Exercises to improve half pass

[Fuzzypuff]

I've been working in particular on my half pass recently, and having had a couple of lessons working on it there has been a lot of improvement which is great! However I was wondering if you lovely people might suggest some exercises to help me work on it please.

So far we have done a bit of half pass, to shoulder in, to half pass, which I was finding quite hard as was losing the shoulder, so we moved on to doing a zig zag from hp to leg yield to hp which has helped massively. I was also thinking I might do a 10m circle into hp, another circle etc. Any thoughts on others I can do?

 

[P4NN]

What you are doing sounds great! Don't forget the ground base in which the half pass is started so do some travers along the long side of the arena turning them into shoulder in half way down. Walk pirouettes are also a good exercise to get your horse moving of your leg.

 

[zizz]

Assume this is in trot? Shoulder in to renvers helped with mine, keeping control of the shoulder and connecting to outside rein. Actually found travers didn't help, so much as fence did most of the work and didn't make me take control with the outside rein aid. Also riding two steps sideways two steps forward helps stop them getting stuck, but be exact on how many steps in which direction

 

[star]

HP, 10m circle, HP, 10m circle, HP etc is good.

Also, HP into leg yield into HP into leg yield - not on a zig zag though - by changing the bend and continuing across the diagonal.

 

[Simon Battram]

Any lateral work is improved when the horses lateral suppleness and bending improves.

I would start by checking your basics.
- Rider position, both generally and through the lateral work
- The crisp reaction to the forward driving aids
- The acceptance of the bit via a relaxed jaw
- Correct flexion through the throatlash area
- Correct bending through the whole body

Then start with long and low in walk and trot. Obtain a really good stretch down, with the horse swinging through the body with active steps and seeking the hand.

At this level I would then include trotting a series of 10m circles. In a 20m x 60m school ride a 10m circle from each of the 5 markers down the long side. Looking for ease of bend, rhythm, softness to hand and straightness (each hindleg following its respective front leg). Change the rein and repeat.

Then look at the shoulder-in, in trot. Check for correct angle, flexion and bend and flow through. Then you can start to add tempo variations in the trot in the shoulder-in and / or trot-walk-trot or trot-halt-trot transitions whilst in the shoulder-in angle.

I tend not to use travers on the straight line as this encourages the natural crookedness of the horse. On a circle fine but on the long side shoulder-in to renver to shoulder-in.

I use this combination exercise to really help the half pass. Start in walk, right rein:
K - V: shoulder-in
V - 10m circle in shoulder-in
V - E shoulder-in
E - increase angle and change to the 4 track renver
S - half 10m circle in renver
This sets you for half pass from I to between P & F.

 

[Blythe Spirit]

Here is one my instructor showed me in walk or trot ride across the long diagonal first ride straight then into travers along the line then move the travers quite gradually at first into half pass. I found that doing travers there was tricky at first but defo Improved my half pass

 

[HufflyPuffly]

posted to soon!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

We are only just learning this so no wisdom from me, and I'm following this thread closely. my instructor however had a lovely exercise for starting half pass today that could help?
Down the centre line in shoulder in then a few steps sideways in half pass then straight and shoulder in then sideways again etc. simple but really worked for us and kept Topaz round my inside leg.
x x

 

[Fuzzypuff]

Thank you everyone, lots of good ideas!

What you are doing sounds great! Don't forget the ground base in which the half pass is started so do some travers along the long side of the arena turning them into shoulder in half way down. Walk pirouettes are also a good exercise to get your horse moving of your leg.

Travers to SI I think I will find tricky, will give it a go! Walk pirouettes are the bane of my life...

Assume this is in trot? Shoulder in to renvers helped with mine, keeping control of the shoulder and connecting to outside rein. Actually found travers didn't help, so much as fence did most of the work and didn't make me take control with the outside rein aid. Also riding two steps sideways two steps forward helps stop them getting stuck, but be exact on how many steps in which direction

Yes in trot, his canter HP comes much more easily. Will definitely try SI to renvers, I think it will definitely help in the way that you say. I have found travers on the track doesn't help either, I am now riding it on a circle which is helping more.

HP, 10m circle, HP, 10m circle, HP etc is good.

Also, HP into leg yield into HP into leg yield - not on a zig zag though - by changing the bend and continuing across the diagonal.

The 10m circle one is the one I thought I'd do next

I'm not convinced by the HP into LY the same way though, have been taught not to do this. Did your trainer explain why you do it?

Any lateral work is improved when the horses lateral suppleness and bending improves.

I would start by checking your basics.
- Rider position, both generally and through the lateral work
- The crisp reaction to the forward driving aids
- The acceptance of the bit via a relaxed jaw
- Correct flexion through the throatlash area
- Correct bending through the whole body

Then start with long and low in walk and trot. Obtain a really good stretch down, with the horse swinging through the body with active steps and seeking the hand.

At this level I would then include trotting a series of 10m circles. In a 20m x 60m school ride a 10m circle from each of the 5 markers down the long side. Looking for ease of bend, rhythm, softness to hand and straightness (each hindleg following its respective front leg). Change the rein and repeat.

Then look at the shoulder-in, in trot. Check for correct angle, flexion and bend and flow through. Then you can start to add tempo variations in the trot in the shoulder-in and / or trot-walk-trot or trot-halt-trot transitions whilst in the shoulder-in angle.

I tend not to use travers on the straight line as this encourages the natural crookedness of the horse. On a circle fine but on the long side shoulder-in to renver to shoulder-in.

I use this combination exercise to really help the half pass. Start in walk, right rein:
K - V: shoulder-in
V - 10m circle in shoulder-in
V - E shoulder-in
E - increase angle and change to the 4 track renver
S - half 10m circle in renver
This sets you for half pass from I to between P & F.

