balance – Horse Listening

5 Ways To Be A Confident Horse Rider

We all know that we should be riding horses with confidence.

We know that horses can literally sense our state of mind - not through some heebie-jeebie magical mythical powers, but quite simply because they feel us through the saddle. They feel our aids, our balance... and our hesitance.

But we can do something about that.

It's possible that some riders have more intrinsic confidence than others. But confidence is the by-product of the skills we learn. Here are five ways you can learn to improve your confidence while in the saddle.

1. Let the horse move.

It takes a certain amount of courage to let the horse really move underneath you. Many of us tend to hold back the horse and ourselves using the reins - to slow down, contain, "collect" (probably not really but that's what we're thinking we're doing), and even hang on. Sometimes, we also hold back physically, getting behind in the horse's movement.

I don't mean that the horse should run off and we should do nothing. We should always strive for connection, balance and straightness. We should always be watching to maintain correct rhythm and a good tempo for our horse.

But it's more about letting the horse find his balance, energize enough to be able to use his hind end, and flow in the gait. If you can allow the movement, you might be surprised at first about how much ground a horse can cover in relatively few strides. It might feel powerful and strong.

Your body has to get used to the movement. Sometimes, you might have to consciously work to stay with the horse, especially in the upper body.

2. Never mind the bobbles.

A confident rider lets the bobbles roll off her back. In other words, if the horse takes a misstep, or goes for a little romp, the confident rider has enough skill to roll with the flow, as it were, and still be there at the end to ride on. She goes through all that with little stress and maybe a giggle. The horse feels her confidence and settles.

Now I'm not saying that the confident rider aspires to be a bronc rider. But the bobbles will invariably happen, and the cooler you can be, the quicker you can get back to your rhythm and tempo, the better you and your horse will be in the long run.

Which begs the question: how can you learn to ride the bounce?

Well, you do have to earn the skill to stay on when a horse takes a step sideways or upwards. It helps if you have a great horse (and instructor) to let you develop your seat early in your riding career. Lunging lessons are hard to find but indispensable and the quickest path to a great seat. Otherwise, there is no answer other than ride, ride and ride (many horses if possible). It's about practice, time and experience.

3. Ride with patience and influence.

I've written about patience and how it relates to riding in The #1 Rider Problem of 2016: Patience. Essentially, I feel that riding with patience is a key component of confidence. Riders who can be patient about skill acquisition, practice and self-development invariably become composed, confident riders.

What does patience look like?

the rider who looks to herself to improve the horse's movement.
the willingness to wait a little longer for the horse's response.
knowing that finishing on a good note is more than enough from a day's ride - even if the desired movement was not perfectly achieved.

When a rider has influence over the horse, she can be effective. Influence is evident by the rider's ability to get the horse's calm, relaxed response. She makes immediate corrections (or anticipates problems so that they don't appear in the first place). She uses small aids that "go through." She maintains her balance while she improves her horse's balance. She sets her horse up for success.

4. Stay open in your torso.

You can probably spot a defensive or fearful rider by their posture. And so it is the same with the confident rider.

If you can maintain tone and strength in your upper body, you can stay "open" in your torso. This means that your upper body is tall and stays tall through movement. Your shoulder blades are dropped down and together enough that your shoulders are even and square. Your hips are open enough to allow your core to move freely with the horse's back. Your chin is parallel to the ground and your eyes are looking between your horse's ears.

The opposite is the ever-common fetal position (when the rider hunches over and falls toward the horse's neck), rounded shoulders, looking down and carrying tension in the body.

You can fake this till you make it.

5. Breathe.

Finally, a confident rider breathes. In every gait. Through all the figures.

Because lack of breath pretty much ensures tension, tightness, and being forced to have to stop before you're done with the movement.

If you have to collapse at the end of a canter set (or similar), you know that you're probably not breathing. If you find yourself huffing and puffing, see if you can make it a point to breathe in and out in rhythm with your horse's strides.

If you want, you can try counting out loud, or do what I make my students do - sing along in tempo with your horse's movement. The singing takes you out of your left brain and into your right, makes you breathe and acts as a calming influence for you and your horse.

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Personally signed books available! Give the best gift for the horse lover in your life (or for yourself! ). Send me a message for more information.

