Question:

How do you perform a half halt?

by Guest66230  |  earlier

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again, my pony is 7 but has only been in work properly for a few years, and i am wanting to make his trot and canter more 'round' but he does not understand fully what a half halt is, can anybody help me to teach him?

thanks x

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  1. In basic language a half halt is just like slowing up a horse, without changing pace i.e canter to trot. so say if you wanted to do cross a diagonal in trot you'd half half before you turned to the letter, so basically you just feel the reins and slow the horse up.

    ok i know i didnt answer your question there properly. :P sorry lol, hope it helps a bit though


  2. when doing a half halt you need to push him forward with your seat and legs to activate his hindquarters. once you feel a change in his tempo, hold your outside rein firm and steady (enough so that you can feel contact w/ his mouth) and use ur inside rein to flex him to the inside. flexing is where you give and take with your reins. this will ask him to round out, slow his pace, use his hindquarters, and get him properly in frame. dont be dissapointed if he doesnt get it at first. it takes a lot of time and practice. i hope this has helped. it is hard to explain but i did the best i can. good luck :)

  3. Well just use a half halt.

    If you are cantering you horse slow him down till he is almost trotting.

    Then just before the takes the step in trot push him on forward. He should be responsive and understand that you want him forward but not fast.

    To make his head more round, fiddle the bit in the mouth. Move you hands foward and back gently squeezing, not pulling. Make sure you sit up straight, relax and squeeze with your legs to say dont walk just use yourself

  4. A half halt is less about teaching the pony what it is, and more about you understanding the finesse it takes to do it with your pony.  To correctly ride a half halt, you must do several things.  Close your upper legs slightly, pull your shoulders back slightly, close your fingers and sort of "hold" the motion just for a moment (one or two strides at the most).  Every horse has a different "clutch" and you will have to feel for how much or little halt you need in your half halt.

  5. Well, it's not really about teaching him the half-halt - it's about you performing it correctly.  Very young, very green horses respond almost immediately to a correctly executed half-halt, because it is direct communication to them through your body.  Basically, as soon as a horse is responsive to your legs (light to the go-forward signal, or "in front of your leg") and responsive to the bit, you can begin using the half-halt, and the more you apply it, the better response you'll get.  

    You already have some good (and varied) explanations of how to perform the half-halt, so I won't go into the mechanics.  Just remember that your pony must be going well forward and listening to you.   He'll begin to respond to your seat very nicely if done well.  (ingredients: leg, seat, hands, in that order).  Good luck, have fun, and don't get all obsessive about it!

  6. mkae sure your half halt isnt just with your hands. rotate your thighs inwards, bring your ribcage up and breathe out. you dont need reins

  7. You have to be aware of when each hind leg is coming forward and when it's on the ground. "When it first touches down in front of the vertical, it carries, i.e. the haunches flex. That is the correct moment for the half halt. As soon as the hind leg passes the vertical, however, it starts to thrust. If you were to half halt against the thrusting leg, the horse would brace against you and either go against, above or behind he bit. If you half halt when the leg is in the air, you would shorten the stride and prevent the hind leg from stepping under. It would have to set down prematurely, maybe not even reaching the vertical, much less reaching in front of it. That way, the carrying phase would be shortened or even made impossible.

  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PNXXo5TF...

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