Gamebird
Well-Known Member
I've been trying to knock our half-pass into a test-worthy state tonight and had Supergroom watching, helping (she's much more dressagey than me) and providing the beers .
We both have the same dressage trainer, though have both been to several other people over the years and would both teach half-pass by moving the horse onto the diagonal, pointing its head to the marker you're aiming at (eg. F if you start at H) then asking for shoulder-in along the diagonal. If you get a few good steps straighten up and either circle away or finish the diagonal line straight so that you don't keep riding it until it falls apart.
Both of us find canter easier than trot. I'm quite happy to approach it from the travers direction rather than shoulder-in but I think that as long as both movements are established it doesn't really manage which angle () you approach from.
We were also discussing an article I'd seen by Spencer Wilton who said that HP is ALL about the inside leg. Now I find this very difficult as for me it's about the outside leg so obviously I'm going wrong somewhere. I suspect he would say that I'm using too much inside rein and not enough inside leg. I did however prove my point by demonstrating a pretty much perfect walk HP holding my inside leg about a foot off my horse's side ie. not using it at all. I would, though, find it impossible to create such a good SI without my inside leg.
All a bit random really but can anyone help with my theoretical understanding and help me a bit more with the importance of creating bend/impulsion with the inside leg?
We both have the same dressage trainer, though have both been to several other people over the years and would both teach half-pass by moving the horse onto the diagonal, pointing its head to the marker you're aiming at (eg. F if you start at H) then asking for shoulder-in along the diagonal. If you get a few good steps straighten up and either circle away or finish the diagonal line straight so that you don't keep riding it until it falls apart.
Both of us find canter easier than trot. I'm quite happy to approach it from the travers direction rather than shoulder-in but I think that as long as both movements are established it doesn't really manage which angle () you approach from.
We were also discussing an article I'd seen by Spencer Wilton who said that HP is ALL about the inside leg. Now I find this very difficult as for me it's about the outside leg so obviously I'm going wrong somewhere. I suspect he would say that I'm using too much inside rein and not enough inside leg. I did however prove my point by demonstrating a pretty much perfect walk HP holding my inside leg about a foot off my horse's side ie. not using it at all. I would, though, find it impossible to create such a good SI without my inside leg.
All a bit random really but can anyone help with my theoretical understanding and help me a bit more with the importance of creating bend/impulsion with the inside leg?
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