From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

"There are many reasons why we enjoy riding horses. Maybe one of the most appealing facets of riding is the sense of freedom: freedom from our own limitations, freedom from gravity, freedom to (literally) roam the Earth. Time stands still while we have the privilege of feeling movement from the back of our four-legged friend.

Riding gives us the place to just be.

Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.

But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."

And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.

This book is geared toward the rider:

- the rider's motivations

- the essential skills for the rider

- some specific strategies

- solutions to common problems

- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience

Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!

Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

Available in paperback or digital versions.

The Five Stages of a Transition

We can all use work on our transitions. I think even the most educated horse and rider can always develop better transitions. There are so many things to work on if you stop to really think about the different stages that horses and riders go through as they become more secure in their aids.

Whether you are working on upward transitions or downward, progressive or non-progressive, there are certain aspects to look for in every well executed gait change.

With young horses, you'll reward even a successful effort. Once your horse has developed enough strength and balance, you can have higher expectations. Some horse/rider combinations can go through the first three or four stages over the course of a few months. Others can take longer - it all depends on each partner. Irrespective of the time it might take to go through these stages, it's good to be aware of how transitions can progress from the basic to the more advanced.

Let's start at the beginning.

Gait Change

The first goal we have for young or untrained horses is to get the transition in the first place. At this stage, we should be working mostly on communicating that the horse's legs need to change gait when we ask for it. So if your horse does change gait, you let him know he's on the right track.

You don't really concern yourself with any bobbles or hiccups along the way. If he falls to the forehand or sideways, you accept it and help him rebalance a few strides after the transition. If he rushes into the next gait, you ride the rush and do your best to harmonize. If he throws his head up or down, you allow it as long as it isn't dangerous. He is putting effort into doing what you want and you don't want to stifle his attempts in any way.

You are only developing a method of communication at this point. Encourage him when your horse begins to understand.

Throughness

The next thing to work toward is how well your horse allows his (and your) energy to "come through" during the transition. So this is when fluidity becomes more of a factor. If you put energy in (through seat and legs), it should be transferred through the horse so that he can not only change his legs to the new gait, but also allow his hind legs to step deeper underneath his body, and his top line to round even just a little.

By allowing his energy through, the horse can begin to become more supple and less tense. At this point, doing the transition can improve all of his gaits, especially because he is becoming more "ahead of the leg" (which just means that he is able to allow his energy in the front end as in the hind end).

Make sure that you are ready for an energy surge. If your horse truly "amps up" his energy, you need to ride it, not get left behind. Go with him and teach him that it's good to reach forward, especially going into and out of a transition.

Balance

At this point, you can become more careful about your horse maintaining balance before and after the transition. In my opinion, doing this sooner in his education might cause him to become reluctant to go forward. So first make sure he is willing and confident in making the transition in the first place.

A good transition is done from the hind end. So now you can ask your horse to balance just a bit to the hind end before and after heading into the new gait. This is when effective half-halts become critical.

You can prepare for a transition with two or three half-halts (in rhythm with your horse's strides), do the transition, and then half-halt again once or twice to help the horse from falling to the forehand. So basically, you are asking for balance before the legs change and then balance again after the legs are in the new gait. As your horse becomes stronger, your balancing requests can become shorter and lighter, but you may need to be "there" for your horse in the beginning.

Precision

Once you have a forward, through and balanced transition, you can start to become really picky - and expect it to happen in a specific place. So let's say you are on the rail and you decide the transition should happen in the corner before A (this is an easy way to start with a young or inexperienced horse). So give yourself three to five strides to get the transition, while you ride through that corner.

Another time, try it coming out of a corner. So you pass A and give yourself three to five strides for the transition. Try to prevent your horse from falling in off the rail at this point - you just want a leg change without a deek or a dive or a fall to the forehand.

As your horse becomes more proficient, you can start asking at a letter. For example, pick the letter A and make your transition as your leg and shoulder passes the letter. Prepare ahead of time and then ask as you go by. Then pick another letter further down the rail for another transition. Turn it into a game and see how accurate you both can become.

