Working With a Strong but Willing Mare

“The walk feels quite good so that is when I will go to the trot. If I feel that she gets a bit resistant, I will go back to the walk.

“It’s all about learning.”

“Can you see when I take the left rein? I’m not just holding it. I play a little bit with it. So taking, giving, taking, playing a little bit with it and giving.”

Listening to the Rider’s Aids

“We are looking for a shortened frame, not just a shortened neck. We want her frame a little shorter from her tail to her ears. A great way to do that is a little lengthening in the canter then bringing her back.”

“You want to hold the half-halt a little bit longer to finish the half-halt. I don’t want to do a little lengthening in canter, give one half-halt, then let go because she wouldn’t get it. You want to really finish the half-halt where you can say, ‘Right here I feel quite comfortable releasing and she stays with me and collected a few strides on her own.’”

“Within the trot, do a few transitions. Start with posting trot. Do a gentle lengthening and allow her to go. For her, you don’t need to push much. Then, sitting trot to bring her back. Even if you get a walk step that is still much better than her running through the bridle.”

“Expect lightness.”

Improving Responsiveness

“When you lengthen the canter, do just about 10-15 meters of lengthening along the rail—no longer. Then, bring her back to a collected canter. Build it up daily to go longer in the lengthening but not faster.”

“For collecting, it is a holding leg—not a pushing forward, driving leg—with support from the seat.”

“When going from trot to halt, see if you can eliminate the walk steps before she halts.”

Watch & Learn on E+

• You can watch Steffen Peters’ entire series on managing a strong mare here on EQUESTRIAN+.
• For additional videos featuring Peters’ top tips and training strategies, click here.
• From short training tips to how-to videos and insider-access to private clinics and lessons, learn more from top dressage experts on EQUESTRIAN+.

About Steffen Peters

Born in Wesel, Germany, Steffen Peters gained a solid dressage foundation in his birth country before moving to San Diego in 1985. He struck out on his own as a trainer in 1991 and become a U.S. citizen in 1992. Peters worked his way to the top level with the support of special horses and sponsors, achieving impressive results. He is a six-time Olympian who earned team silver (2021) and team bronze (1996, 2016) medals. Peters collected team silver (2018), team bronze (2006) and individual bronze (2010) at the FEI World Equestrian Games, team and individual gold at the 2011 and 2015 Pan American Games and the 2009 FEI Dressage World Cup Final title. He and his wife, Shannon, run SPeters Dressage in San Diego, California.

The half-halt—the moment when the driving aids and restraining aids are used very close together to rebalance or slow the horse while maintaining his energy. The USEF Rulebook defines it in part as “A hardly visible, almost simultaneous, coordinated action of the seat, the legs, and the hand of the rider.”

But the half-halt is not just about closing your legs and hands. One goal of the half-halt is to rebalance the horse. For example, an unbalanced horse might feel heavy in your hands, fall on his forehand or feel more strung out.

You also need to use half-halts to control a horse’s energy when you ask him to change his tempo or to let him know that something is about to happen. For example, a change in gait or a change in direction. I like to tell people that the half-halt can be like a car blinker—it indicates what is coming next. 

How To Ask For the Half-Halt 

I believe in focusing on my legs to ask for the half-halt. If you use your hands to stop the horse’s energy it will cause him to rock down and onto his forehand. I utilize my legs—more specifically, my knees and thighs—to ask for the half-halt. Then I support with my lower leg to maintain the energy. With the energy maintained, the horse rebalances and remains ready for whatever is coming next.  

The half-halt is used in all gaits, but to introduce the tool, start at the trot. Here’s how: 

1. Pick up a working trot on the rail and ride a 20-meter circle. You want your horse moving forward from your lower leg with even, elastic steps and impulsion coming from his hind end into a soft, steady connection with the bit. If you don’t have an arena, use the space you have to ride a large circle.  
2. As you ask for the working trot, make sure you’re sitting tall, stretching up through your abdomen, and keeping your knees and thighs loose.  
3. Once you’ve achieved a working trot, ask your horse to collect slightly with a half-halt. Close both knees and thighs against the saddle. Almost immediately, release the pressure from both knees and thighs and add your lower leg to maintain and repackage your horse’s energy. Throughout this, maintain the same soft and steady connection with the bit.  
4. Hopefully, you’ll feel your horse’s forward energy rock back to his hindquarters and he feels lighter on his front end while collecting slightly. If so, then allow him to continue until you feel him start to lose his balance or you want to change your tempo.  
5. If you don’t feel any change, repeat the half-halt until you get the correct response. 

Once you’re comfortable asking for a half-halt at the trot, try it at the canter.  

Halt-Halts with an Experienced Horse 

With an experienced horse, like my 18-year-old five-star mount, Covert Rights, half-halts are very subtle. As I canter around the ring, I can maintain a very relaxed knee and thigh so that his energy can flow forward in the gait. In just one stride, I can close my knee and thigh, release them and add my lower leg to rebalance him and allow him to continue moving forward in the canter.  

