When is a circle actually a volte?

DabDab

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This is a question that I have been dying to ask since I was about 15, but have never been brave enough for fear that it was a really stupid obvious answer.

Originally I was told that a volte was a small circle that was a specific number of strides, starting and ending at the same point. I think that the number of strides that I was quoted back then was 8, but either way it would vary depending on the length of horse's stride. But then they are in dressage tests with a size given in metres....?

Baffling.

Please feel free to add your questions that you've never quite plucked up the courage to ask :biggrin3:
 

Shay

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In a dressage test it is given as 6m. Normally 6 - 8 strides using the inside hind - but you would get to know your own horse.

Forums are great places to ask questions!
 

milliepops

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The FEI tests def specify 8m "voltes" so presumably modern use is a little more fluid.

Sure I've got some daft questions, I will scratch my head and report back :D
 

DabDab

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In a dressage test it is given as 6m. Normally 6 - 8 strides using the inside hind - but you would get to know your own horse.

Forums are great places to ask questions!

But no, but it isn't! In AM I'm pretty sure that there are 10m 'volte' s...... And also 10m circles....

I could just about cope I think with a volte being 8m and smaller, though I still don't really see the point in giving it a whole separate name.

Good to know that there is no actual difference though :p
 

nikicb

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I always remember riding 'demi-voltes' ie half circles, then back to the track. It's funny how words and phrases drop in and out of fashion.

If anyone can give me a good way of remembering which is renvers and which is travers I would be grateful. For some reason I can just never remember them with confidence so always use haunches in and haunches out, which is fine until I go to a clinic and they use travers/renvers. ;)
 

Gusbear

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I used to always get confused as relatively new to dressage. I simply remember the first letter of each word. R as in Rump to the wall for renvers, T in Travers for Tail in. Works for me. Now if I could just remember all the dressage marker letters I might get somewhere. ��
 

Cortez

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I always remember riding 'demi-voltes' ie half circles, then back to the track. It's funny how words and phrases drop in and out of fashion.

If anyone can give me a good way of remembering which is renvers and which is travers I would be grateful. For some reason I can just never remember them with confidence so always use haunches in and haunches out, which is fine until I go to a clinic and they use travers/renvers. ;)


Renvers: bum to wall, shoulders on 1/4 line, bend to outside; travers: bum to 1/4 line, shoulders on wall, bend to inside.
 

nikicb

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I used to always get confused as relatively new to dressage. I simply remember the first letter of each word. R as in Rump to the wall for renvers, T in Travers for Tail in. Works for me. Now if I could just remember all the dressage marker letters I might get somewhere. ��

Ah, but tail and rump are the same things really so remembering which is in and which is out is like doing the hokey cokey! Rear to the wall and Tongue (not literally!) to the wall was the best I came up with. :) x
 

DabDab

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Ah, but tail and rump are the same things really so remembering which is in and which is out is like doing the hokey cokey! Rear to the wall and Tongue (not literally!) to the wall was the best I came up with. :) x

It's a bit of a mental block for me too :eek:
I don't know if I can really explain this (it's a bit weird and wonderful) - I imagine that the alphabet is written in a line from way outside the school to inside the school (perpendicular to the track), and the track I'm riding is on 's', therefore 'r' for renvers is to the outside and 't' for Travers is on the inside

:D
 

nikicb

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It's a bit of a mental block for me too :eek:
I don't know if I can really explain this (it's a bit weird and wonderful) - I imagine that the alphabet is written in a line from way outside the school to inside the school (perpendicular to the track), and the track I'm riding is on 's', therefore 'r' for renvers is to the outside and 't' for Travers is on the inside

:D

"By Jove! I think she's got it!" Thank you - this is perfect. And you could also say that S represents 'straight'. So on the right rein, reading from left to right..... 'R'envers, 'S'traight, 'T'ravers. :D :D :D
 
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