Finally

This last stage is really just the icing on the cake. Once you have precision, you can really get down to working on becoming invisible. It's all well and good to be able to be effective, but you can't stop there. If you haven't already developed super quiet aids in the process, now is the time to learn to "whisper". By now, your horse is on your aids, willing and confident, round and balanced, and working with you on a moment's notice.

There really should be very little that onlookers should be able to observe. No pulling, no loss of balance, no flailing legs, no falling of the upper body, no boisterous voice command - nothing. If they watch you ride, they see nothing - except, of course, that the horse made the transition beautifully, seemingly on his own accord. Just plain, simple harmony.

Well, that is what we're all aiming for anyway. I do know it can be done, but I also know it might take some of us years to accomplish consistent, accurate, soft transitions. But isn't this why we're in it for the long haul? There is always something more to learn and another goal to reach.

What stage are you and your horse at in your transitions? Is there anything you can add to the above system? Please comment below.

Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

Available as an eBook or paperback.

From the Book:

"But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.
Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.
Or not."
Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.
The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:

happier in his body

happier in his "work"

better balanced all-around
Available in eBook or paperback.

What’s Your Stickability Factor?

buck — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

When your horse decides to express himself, do you ride it out? Or do you panic?

Of course, we'd all like to say that we can just float along while the horse shakes, rattles and rolls (the equine version) but it does stand true that stickability is probably one of the strongest determining factors of how well you can work with your horse rather than against him. Without being able to ride through a bobble, you will almost likely always be at the very least, left behind, and at the worst, left without (a horse)!

Where do you fit on this scale? The higher the number, the farther you can go in helping your horse through difficult situations.

0 - No stickability at all

If we aren't at this level now, we definitely were at the beginning of our riding careers. So all of us should know what it feels like to not be able to stick around. It's not a good feeling. The smallest hiccup, and we get to kiss dirt. Not only does it hurt, but it's also very humiliating. Aside from that, it teaches a young horse to lose confidence in the rider, and it plain scares the older, more educated horse - imagine that the horse is doing what he knows he's supposed to do, and before he knows it, off pops the rider!

All kidding aside, hopefully, you will go through this stickability level quickly. If you find you are falling off at any unexpected moment, you probably need to be working on your seat.

1 - Sticks to the horse - sometimes

You will eventually get to a point where you can follow the small misstep/deek/stop/start. This is when your confidence begins to build. Now, if your horse does something unexpected, you can move almost fast enough to right yourself if you lean too far. You can sit through a small buck if the horse happens to go straight and bucks only once. You can grab onto a fistful of mane and drag your body back into the saddle. How many of us have gone through this?

2 - Sticks more often than not

At Level 2, you are beginning to be able to take on more of a challenge. You can now sit through several bucks as long as they aren't too big, wild or sideways. You can keep a more upright body while the horse spooks. Hard starts and stops don't phase you as much. You still have that sinking feeling once in a while, if your horse slips out quickly from underneath you. You fall less often than you used to, and you're generally more sure that you can have a chance to correct the horse once the romp is over.

3 - Stickable

Ah! You have "arrived" once you reach Level 3. At this point, you are able to sit through many of your horse's inconsistencies. Although you still do fall off when something happens when you aren't expecting it, you can stay on most of the time and come through the episode with your senses intact. Not only can you stick, but you can ride well enough to recover your balance within several strides and carry on. The adrenaline you get from the almost-fall is lower in intensity and you have more control over it. If you are riding in a lesson, there is only a small disturbance of the rhythm of the ride and you can usually recover quickly enough to not lose everything you had been working on.

4- Sticks to train

The next level is to be able to stick well enough to ride out most of your horse's expressive maneuvers. This is when your riding can become more about the horse than you. Most Level 4 riders will be able to ride young horses at this stage, because they can handle most of the horse's missteps. This rider will allow a horse to make mistakes and still be there afterward.

If you get to this level, you will start to discover that you have a riding sense of humor. Things don't matter nearly as much as they used to. You will happily enjoy the horse that shows you his personality even if there is some up-and-down hops along the way. Although there are times when you might still be reactive rather than active, most of the ride is intentional and most of the time, you have enough control over your emotions that a bobble can be just that - a bobble.