In downward transitions, an experienced horse recognizes that a half-halt is an indicator to rock back on his hind end. For example, before a canter-to-walk transition, I apply the aids above at the canter to let Covert Rights know that a change in gait is about to happen. When I add my leg (Step 4), even though it’s a downward transition, Covert Rights uses that collected energy to perform the transition with an engaged hind end. When he does, the transition is balanced and I can continue forward in the next gait using the energy I created with the half-halt. Without the half-halt, he would most likely fall to his forehand and lean into the bridle during a downward transition. 

Half-Halts with a Less-Experienced Horse 

For a less-experienced horse or a horse with a more downhill conformation, I will have to use more half-halts to get the job done. With Covert Rights, I can use one half-halt within one stride to get my message across. But with less-experienced horses, I use a lot more half-halts over several strides because they struggle to maintain uphill balance. I use my half-halts to encourage their hind legs to come underneath them without losing the balance and energy. And when horses lose balance, they lose confidence, so it is extra important to utilize half-halts with green horses.  

For less-experienced horses, the half-halt within the gaits may be difficult, so I practice them between gaits while the horses are learning. I ride lots of trot–walk, canter–trot and canter–walk transitions, all using my half-halt aids. By riding downward transitions, I’m making it clear to the horse that I’m asking for a change. Again, it may take many small half-halts to ask for the change from one gait to the next. If my horse still isn’t responding—if he loses the shape or balance that I want—then I will ask for a complete halt to really make my point. 

Complete the Halt 

The completion of the halt is the culmination of the half-halt. While the half-halt collects the energy so that it can be used, the halt is the complete collection of all the energy, which makes it truly stop. To ask for the complete halt, follow the steps of the half-halt above. Though it may seem counterintuitive, you still need to add lower leg through the transition. Doing so creates enough energy to prevent the horse from falling on his forehand. For the complete halt, you will add your hand aids. By closing the hands, you are closing off the energy completely. When you release the thigh and knee pressure and add your leg (Step 6), softly close your hands as well. Once the horse is at a complete halt, release the pressure from your hands but maintain contact with your leg to prevent your horse from backing up.  

Vocal Commands 

I use a lot of vocal commands to accompany the aids. They are best taught on the longe line and can then be applied under saddle. For example, a cluck to ask the horse to move forward or a “whoa” to ask him to slow down. When I apply my half-halt aids in a downward transition, I use a “brrr” sound. Doing so draws a correlation between the physical aids and the vocal command. 

About Colleen Rutledge 

Colleen Rutledge is an international-level event rider. She currently holds the record as being the first person to complete the five Northern Hemisphere five-star events on the same horse, Shiraz (Luke). The events include the Kentucky Three-Day Event (USA), the Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), the Burghley Horse Trials (GBR), Les 5 Etoiles de Pau (FRA) and Luhmühlen Horse Trials (GER). She and Luke completed all of these with no penalties cross country. She made her U.S. Equestrian Team debut in 2015 riding her homebred Covert Rights at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen (GER). She is based in Mount Airy, Maryland. 

For a limited time, watch a free training video of Colleen Rutledge demonstrating the half-halt at equestrianplus.com. 

This article is brought to you by Cosequin®. Check out articles in this series with eventers Colleen Rutledge and Phillip Dutton at practicalhorsemanmag.com and with dressage rider Matt McLaughlin at dressagetoday.com.

To achieve an uphill half-halt …

Remember that it’s not just about closing your legs and reins at the same time. You also need to rebalance the energy with your seat. Imagine you are on a bicycle and are about to pop a wheelie. Engage your abdominal muscles, lift your chest and still your lower back to lift the front wheels of the bicycle up off the ground. In the saddle, this same feeling tells the horse to lower his hindquarters and lift his front end—just like the front of the bicycle lifts off the ground. 

Chrissa Hoffmann is an international Grand Prix rider who was long-listed for the USET in 2009. She is a USDF bronze, silver and gold medalist. She also owns and operates CFH Dressage located in Vero Beach, Florida.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of Practical Horseman. 

Practice this exercise on a regular-sized trampoline. If you don’t have access to one, visualize the exercise in your mind, especially during downward transitions.

1. Standing in the center of the trampoline with her shoulders balanced over her hips and arms straight out in front, Mount Holyoke junior Katerina Alvarez gently bends and straightens her knees to start bouncing. Keeping her head balanced over her shoulders and staying relaxed in her ankle, knee and hip joints, she jumps as high as she possibly can.

2. Then she does a “half-halt”: Staying relaxed in her feet and flexible in her ankles, knees and hips, she stops bouncing as quickly as possible without losing her balance. If she stiffens her body, she’ll just bounce higher. If she tucks a little bit forward or tips any direction, she’ll fall.

