The Halt
Alex's Dressage Tips
The Halt
In most tests there's 2 halts, in all tests there's at least one halt and in some tests there are 3, so if your halts are good then you're at a serious advantage. So practice your halts - SIMPLE.
We like to see halts that are straight, square (hind legs under the horse), well balanced and smooth in transitions down to them and up out of them, with the outline round and the contact maintained. The horse should be settled, yet ready to move if asked (elastic to the aids).
Typical errors include....
Not square, moving in halt, resting a hind leg, inattentive, resisting, above the bit and losing connection.
Tips..
- Practice halting both on the outer track on either rein to train him to keep the quarters straight, as well as off the track.
- Make a square out of poles on the ground and halt within the square will train the halts to be square.
- Get someone to watch you practice and get them to tell you if they're square behind each time, then try to remember the 'feel' when they are square. You should be able to tell by glancing down at the shoulders if the front legs are square or not.
- Practise halting from walk, trot and canter also (if possible) as this will help get the hind legs under further. It's easier to get a square halt if your horse is engaged and well connected coming into it.
- So halting on the centre line with one judge at C, we cant see if it's square if you're straight BUT if there are other judges not at C then they can. If your halting sideways on to us we can always see.
- If the movement says halt for 4 seconds, and you get everything right then PLEASE halt for the FULL 4 seconds. In fact even if you are not square please make sure it's for the full 4 seconds.
- If you can feel that the halt is not square either in front or behind in a test, allow your horse half a forward stride to square off and if possible straighten if necessary at the same time.
- Practising halts often settles an uptight horse so use it to settle nerves too.
Not much to it really...