5- Sticks - almost always

This is the epitome of stickability. Not only will you be able to ride out the young horse's initiatives, not only will you be able to correct the more educated horse's exuberance, but you will be so stickable that with the additional training you have had to get to this level, you will be able to actually improve the horse's way of going. You will be able to ride through problems as if they weren't problems at all. In fact, you will probably be able to stop problems from the get-go.

The only one disadvantage to being completely stickable is that although the probability of falls is drastically reduced, you still can't predict when the horse is going to fall. And if you stay on well enough, there is a chance for you to fall with him if he is the one that does the falling.

What to do

There is always going to be a certain amount of danger when riding horses. You can never eliminate the possibility of falling. However, developing your stickability factor will help you go a long way toward improving both your and your horse's level of confidence.

How can you improve your stickability factor? Work on the seat. There is no other answer.

If you can improve your seat, you can improve your balance, your timing of the aids, your core muscles, your movement with or against the horse - pretty much everything. Lunge lessons are excellent, no matter which level you are at, to help you develop confidence and allow your body to learn to do what it needs to without worrying about where the horse is going.

Everything, including stickability, begins with the seat.

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.

This book is geared toward the rider:

- the rider's motivations

- the essential skills for the rider

- some specific strategies

- solutions to common problems

- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience

Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!

Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Move to Stay Still on Horseback

seat3 — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

It is true what they say - that horseback riders do nothing while the horse does all the work.

At least, that is what we all aspire to make it look like!

The best riders are the ones that make it look effortless - they glide along with their horses, always appearing to be in balance, making imperceptible movements that are barely evident except to the educated eye. Yes, the horse just flows from movement to movement seemingly on his own, as if he clearly knows what to do and where to do it.

But we know what it takes to get to that point. Years of riding and training go into developing the balance, strength and subtlety, never mind the amount of training the horse requires in order to be able to understand and respond to the slightest of aids.

How do we begin to look like we're sitting still, doing nothing on the horse's back?

We learn to move.

As with so many of life's paradoxes, only movement can make us appear to be still on our horses.

(Click to tweet that if you agree.)

The reason: because the horse is moving.

If we truly stayed motionless on top of the horse (which would be nearly impossible due to the movement), we would be awkwardly jerking around in reaction to the horse's body position in the moment in time. Perhaps you've been there before? The horse lurches forward underneath you and you don't! Not only do you end up looking like you were moving on the horse, but it also feels uncomfortably like a mild whiplash.

However - if you learn to move in rhythm with the horse, suddenly, your body flows along in tandem with your equine partner. Within your constant movement, you create the illusion of being stable and unmoving.

What staying still doesn't look like

Don't make the mistake of floating along on top of the horse's back.

Many riders "perch" on their saddles. The horse flows along underneath the rider, but the rider has lifted her seat out of the saddle just enough that she is hovering above the movement. Her seat seems to be still but when the horse canters, she bounces in and out of the saddle. When in sitting trot, even if the horse is just trotting along steadily, the rider is holding herself outside of the movement, rather than becoming "one" with the forward/backward motion of the trot.

The major drawback to perching or hovering above the saddle is that should the horse take one unannounced step, the rider will be either left behind the movement or flung to the side. The rider will not be able to move with the horse in the misstep, and will risk becoming unseated or falling off.

The first essential aspect of sitting still - the independent seat

So long as the rider is relying on only hand or leg aids for balance and control, she will continue to be working outside of the horse's movement.

The rider must learn to sit in the horse, not on the horse.

Charles de Kunffy calls it the "adhesive seat."

It's quite simple, really: the seat must belong to the horse. The difficult part is learning to move so that the seat can belong to the horse!

Where to start?

No blog (however wonderful!) and no book can give you the answer on how to use your seat effectively. (Un)fortunately, you must acquire the help of a competent instructor, and preferably, lunge lessons on a good horse. You need to learn to release your lower back and follow the horse's movements. You have to develop your abdominals so that you can counter the sway in the canter - so your muscles can alternately release and contract to keep your upper body from leaning too far forward or back within the movement.

You must learn to move your seat bones independently of each other, and to be able to maintain soft but controlled legs that do not disturb your balance-in-movement. Once you have movement in the seat bones, you can begin to influence your horse's rhythm, bend, balance and engagement from the seat.

