Square halt

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Grace has a real issue with halting square and no matter how hard I work on it, she always leaves her back right leg trailing, or even worse she just rests it and looks very chilled out (when she has been catapaulting around the test
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).

I have tried really collecting the walk (a great tip from someone I have lessons with) which works but then when it comes to a test situation and you have to do a trot to halt transition it just goes back to being horrible
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I know it is a training thing and something that will improve (at least I am hoping that will happen) but I was wondering whether anyone else has this problem or whether Grace is just being a pain in general
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She comes into her centre line poker straight and the three affiliated tests we have done they have all said the same thing: lovely straight centre line, a shame she didn't halt square.

*Added by admin*: See how Michael Eilberg teaches his horses to halt square every time at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/michael-eilberg-how-to-achieve-a-square-halt-video-509813
 
do you think is contected with your counter canter issues. Reading your reply after lesson i would suggest it's all connected.
But also i would practise trot to walk transtion then back up to trot, down to through walk to halt, chuck a rein back in aswell, this will make sure hocks are underneath you. IMO i personnel would say, once your on on top of straightness issue, she'll do halt just aswell as any other pace. I get told you need to practise halt as much as anyother pace. I would also suggest that you make the halt progessive down from trot. Not a bang HALT
 
And try a slight cheat make it a slight progressive trans, so one ot two steps of halt for extra balance
 
Agree with above re. The actuall transition. It is more than ecceptable to have a one or two steps of walk in between, to allow for a smoother transition, which will help you to stay straight, and probably use less contact. This in turn may allow her to bring her hocks right under her..

Also check you are applying an even amount of pressure with both reins and both legs, some horses can be very sensitive to this and it will stop them from coming through from behind in the halt
 
Nope, unfortunately it's not
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Would be so much easier if it was
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She is dead straight when we come up the centre line, and is really quite easy to sit back on her hocks. There is absolutely no reason why she is not standing square (the other person I have a lesson with was a bit flumoxed and just said it is something that will come with time and not to get too preoccupied with it).

I do lots of transitions through my schooling because she is still learning a lot through these... and it is not too bad when I do it progressively. Like I said, when I collect her walk up she halts square, but other times she just rests her right leg or leaves it behind. It is the resting which is causing more problems, a leg left behind can be adjusted quite easily
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Strange horse.
 
Thanks, I wasn't sure I would be able to get away with doing this... perhaps I am getting tense as we come into the halt in a competition atmoshphere because I know it is a problem that needs working on. If I could walk just two strides then maybe I could get her more square rather than coming straight down from trot.

(Incidentally, when I ask for canter to halt when I have been playing with her, she is dead square... grrrr!)
 
i would defo do halt progessive - this is what i have to do trot, sit think boucy trot into walk (this bring hocks underneath) 2 strides of walk, to Halt
i am going still suggest that once to sort your straightness out in counter canter, doing this via laying down correct muscle. Halt will be very established and square
 
Also ,think of allowing the horse to stop by this I mean as the horse responds to your aids of growing tall from your waist up and long from your waist down, closing your leg and resisiting with the hand,just as you feel the horse about to halt slightly allow with the hand so that the pace can finish square,without the horse leaning on your hand and able to bring the leg under without leaning on the forehand
 
I was having non swuare halts and trainer said had to ride more forward into the halt? Rather than riding backwards ride forward and voila!
 
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