Your best description of a half halt in one sentence🙄

[canteron]

So new teacher, new horse, new description, one confused brain. Love to hear Your (hopefully simple) description!!

Or maybe the problem is that is it actually something that has to be tailored to each combination and how they are riding that day and isn't simple???

 

[Mule]

Rebalance

 

[YorksG]

"Steady"

 

[Goldenstar]

Ah the search for the holy grail again .

 

[hollyandivy123]

you start to bring the horse back to the previous pace and then you allow it to continue, so trotting you ask it to slow down for a few strides as though you were about to bring it into walk and then allow the horse forward into trot.....................

 

[Red-1]

Re-balance.

 

[cobgoblin]

A transient tensioning of the riders whole body.

 

[milliepops]

Yeah rebalance was my first thought but it's more than that, it's also a go-ey woah, or a woah-ey go😂
I half half if the balance is falling apart but also to increase the power when balance is already good- revving the hindlegs while slowing the front ones. Also to improve connection and thoroughness... that's why it's so complicated to put into a sentence.

I think for me a half halt is a specific moment where you adjust the current pace to develop it or prepare for something.
How you do that depends on the horse, its temperament, degree of training and reactivity.

Good question!

 

[Mahoganybay]

To bring your horse into an improved state of balance.

I use it for every change of gait, balance, movement, or exercise.

 

[Melody Grey]

Engage brain

 

[oldie48]

I like MPs goey-whoa or whoa-go, with Rose it's a goey-whoa get your shoulders up and step under behind. Well that's the theory!

 

[Palindrome]

Squeeze bum cheeks/upper tights and hold up upper body, then close hands briefly.

 

[shortstuff99]

In Portugal they used to always say it to me as 'half-stop' and I think that actually makes it easier to get your head around. You are basically halfway to a stop for rebalance and preparation. The more advanced you get the more subtle it is.

 

[Twohorses]

The term was not invented when I was learning.

My grandfather used to tell me to "whoa that horse back a little and get his attention."

Or more simply put, In the words of Melody Grey, "Engage brain".

 

[ycbm]

Tighten the little plastic collar that holds the six tins together. 🤣

 

[Cragrat]

This:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1549830571731431

 

[AdorableAlice]

‘And wait’ is how I think of the half halt.

 

[minesadouble]

I think of it as 'listen to me'

 

[Blu]

Watch 'return to tallin' on H&C . Watching some one else have a lesson makes it clearer . Or it does to me .😁x

 

[JFTDWS]

"The "and" before the command... "aaand walk". For dressage, I tend to think up not forward - a re-balance.

 

[Auslander]

"Breath in through your bottom, breathe out though your bottom"...
He was German

 

[Sheep]

Not sure if this is really correct, but for me it is kind of a subtle, momentary & simultaneous contraction of muscles from calf to core inc.triceps & glutes. It works on my 2 anyway!

 

[tristar]

half halt is what it says on the tin, you do half a halt, but before the horse changes pace you ask it to go forwards again simple

 

[tallyho!]

"Breath in through your bottom, breathe out though your bottom"...
He was German

Errrr... okaaayyyyy. Only a man could say that.

I have to agree with Tristar. It's not that complicated.

 

[DabDab]

'take a breath in the movement'
You know like when you're stretching your body and you inhale then exhale to increase/change the stretch, or when you're doing something intricate with your hands and you take a deep breath to regain the intricacy and control of your hand movements....a half halt is like those take a breath to increase focus moments.

And like MP, sometimes it's an energizing breath and sometimes it's a gathering together to move with more precision and control breath.

 

[PapaverFollis]

The in-breath before the next note.