Sometime after developing the coordination needed to begin to ride in the horse, you will suddenly discover that you are looking more and more motionless. But you'll know how much you are in fact moving, within the movement!

Rarely Considered, Often Neglected: Lunging to Develop the Riding Seat

Warning: This post will discuss all things about a region we seldom talk about, never mind actually analyze! So grab a "seat" and come along for the ride...

The Seat

Riding is all about the use of the seat.

No matter how effective you think your seat is, you will likely continue to find a better/more balanced/more sophisticated way to use your seat as you develop your riding skills.

Having said that, you can start "finding" your seat right from the get-go. Before you have even learned to control the horse, you could be developing a secure seat through lunging lessons from a good instructor.

Why Bother With the Seat?

You could argue that you can give all your aids (or cues) to a horse through your hands and legs. You would of course be right - most horses could get by with a basic level of performance by listening to your intentions through your appendages. However, you would always have a sense that something is missing - something more profound and difficult to describe, because the horse will always have moments of disconnection that you won't be able to eliminate in your riding.

You might even catch a horse off-guard and have to overuse your hands to get a downward transition, turn or other maneuver.

Once you discover the true harmony that an effective seat can produce, you may agree that the seat can truly be distinguished as the core of all riding.

If you can free up your hands and legs from creating and maintaining movement, you'll uncover a source of freedom and harmony difficult to describe in words.

Developing a well-balanced and independent riding seat is the task of a lifetime.

Do You Walk, Trot and Canter With Your Seat?

When mounted on the horse, your seat bones effectively become your legs. In other words, your seat bones will do on the horse's back what your legs normally would do on the ground.

If the horse is walking, so too should your seat mirror the movement. Your inside and outside seat bones can walk along with the horse's footfalls, in rhythm, at the same time as the horse's side swings.

In trot and canter, your seat bones move together to follow the arc of the movement of the horse. The better you can release and contract your lower back and seat muscles, the easier it will be for you to follow the horse's back without bouncing against the movement.

On the Lunge

Riding on the lunge is the best way to begin the search for the effective seat. Your instructor controls the horse so you can focus on your balance and coordination. The learning is not mental - in fact, it is purely physical. If you can allow your body to move with the horse's movements, the muscle memory will develop on its own through the repetitive motion of the horse.

Don't get me wrong - it's not like you are going to sit there and let the horse do all the work! That is far from the truth.

Instead, you will be doing your best to allow the horse's movements through your body. You will quickly discover that you must tense and release your muscles, all the way from the top of your head down to your heels, in rhythm, while maintaining enough balance to not fall too far forward or too far backward! It sounds easier than it feels!

However, since you do not have to control the horse, you are free to use your hands to hold on to the pommel of the and pull yourself deeply into the front of the saddle so you can help your core muscles maintain the strength needed for a balanced posture. You can also move the arms and legs into various positions to deepen the looseness in your muscles, stretching your sides one at a time, and creating a deeper seat by moving the positions of the legs.

More advanced lunging can be accomplished through riding without stirrups.Your instructor can teach your body how to deal with sudden lurches from the horse, and even provide opportunities for non-progressive transitions such as walk to canter, where the body has to give through the lower back and seat deeply enough to allow the horse's movements to go seamlessly through you.

There is no other way to finding an effective seat than through lunging, and you will develop an independent seat much quicker than if you have to control the horse on your own. Sadly, there are few instructors who have a suitable horse (a truly steady and reliable lunging horse takes time to develop) and enough marketing clout (to talk beginning riders into going round and round in circles) for the sake of muscle memory.

But lunging is simply the most effective short-cut to becoming the best rider you can be.

Off the Lunge Line

Once off the lunge, you need to learn to control the horse with all your aids. However, thanks to all the work you did developing your muscle memory, your seat will already be willing and able to maintain your balance so you can have better control of your appendages. Because you've already ridden at the walk/trot/canter and handled the non-progressive transitions, there is little left to surprise you when the horse suddenly heads in a different direction or stops without warning. Your seat will take care of any surprises.

Time and again, you can revisit riding on the lunge to maintain or develop an ever deeper and more effective seat. The time you invest on the lunge will be recovered ten-fold through your riding career.

