[my_cadbury]

Ok, so today after reading through some posts and getting some help on another thread, i have discovered a few things.

To get cadburys transitions nice and smooth, i need to half halt before i ask to move forward from walk to trot or trot to canter, to warn him that i am about to ask him to move foward. I also need to half halt before and whilst i am asking him to slow from a canter to trot or trot to walk, to warn him that i would like to slow him down. If this is wrong, please tell me!!

Cadbury is heavy on the forehand, so i need to use half halts to get him to (as dancinglite says) thrust and support with his hind legs, not just thrust which is what he is doing at the moment. I havent done a great deal of half halting, which will probably solve all my problems when i do, but i havent been doing this, because i dont feel completely aware of what i am supposed to do when i half halt.

I suspect cadbury MIGHT be club footed, not severly, but he may be slightly. This may be having an effect on our bumpy transitions, what should i look out for?

The question i ask is,
1. What is the correct way to half halt??

If i am more educated on the matter, i will be able to start half halting so cadbury is aware of what i want him to do, and our transitions will be nicer and he wont be heavy on the forehand.

Thanks in advance, all information will help!

[alr001]

You want to pull the reins back steadily, don't yank them but just a consistant motion till he gets slower then release, you keep doing this to get them to slow down, You are basically taking and giving. Pull back to slow down then give, if he get faster do it again, this will give him the Idea that you want him to slow and are ready to ask for the trot so it isn't such a surprize.


Hope that helps!

[ladida]

Here is some info I found:

"My 8 year old Arab gelding is very forward. The problem? He runs right through my half-halts. I have tried to over emphasize them and he pays no attention to them. What exercises do you all do to get the horse paying attention to half-halts? I am tightening my seat and exhaling and until I either say "whoa" or pull on the reins he keeps going. "
SciFi Horse

"Try to sit straight in the saddle. What helps me is if I feel like I'm leaning back I'm actually straight. The half halts I've learned have different meanings for different reins. For instance, to slow and collect a gait I half halt on the outside rein with a little inside leg. To encourage bend I half halt with the inside rein - I've never half halted by squeezing both reins at the same time. I suspect this has more to do with how the horse was trained than with whether one style is correct or not. Also, this pulling thing. With good contact with the horse's mouth a squeeze (closing your hands) should accomplish the desired behaviour. " - Paula Edwina "How is your horse in downward transitions? Does he perform downward transitions correctly if you ask for them correctly, or does he blow you off?
In order to get him to respond to half halts correctly, you need to make sure that he responds to downward transitions and that you are giving the cues for downward transitions correctly.
In a downward transition, you should allow your weight to sink deep into the saddle, brace your back, keep your lower leg on the horse, and squeeze the reins to "shut the door" to prevent forward momentum. You should feel his hind legs come up under him (that's the reason you keep your legs on the horse into the transition) and you should feel him step up into the bridle. A correct downward transition should feel like an airplane landing.
One of the most common faults I see in downward transitions is too much hand, not enough leg. I'm guilty of it, too, sometimes. Don't pull. Ride the horse up into the bridle. His jaw and poll should feel relaxed. He shouldn't lean on your hands (that's a sure sign that you're using too much hand) or stiffen in the transition. If you are asking for downward transitions correctly and the horse is responding to them, then you can use downward transitions to teach your horse how to respond to half halts.
Ride a series of correct downward transitions to get him in tune with you. Then, ride a trot/walk downward transition, but at the last minute, change your mind and ask the horse to trot again. This is the half halt at it's most blatant and obvious.
Then you just work on becoming more subtle so that the effect is a rebalancing instead of an "almost" downward transition." - Holly Stapleton

