt is a quick check in to make sure all is well. It can also be used just before a change of gait or before starting a maneuver to prepare the horse for the change. A rebalancing half-halt can also be used with the outside rein to rate speed if the horse is moving forward with quick steps or you need to slow the forward energy to perform a lateral movement.
The corrective half-halt is used when the horse is moving out of alignment and needs more correction than just shifting the weight back. In this case there are four other corrections that may need to be made: more weight to inside shoulder, more weight to outside shoulder, shoulder falling into circle while haunches drift out, or shoulders drifting out while haunches move in.
In these cases the rider will not only use the rebalancing half-halt, but will also use the seat and legs to encourage the horse to shift his weight back and bring the body back under the rider with correct bend.
For example:
1) If the horse is falling too much to the inside of the circle the weight will move to the inside shoulder or the weight shifts to the outside shoulder causing the outside shoulder to bulge out. The hind legs will not be stepping under the body. The rider can use an indirect rein against the shoulder to move the shoulders back in front of the hind legs while guarding the position of the hip with her legs. The horse’s inside hind will step more under the centre and the inside rein will become soft once the horse is rebalanced on the circle. 2) The horse may shift his haunches into or out of the line of the circle. In this case the rider will half-halt while using his inside or outside leg to move the horse’s hips back into position. The aids need to be used simultaneously. 3) The horse moves the shoulders in while shifting the haunches out - the rider will use an inside indirect rein against the shoulder to move the shoulder out while using her outside leg to bring the haunches back in line. 4) The horse drifts out with the shoulders while moving the haunches in - the rider will use an indirect outside rein against the shoulders while using an inside leg to move the haunches out. In these cases the rein not being applied to the neck can give a subtle
Horse moving haunches to the inside of circle. Notice the inside hind leg to the inside of the inside front footfall. To correct, the rider will move her inside leg back to push the hips out while having an indirect outside rein to guard the shoulders and maintain tempo. Horse moving in uphill balance with even connection on both reins.
Note: The horse pictured is a young warmblood who has a tendency to be very wiggly. When riding on a circle the rider uses half-halts, both to check balance and as a corrective aid in order to guide him to straightness. This horse will be ridden in Western and English Dressage. At this time the English saddle fits him well.
rebalancing half-halt which will slow the horse down slightly which will shift the weight back. This rein will also prevent the horse from moving too far in the opposite direction. After the correction is applied the result will be more bend and self-carriage.
Half-halts may be used during shoulderin, haunches-in, leg yield, half-pass, etc. as the horse may also move his weight more to one shoulder or drift more in or out with haunches. The key to effective half-halts is becoming aware of where the body is situated and being able to feel the difference in the hands. Finding this feeling will help the rider correct the horse when on straight lines as well as the rider will begin to feel immediately when the weight shifts forward or the horse moves out of alignment. The mouth of the horse will tell if the horse is balanced. If the horse feels heavy, pushy, not yielding, then that is a sign to correct the body. Change the body, the head will follow. Corrections cannot be made head first, it always comes back to the body alignment.
When applying the half-halt the squeeze of the hand should be like Centered Riding’s idea of squeezing a bird. Your goal is a light squeeze to hold the bird, but you also want to keep the bird alive! Your corrective aid is applied until the horse responds. Sally Swift said, “Ask, Receive, Give.”
When executing a half-halt the rider will sit deeply in the saddle, breathing down into her centre. By continuing to breathe the body will carry less tension which could be transferred to the horse. If doing a ‘check’ the rider will squeeze the rein, wait for the change (a stride or two), then release. In a corrective half-halt the rider will sit deeply with legs ready to aid in moving the hips into position or to maintain position of hips. The rider’s legs also keep the horse using the hind legs under the body as opposed to letting them move behind with a longer back. Think of the image of your horse staying within a circle - round back, stepping under the body. The hands will work together; if the inside rein is moving against the shoulder to block the shoulder from falling in or to help move it over, the outside rein opens to allow the shoulder to move over. If the outside rein is against the outside shoulder, the inside rein will open. Maintain even contact on each rein throughout the correction. When the horse rebalances, the inside rein will feel softer and the horse will fill the outside rein. The rider will use her torso to help with the rebalancing; legs, seat, and hands work together. As the rider squeezes the rein the shoulder blades will move toward the spine, the seat will deepen, the lower back will remain flat (arching will lose the effectiveness of the half-halt) and the legs will guide the horse into the reins.
The half-halt is mysterious because there are so many times we use them during a ride. With practice they will become second nature and feel, timing, and balance will be improved!
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As always have fun and feel the difference it makes in your horse! If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach who knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
Be sure to send your questions (for us) to nancyroman@saddleup. ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on indepth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
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