In fact, once you've started working on the lunge, you'll wonder why you didn't do it in the first place.

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Personally signed books available! Give the best gift for the horse lover in your life (or for yourself! ). Send me a message for more information.

From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

Riding gives us the place to just be.

And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.

This book is geared toward the rider:

- the rider's motivations

- the essential skills for the rider

- some specific strategies

- solutions to common problems

- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Interpreting the Half-Halt

We call it the half-halt in the english disciplines, or it is also called the "check" in western riding (I will use "half-halt" in this article to mean both terms). In some ways, the terms are awkward misnomers. We don't really want a half of a halt, although many people characterize it as such. What we really mean by the term is that we want the horse to create or maintain the balance needed to negotiate the next movement.

It is said that the half-halt has different meanings to different people. Certainly, if you ask different instructors to explain how to do a half-halt, you are likely to get several answers that may or may not have much in common.

We all agree on the fact that a half-halt is intended to (re)balance the horse. It helps to maintain a gait, change gaits, change directions and change paces within a gait. We should place half-halts strategically through our movements, and essentially ride "half-halt to half-halt". The more half-halts we include in our ride, the easier the horse can negotiate changes of gait, weight and balance.

What the half-halt is:

- a rebalancing of the horse, promoting a rounder outline and deeper hind leg stride

- a "heads up" moment to let the horse know that a change is coming

- an opportunity to maintain an open communication line with the horse: "Are you still with me?"

What a half-halt is not:

- a pull by the hand that affects the horse's mouth

- a shove forward by the seat and legs that causes the horse to become heavier on the forehand

The aids for the half-halt usually transpire almost invisibly between the horse and the rider. In general, the results of the half-halt are apparent to the onlooker.

Developing your half-halt

Learning to half-halt is one of the skills in horseback riding that will take years to develop. Just when you think you have the hang of it, you will find yet another "level" of understanding that will challenge you to progress to a deeper and more refined aid.

First steps

As they say, some kind of half-halt is better than no half-halt. Very likely, your first half-halts are going to be through your hands and not much through your other aids. You will enjoy the feel of your new skill because your horse will probably slow his feet down and shift some weight backward. He will probably lighten on the bit and regulate his strides.

But beware: what you are feeling at this stage is not a true half-halt, but more of an extinguishing of energy. Any aid that includes a pull backward with the hands will result in a disengagement of the hocks. So even if the horse feels lighter and slower, what you are really feeling is the stoppage of energy. The horse might also hollow his back and raise his head carriage. This change of frame should be your first clue that the aids are not as effective as they could be.

Gaining a better understanding

The next stage is when you will begin to realize that the half-halt is a whole-body endeavour. The hands become less of an aiding influence, and your seat and legs begin to take on a more prominent role. At this point, you will have adequate body control and balance to be able to use your legs to ask the horse to lift his rib cage. The lightening of your seat will encourage the horse to step deeper with the hind legs, and the result will enable you to physically re-balance his entire body.

The outward picture will look like the horse has tilted his hind end and lifted through the back. The body will be rounder and the strides bigger. Often, the horse will snort or breathe audibly, indicating the strength he is putting into carrying your weight more correctly.

If you can negotiate several half-halts within a series of movements, your horse will be better able to "dance" through the requests, remaining light, balanced and round in the outline through all the changes of direction or gait.

If you feel a floating sensation, noticing that the horse's foot falls sound lighter and the gaits are becoming more flowing and easier to ride, you know you are on the right track!

The "forward" half-halt

At some point, you will progress even beyond your finest achievements to realize that the half-halt is actually a forward movement. You will relinquish the need for the hand aids (other than to support your driving aids) in preference for the surge of energy coming from the hind end thanks to your seat, weight and leg aids. You will discover the true meaning of balance through your seat and relish in the bounce, enthusiasm and sheer power the horse will offer to you, movement to movement.

Onlookers will be able to recognize the result of the half-halts because the horse will appear to flow effortlessly from one movement to the next, seemingly reading your mind, the two of you floating as one. Some may accuse you of doing nothing. Your horse will move with enthusiasm, showing off flip-floppy ears and gleaming muscles that roll under the skin like jello.