"Well, I take it that you know enough about Dressage to know that this is used when your horse is in the 'collected' stage, so what you want to do, for Half Halts is: Once you are into a collected canter, use your HANDS only. Other than sitting deep in the saddle and keeping your legs ready for correction ONLY, the reins are your main concern. Make sure that you have bit contact with your horse (which I am sure that you do, if he is collected,) and bring your hands UPWARD firmly, with a solid grip, then quickly start opening your fingers, a little at a time. This raises the head and neck and pushes the horse's weight to the rear. It will take the weight off of his shoulders. Make sure that your HANDS are slightly to the front, or over the withers when you execute this manuever, and WATCH those legs, as he is probably taking your tightening of the seat and legs as 'Go, boy!,' and that would make him 'collect' more, while still trying to go, when you are lifting the reins. So pay more attention to the hands and FORGET the legs, until you need them. I can't stress this enough. In the canter, most people are gripping like mad with the legs, putting pressure where it isn't needed. They should be used more for securing your balance. Try putting more weight in those stirrups, as this will give you more security. You just don't want undue pressure. The legs are used strictly to correct the horse from side to side, or keeping the horse on the bit, if he slacks off. There are other methods for using the right or left rein, or both, too, but that comes with a different need, and involves the snaffle and/or curb bit." - Ponieden

from www.equisearch.com

Here's more

Question: I am an adult rider and have been taking dressage lessons for several years. I hope to show at Training Level soon. I watch experienced riders at shows and wonder how they make riding look so effortless. I think it may have to do with their development of half halts. I'm trying to learn how to use my back and seat with my leg and rein during a half halt but often feel uncoordinated or too late in communicating with my horse. I think that if I get the feel of this important skill, I will be at a new plateau in my riding. Please give me some suggestions for getting the hang of it.


Answer: You are absolutely right: Coordination and timing are essential to half hats. I like the fact that you list back and seat before leg and rein. You already have an excellent intuitive understanding of the effect, importance and sequence of half halts. Like everything else to do with riding, half halts will vary according to the ability, level and physical development of both rider and horse. Riders begin with slower, larger, more basic actions, then refine them as they progress.
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A half halt is nothing more-and nothing less-than a signal that prepares a horse for a new demand by saying "get ready, something is coming." Do as many half halts as are necessary when preparing for a new movement or during a transition to get your horse's attention and improve his carriage within a gait.


If you watch a military unit drilling, you'll notice that the words that tell the troops what to do always come after a preparatory word that alerts the troops to the fact that there is an order coming. You won't hear just "Halt!" but "Company ... Halt!" The word "company" is a verbal half halt. It says, "Get ready, something is coming." Similarly, your nonverbal half halts tell your horse to become more attentive, balanced and ready for whatever you may ask next.The best way to learn the half halt, in the beginning, is to use a combination of seat, leg and rein aids as if you were planning to halt. Deepen your seat slightly and relax your buttocks. Take a deep breath, and as your chest lifts, let your pelvis tilt slightly, allowing your seat bones to "plug in" to the saddle. Use your legs-a brief "pulse" with both calves will ask the horse to use his own hind legs with more energy. When you feel your horse step more deeply under himself with his hind legs and his back comes up into your seat, close your fingers more tightly for the space of a heartbeat and then relax your hands again. This part, the yield or release, is too often overlooked, and it is essential.


Yielding the rein tells the horse that he has answered your question correctly. For riders, this if often the most difficult part of the half halt because they are reluctant to release until they are entirely convinced that the half halt has gone through. The problem with this kind of thinking and acting is that by that time, it's too late. The rider has already held the horse for far too long. Restricting, frustrating and confusing the horse prevents the half halts from going through. In a correct half halt, your horse will feel lighter in your hand, even before you release the reins.


Tell yourself, "Create the energy, contain the energy, release the energy."


A correct half halt will have several physical effects. If the horse steps under himself, engages more and carries slightly more weight with his hind end, you can feel his hind feet step more deeply under him and his back round under your seat. Even before you release the reins, he will feel lighter in your hand.


Pay close attention to your horse's attitude. If he is cheerful and confident and seems pleased with his own ability to comply with your requests, congratulations. Your half halts are making perfect sense to your horse. If he seems confused, unhappy or resentful of half halts, then your half halts are not making sense to him. Most often you may be releasing too late or perhaps not at all.


Think of the half halt as a doorbell you are pressing to get the horse's attention and to get him moving in the direction you want. If you ring a friend's doorbell and hear him get up and come toward the door, do you continue to lean on the doorbell until he opens the door? Of course not. You release the bell and wait politely until the door opens. If you aren't certain that he heard you and you feel the need to ring again, you press the bell again, gently and briefly.