When you try this, simulate different position errors to see how they affect your balance (e.g., sink too much weight into your heels, causing your feet to stick out in front of you, which will instantly toss you onto your behind).

GWEN POULIN

A: The term “jump” describes the bounce or loft in a horse’s canter stride, which depends on both the amount of time his body is suspended in the air when all four of his feet are off the ground and the spacing between each footfall. Horses naturally gifted with good jump have a great deal of suspension, or “air time,” as well as a very clear, distinct three-beat rhythm. They articulate their footsteps in a way that makes it easy for their riders and bystanders to distinguish each beat.

Less talented horses have a quicker, flatter, earthbound gait. Instead of the three beats sounding clear and spread out, they are muddled together. Although it is the hardest of the gaits to influence, the canter can be improved. To do so, you must have a good seat, an excellent sense of rhythm and well-timed aids. Because poorly timed aids can actually quicken and flatten a horse’s canter stride, it’s very important to develop a good feel for what your horse is doing underneath you and pay close attention to how he responds to your aids.

The first step is learning to flow with his canter. While trying to keep your seat connected to the saddle at all times, relax your inner thighs and feel the way his ribs expand and contract with each stride. Allow your legs to “breathe” with his body, opening and closing with it. Avoid squeezing or gripping with your thighs, which will kill his jump.

Next, focus on his rhythm. Count out loud: “one–two–three, one–two–three.” The first beat is the moment when the outside hind leg is loaded—bearing the weight of your horse’s body. By squeezing your outside leg during this moment, you can ask for more jump in the canter.

The third beat of the canter is the moment when your horse’s inside front leg is on the ground and he is preparing to push himself up into the air. This is the best time to apply half-halt aids to encourage him to rock his body even higher and thus create more suspension.

To produce a good half-halt, sit in the middle of the saddle with your ear, shoulder, hip and heel in a straight line, while engaging your core and bracing your back. (For readers familiar with karate, this is much like the feeling of a karate stance. I help my students practice by standing next to them when they’re mounted and trying to push them off the horse. The strong, centered feeling they use to resist my pressure is the same feeling you want to have during your half-halts.) Then—always after your seat aid—add a little rein pressure without pulling your hands backward.

How often you use half-halts to influence your horse’s canter depends on how balanced he is. Sometimes you need only an occasional half-halt; other times, you may need one every stride. Experiment with different frequencies and ask yourself, “How does he feel?” before and after each half-halt. As you become more aware of what he’s doing underneath you, your judgment about when to use half-halts will improve.

Incorporate half-halts into the following exercise to create more canter jump: On a 20-meter circle, push your horse forward into a bigger canter, using your leg aids within the rhythm to ask for more “gas.” After four or five strides, apply half-halts to ask him to gradually shorten his canter and then make four or five smaller-than-normal strides. Repeat this forward-and-back exercise several times. You should feel him grow more elastic over his back, which will help him to articulate each beat of the canter and lengthen his air time.

Practicing canter–trot–canter transitions on a 20-meter circle can be similarly beneficial. Aim to do about two transitions per circle. You will feel the most jump in your horse’s canter in the first few strides after the upward transition. As he gets more pliable through his body, he’ll be able to sustain this better-quality gait for longer periods of time.

More advanced riders can practice canter–walk–canter transitions. Doing these effectively requires much more refined timing. Another helpful, advanced-level exercise is to start with the above-mentioned big-canter/small-canter transitions on a circle, then ride across a diagonal and continue around the ring in counter-canter. Ride across another diagonal and return to your circle to repeat the big-canter/small-canter transitions.

With any of these exercises, consciously tap into your feel of the horse. Rather than simply following the directions step-by-step, think about the rhythm and balance, always focusing on the quality of the canter. Live within the moment and the exercise. Make the transitions when your horse feels soft and receptive to your aids, not when he’s stiff or flat. With practice, your timing of the aids will improve and he will begin to produce more jump.

Gwen Poulin’s career path started when she was 11, with a 5-year-old Welsh Pony named Robin. With him, she earned her U.S. Dressage Federation bronze and silver medals and competed on the bronze-medal team at the first Junior Dressage Team Championships in 1997. She went on to win three team gold and two individual silver medals at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships. Since then, she has earned her USDF gold medal and trained several horses to the upper levels. In 2009, Gwen won the USDF Region 3 Open Grand Prix Championship. In 2014, she placed 10th in the 6-year-old division at the Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships on her “dream horse,” Fleury’s Fanfare (featured on this April’s cover of Practical Horseman) and also won both the Region 3 Open First Level and Intermediaire II championships.

Gwen loves teaching students of all levels, ages and disciplines. She travels frequently to give clinics and runs her teaching and training business at her family’s facility in DeLeon Springs, Florida. She is also in the USDF “r” judges program, which, she says, “I am very passionate about.”

This article originally appeared in the September 2015 issue of Practical Horseman.