Most importantly, when your horse approves of your riding skills, and seems to connect with you even more after you get off, you will have all the reward you need!

How do you explain the term, "half-halt"?

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening Book 2 - Forward And Round To Training Success

Stop printing off the articles! Your favorite training articles are compiled in this beautifully bound paperback book. Have everything at your fingertips - this book can be taken to the barn as a quick refresher or leisurely read at home.

Signed Author Copies available - they are perfect gifts for the horse rider in your life!

From the book:

"Regardless of discipline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse?

We all want our horses to improve in their athletic

development, skill acquisition and connectedness. Much of our rider development and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals....

But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.

Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.

Or not."

Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.

The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:

happier in his body

happier in his "work"

better balanced all-around

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Listening Corner – The Rider

Theme: "The Rider"

________________________________

From Training Strategies For Dressage Riders by Charles deKunffy (1994), p. 95-96

"Because it is based on communication between two living organisms, riding must include not only the rider's 'talking' but even more his 'listening'. A rider's awareness of his horse's mental and physical state, indeed, should determine what and how much he asks of his mount. Therefore, the truly talented riders are recognized as having 'feel,' which depends on the talent for being a living antenna that picks up all communications the horse sends....

A rider should always be fully aware of the horse's well-being and his horse's communications. He must also react to them with knowledge and insight. Knowledge comes by practicing riding, coaching, reading, watching, and discussing. More important, however, is the insight and wisdom gained by empathy toward the horse.... The rider ought to train himself to think the way his horse does."

In case you're wondering, Horse Listening did not model its name or idea from Charles' quote - nothing could be farther from the truth (see our original first post to discover the inspiration for "listening" to horses)! Finding this section from a book of over 200 pages was just another one of those "coincidences" that occur from time to time when everything seems to fall together. In any case, as important as the topic of the post (being an empathic rider) is the fact the the concept of "listening" to horses had already been elaborated upon in 1984, almost 30 years prior to the conception of the Horse Listening blog. So... here we are, reinventing the wheel, although I daresay that it is an important concept to revisit.

____________________________________________________

From: Balance in Movement: How to Achieve the Perfect Seat by Suzanne Von Dietze (2003), p. 174

"There is really no such thing as the perfect rider or, for that matter, the perfect horse. If we want to make progress, it is of great importance to recognize where some difficulties arise and why. Some problems are not immediately recognizable, but they are a serious nuisance whenever more subtle influence is required. Thus, riders can learn to master the three basic gaits even in the chair seat, but they will never be able to develop quick and sensitive reactions for further influencing the horse because they are always behind the movement....

Riding is a game of balance between the horse and rider. Two living beings should, ideally, find such a degree of common balance that it appears to an observer that they have grown together as one unit. The majestic rider sitting quietly on a horse represents the ideal aesthetic picture of riding. Any layman would be able to recognize a good rider by his calmness. As soon as the rider's influence becomes too obvious, a sense of agitation is created which is visually distracting. The sensitive balance of a horse and rider is endangered."

It is well known that good riding can be easily distinguished by its effortless appearance - in fact, the good ride can be identified by its lack of "excitement" - in the sense that the horse appears to be calm, at ease and confident in what it is being asked to do. A good rider is the one who maintains poise and has the tendency to give the horse the benefit of the doubt. Developing a strong and balanced seat is a prerequisite to being able to influence the horse in a way that enables the horse to perform at its highest potential.

______________________________________________

From: The Complete Training of Horse and Rider In the Principles of Classical Horsemanship, by Alois Podhajsky (1967), p. 211

"The best way to obtain the correct seat, especially for a dressage rider, is longeing without stirrups. During this work, the rider need not pay attention to guiding his horse but can concentrate on controlling his own movements in the various paces. This is the quickest way to achieve the necessary independent seat, if the legs and reins are to be employed as aids and not as a means to regain lost balance. Absolute self-control is the basic requirement for every rider. He must not only be able to control his body but also his temperament. Only then will he be able to make the other creature submit to his will and develop his natural abilities. "

A discussion about riding simply cannot be complete without the mention of lunging to develop the seat and balance. Although it is true that in our time and place - with horses becoming more of a recreational pursuit than a form of expression and art - there is an emphasis on "instant gratification" and achieving (perceived) results sooner than later. Riders new to horses want to get on and "ride", get to a show and win ribbons, and resolve riding problems quickly and with little preparation or background.