The amount of pressure on the doorbell doesn't force your friend to come to the door, it gives him a signal to which you must then allow him to respond. If you summon your friend by leaning on the doorbell, don't expect him to be smiling when he finally opens the door, if he chooses to open the door at all.


Similarly, if you half halt your horse and then continue to hold him with hands that should have tightened for only a heartbeat, he won't be happy or comfortable, and he won't have the chance to offer you a moment of increased lightness.


If you become frustrated because your half halts are not yet perfect, remember that you and your horse are both works in progress and that the partnership between you is another work in progress.


When you begin to acquire a new skill, there is always a learning curve. At first, it takes longer for you to apply your aids because you have to think about what to do, when and for how long. It takes longer for your horse to respond because he is not yet in the habit of responding and, even when he understands what you want, it will take time for him to become strong and balanced enough to give an instant correct response.


As your seat improves, your half halts will improve with them and your horse will become stronger and more responsive. This in turn will make him more connected through his body, better able to lift his back and, thus, better able to respond with eagerness and energy. The better you ride, the better your horse will move. The better your horse moves, the better you will ride and the more easily you will be able to use your aids.


There will come a time when you will just think about a half halting and your horse will respond to the slight changes in your seat and the tiny movements of your muscles. Then, someone will be watching you at a show and will say to herself, "It looks so easy when she does it. I wonder if it has anything to do with half halts?"

[my_cadbury]

Oh wow, thanks so much for the information! So half halts are used with the rein, and deepening of the seat? And slight pulse of the legs?

Is that sorta right or am i off the planet! I have heard so many different things, the half halt is kinda warped for me, and i am a bit unsure!!

[Dancinglite]

If you had done a search HERE you would have found m,y explaination. I am, bringing it forward yet again.

Half halts should not be refered to without an explaination of the halt.

The halt is achieved by the deepening of the riders seat and stimulation of the horses hindquarters to reach forward and underneath his body, thus accepting a greater load of weight. The stimulation is the result of the riders leg pressure on both sides of the horses body causing the "lifting" of the spine to meet the rider's seat.

The rider will keep his upper body straight and push through the small of his back into passive and sustaining hands. They will accept any pull on the reins if necessary and remain unchanged. Once halted the rider allow a slight relaxation of the upper body and at the same time will advance the hands slightly to give the horse a period of relaxation. This relaxation is a vital part of the training process because without them nervousness and restlessness will set in.

Any roughness or excessive action on the part of the rider will cause the failure of a soft and fluid stop.

In the half halts the method is the same with the sole difference being that the hands will allow the motion to continue. In this case the driving controls will outweigh the restraining ones.

Different trainers create descriptions of what it is and what it does to the point that we appear to be entering a country with a different language. Combine this with its use that will vary as the horse progress causes its interpertation to be based on one horses reaction. However when applied equally to another the cause and effect can differ greatly.

On the basic level the half-halt is used to signal the horse that a decrease in rate is being asked for. It could also be a signal to improve its balance or lighten the horses weight on the reins.

On the highest level the half halt becomes the merest whisper of controls in that it is created with the seat and hinted at with the reins.

[gratifite]

1st off - thanks to everybody...I was afraid I was gonna have to do a search on this topic today

2nd - I don't want to sound ignorant, but sometimes I misunderstand descriptions, so could you tell me if I'm understanding this correctlly.

A half halt is like tapping on the brake...you don't want to totally transition into the lower gait - it's like warning the people behind you (or in this case the horse) of what is coming. With my husband's horse, he gets to trotting soooo fast; when I attempt a half halt, I end up transitioning into a walk....so I'm holding on too long?

[Dancinglite]

Originally Posted by gratifite

1st off - thanks to everybody...I was afraid I was gonna have to do a search on this topic today

I end up transitioning into a walk....so I'm holding on too long?

Most people hold it too long and allow the horse to lean on them. You have a pretty good description with the tapping the break.

Always remember that any aid is useless without forward impulsion. So by that if the first aid is ineffective you MUST allow the horse to continue to apply the aid a second time. Two or three identical aids to a green or unresponsive horse is not unusual.