Thanks Simon, most of the above we are doing in our warmup - always do 10 mins walk followed by stretching trot and canter, then back to walk and SI and travers on a 10m circle, sometimes some LY on the wall. Then depending on how he is feeling into trot or canter and some transitions, either trot/walk or canter/trot, then onto working on giving in the ribcage with SI and travers on a 10m circle again, incorporating on and back and then moving onto collecting more. Will definitely try that exercise you have given, I think renvers could make a big difference to us!

Here is one my instructor showed me in walk or trot ride across the long diagonal first ride straight then into travers along the line then move the travers quite gradually at first into half pass. I found that doing travers there was tricky at first but defo Improved my half pass

So which way does the half pass go? I'm struggling to get my head around how this would look!

We are only just learning this so no wisdom from me, and I'm following this thread closely. my instructor however had a lovely exercise for starting half pass today that could help?
Down the centre line in shoulder in then a few steps sideways in half pass then straight and shoulder in then sideways again etc. simple but really worked for us and kept Topaz round my inside leg.
x x

Thanks this is what I was doing originally but it wasn't really working for us, which is why we moved to the hp/ly zigzag, and I was looking for other alternatives to try.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Thanks this is what I was doing originally but it wasn't really working for us, which is why we moved to the hp/ly zigzag, and I was looking for other alternatives to try.

I did realise after I posted , read the thread, went away and had my lesson and got carried away replying .

We also did travers around the corner onto the CL and then into half pass to maintain more bend around the inside leg, but as I say I'm a little way behind you guys so following for tips for me too .
When we were preparing we did lots of SI to travers down the long sides to really get her listening and bending, and then did a 10m circle before the CL with her in SI and then onto the CL and then asked her to go sideways which seemed to work, but we are only asking a step or two at the moment.

I hope you get more sense and useful advice from the above posters , I'm just a bit giddy starting to feel like a real dressage combination now .

x x

 

[Blythe Spirit]

Hello there Fuzzy Puff you asked "So which way does the half pass go? I'm struggling to get my head around how this would look!" so imagine it ridden starting on the right rein and turning right at M heading towards K get onto that line then asking right bend move quarters away from your left leg into travers along the long diagonal as you get near to X start to move shoulders to the right so you slip into half pass towards K - ideally hit track in half pass change bend and on you go....

 

[Fuzzypuff]

I did realise after I posted , read the thread, went away and had my lesson and got carried away replying .

We also did travers around the corner onto the CL and then into half pass to maintain more bend around the inside leg, but as I say I'm a little way behind you guys so following for tips for me too .
When we were preparing we did lots of SI to travers down the long sides to really get her listening and bending, and then did a 10m circle before the CL with her in SI and then onto the CL and then asked her to go sideways which seemed to work, but we are only asking a step or two at the moment.

I hope you get more sense and useful advice from the above posters , I'm just a bit giddy starting to feel like a real dressage combination now .

x x

Ha no worries The travers into it is good, I don't quite do that but do try and keep the feeling like I am about to do a 10m circle coming off the bend so that I have the control to ask the outside hind to step over. I was coming off the corner and setting up in shoulder in as this is what I was told to do, before then asking for half pass, but I was finding the front end would run off and I had totally lost the back end. My horse thinks he knows best and likes to take over! I've been doing the SI to travers but on a 10m circle rather than down long sides, that works well to prepare but also over the time I've been doing it I've felt a massive difference in suppleness. Doing it in walk at the end of the warmup really really helps him too

I hope you got some useful ideas out of this too, let us know how you get on!

Edited to add I'm going to try your 10m circle in SI then into HP too as I'm interested to see how that goes with him. Am keen to get to a point where I can do the SI into HP as I was originally trying to do.

Hello there Fuzzy Puff you asked "So which way does the half pass go? I'm struggling to get my head around how this would look!" so imagine it ridden starting on the right rein and turning right at M heading towards K get onto that line then asking right bend move quarters away from your left leg into travers along the long diagonal as you get near to X start to move shoulders to the right so you slip into half pass towards K - ideally hit track in half pass change bend and on you go....

I think I need to try this to work it out, will give it a go tonight!

 

[star]

It was Roland Tong who had me doing HP into LY and back again rather than usual trainer. Have seen Damian Hallam do it a lot with Caroline too. Just to do with getting them to change the bend but keep the sideways movement.

 

[Fuzzypuff]

Ok so I rode the exercise Simon gave with the renvers, in walk and then trot. Loved this! It was much harder on one rein than the other so will definitely keep on with this one. I can see how the renvers really helps the setup for the half pass and I really like going from shoulder in to renvers so will keep on with this outside of this exercise too. I haven't really done renvers with George before but think it is going to be super helpful I think I'm going to incorporate a bit of SI to renvers in walk into our warmup.

I also did 10m circle - half pass - 10m circle and liked this too, it went surprisingly well so the work is clearly paying off! I didn't get time to do anything else, so still have yet to have a go at the diagonal line and also the ly. We then ran through M75 and he kept trying to half pass off every corner He gets all excited when he thinks he knows what he's doing!!

Thanks everyone, this has been really useful.

 

[JFTDWS]

I was riding SI to renvers in a lesson on Friday too, and found it really made a difference to his HP

This thread makes for interesting reading!

 

[Simon Battram]

I am glad that the exercise was helpful. A comment to throw in:
Shoulder-in, as far as competition goes, is an exercise on 3 tracks; travers and renver are ridden on 4 tracks. So when riding the exercise I achieve the 3 track shoulder-in and just before changing the bend I carefully increase the angle then change the bend to renver.

The fact that you found the exercise easier one way and harder the other is absolutely normal and down to the horses natural one sidedness.
Happy half passing!!