The elusive half halt

Meika and I got to talking about what makes an effective half halt and through our discussion I realized I didn't know what the heck a half halt really was. I thought I was doing it at least fifty times each ride but it turns out I had never actually done one. Well, at least not a correct one. 

My previous TB was an anxious fella who ran away from his problems. I knew better than to pull because he would just pull back and pick up more speed. Instead, I was taught to "give and take". I thought that was a half halt. I was using this so-called halt halt as a way to chip away at too much speed. Like tapping the brakes.  But I ended up with a horse that would pick up speed immediately after I took my foot off the brake, was falling on his forehand and was behind the bit. What was wrong? 

braced, perched and pulling

I thought it was all his fault. So I got a new horse.

I now know I was missing the point of the half halt. Back then I didn’t have the proper balance and position to engage my core so I relied too much on my hands. I was pulling him into half a halt instead of compressing him into a half halt.  It took a few years, three more trainers and a couple of horses before I understood that the half halt is so much more than just tapping the brakes. 

This was my half halt!

Meika equated the half halt to a rubber room with two doors opposing each other. 

Different kind of rubber room :)
I could never ride in that!!!

When both doors of the rubber room are open, energy flows through the room. But when the front door is closed and energy continues to push in through the back door, the room expands to contain it. The flow isn't prevented just because one door is closed, it is accommodated and captured to be utilized later. In the case of the horse, the energy from the hind end is captured by the half halt (front door closing and room expanding) and converted into the next movement. The goal is to change the balance of the horse yet maintain the impulsion. You must use your core, your seat and your legs to let the horse know something is coming and prepare him for the transition. 

Meika had me do an exercise to understand the half halt. The goal of the exercise was to make a trot to walk transition take one quarter of a 20 meter circle, no more, no less. This forced me to use a substantial amount of leg during the downward transition to prevent my horse from walking too soon. It felt like instead of tapping the brakes, I was  downshifting and keeping the tachometer up. Eventually my horse was light in the bridle, stepping under himself and transitioning in two steps instead of a quarter of a circle. 

So now, I wish I could apologize to Willie, my previous TB. I never helped him understand what I wanted. I derailed him just like a train. I just hope now I can avoid making the same mistake with any more of my horses. 

Jenn Verharen Clinic

Having never sat in a dressage saddle prior to coming to Polestar, I had a lot of catching up to do. 

But after two months and a variety of setbacks (including an unfortunate Chai tea incident that is too embarrassing to explain) I feel I am finally making progress with my riding.

I had a break though this week during a lesson on Phena with Jenn Verharen. 

After commenting on my non-austere turnout for a dressage lesson, she made two poignant observations about my riding:

First, I need to soften my thighs.

I was so busy concentrating on my lower leg that I was stiffening my whole body trying to force it into position. Once Jenn said to relax my thigh everything changed: my knee softened; my hip opened; my calves wrapped around Phena's barrel and I was suddenly “with” my horse. It took so much less work to maintain my position and keep my leg on! 

Once my legs weren’t so tense,  I was able to be subtle and practice what Meika had been trying to get me to do last week when she told me to “fluff” the horse. After I realized she wasn’t being dirty, I understood she meant for me to use my calves and hands to gently elevate the horse's energy up and into her back to promote self-carriage - like fluffing a pillow or tossing a salad (again, I am not being dirty). 

Second,  Jenn noted that I have a long torso.

Not quite this long...

Because of this I am able to persuade my horse’s body and balance with minimal effort, for better or worse. My whole life trainers have told me to keep my shoulders back, but I never really understood the impact of my leverage. I had been forcing my shoulders back but was losing my lower leg position in the process. Now that my lower leg is more stable, I can control my upper body (without forcing it) and use my long lever arm to influence my horse in a positive way. I can sit tall and follow the rhythm or choose to not follow it as a way to slow my horse down instead of going to my hands. My issues with straightness are also resolving now that I realize my mare has just been following my wobbly upper body.

While tension in MY body is not desired, Jenn helped me understand what level of tension in my horse can be normal and healthy during the learning process. Working on downward transitions provided an opportunity to explore this concept. I had (out of exhaustion from being so tense) developed a bad habit of allowing my horse to collapse into the walk. Instead Jenn had me exhale rhythmically and ride my horse "up the stairs" into the walk, encouraging her to step under herself. Riding my horse up into my hands resulted in her slinging her head and bracing her back in opposition. Historically, when my horse became tense my reaction was to soften (because I was wrong) or increase the aids (because she was wrong). Jenn helped me understand that neither of us necessarily had to be "wrong." Instead, when learning something new I needed to be consistent with my aids (don't back off or increase) until she goes through all possible reactions (head slinging, rooting, bolting, halting) and arrives at the correct one (self-carriage), then IMMMEDIATELY release. If the transition takes three laps, then it takes three laps. 

By the end of the lesson I wasn't exhausted, transitions took only a couple of steps and I had a balanced, light, responsive and willing horse.

Thank you Jenn!