Colleen discusses and demonstrates how she rides a half-halt with her body, which helps the horse balance back, keep his energy, but not fall on his forehand. A proper half-halt will help the horse rebalance, change the horse’s tempo or let the horse know something different is coming up.
Up Next in Dressage
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Using Half-Halts - Part 2
Using the half-halts in a well-trained horse shows how the horse gathers and engages himself. Colleen also explains what happens when she doesn’t execute a half-halt as well as she should have and what she could do to improve it.
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Using Half-Halts - Part 3
Colleen rides a younger mare that struggles more with her balance. This requires more half-halts to keep her hind legs coming up underneath herself. When the horse loses her balance, she also loses her confidence. The half-halts are important to help the horse keep her balance.
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Completion of the Halt
The complete halt is the culmination of the half-halts. Having the horse thinking forward even in the halt shows that the horse is in front of the leg.