However, in this short quote, Podhajsky tackled the two most critical components to becoming an effective rider - first, balance and body control, and second, the social/emotional awareness necessary to bring out the best from the horse.

Although the world around the horse has changed over the years, the horse itself remains essentially the same, and therefore the requirements of riding are essentially unchanged. A rider must be prepared to work hard to acquire the necessary skill, and most importantly, be willing to wait for results.

Archives – Lessons/Training

Lessons and Training

Look through these articles for tips and recommendations on common horse riding problems. Let us know in the comments sections if you tried something and how it worked out!

How to Ride the Stumble Out of Your Horse: Do you have a horse that seems to regularly trip or stumble, either in the front or hind end?

How to 'Flow" From the Trot to Walk: Although we rely on our hands too much and initiate all movements from the horse’s mouth, there are many alternate aids we can go to.

Why You Don't Need to Panic When Your Horse 'Falls Apart': Even if you are not thinking “panic”, your body might be communicating it by either being completely passive or too reactive after the horse is off balance.

When Good Riding Instruction Becomes Great: How much can an instructor really do to help a rider improve?

5 Steps to Effective Short Reins: Just as with any other movement and technique that is taught to horses, short reins can be very beneficial to the horse when applied correctly.

Find the Space Between the Give and Take in Horse Riding: As with so many other things in life, we need to find the happy medium.

16 Ways to Not Become Bored During Your Ride: Here is a list of just a few ideas to keep ring riding fresh and interesting for both you and your horse.

Why Rising Trot Is Not Rising At All: How to rise in the trot so that you move in tandem with the horse.

'Go and No': The Connection Between Forward and Half-Halt in Horse Riding: How to develop the two seemingly opposite aids.

Can You Recognize the Sewing-Machine Trot? It is easy to get fooled into thinking that the sewing-machine trot is a good trot.

Why A Release Is Not A Let Go in Horseback Riding: Many people interpret the term 'Release' literally - but that's not what really means.

Here's How (and Why) You Should Ride With Bent Elbows: How to avoid an on-again, off-again contact with the horse’s mouth.

Use the "Canter-Trot" to Truly Engage the Hind End: Many riders think that kicking the horse along and making the legs move faster is the ticket to engagement – but there is nothing further than the truth!

How to Halt Without Pulling on the Reins: There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.

What to Do When Your Horse is Being Naughty: Though we’d love to have that perfectly compliant horse all the time, the reality is that even the sweetest horse finds something to say once in a while.

Why You Should Ride the Left Side of Your Horse Going Right: In order to help straighten the horse (and elongate the muscles on the right, and help the horse bear more weight on the left hind leg), we need to work on the left side going right.

Stop Kicking the Horse! Kicking your horse only stuns, disturbs, imbalances, and hurts. Once you have better balance in your seat and a more consistent contact with the bit, aim toward using your legs with more purpose.

Why Would You Bother to "Scoop" Your Seat Bones? Learning to use your seat effectively should take a lifetime to develop, so we will begin with just one basic aspect: how to move the seat bones.

How to Ride Your Excited Horse in 5 Easy Steps: Let’s face it – horses aren’t always calm and accommodating. There are times when they can be… shall we say… a little over-exuberant!

The #1 Rider Problem of the Year - The Leg Aid: You probably know from experience – kicking the horse along often does not get the response you really want.

Riding Straight Through the Turn: Although it sounds like an oxymoron, travelling straight through a turn is essential in maintaining the balance of the horse.

Stepping Out of Rein Lameness: Often, problems caused by riding can be fixed with riding. It is just a matter of knowing what to do in order to counteract the problems.

Drawing A Circle (In Sand): Regardless of where you position the circle in the arena, it should be evenly spaced and round.

Rarely Considered, Often Neglected: Lunging to Develop the Riding Seat:

Interpreting the Half-Halt: This topic is a tricky one but here is a shot at it.

Do A "Forward" Back-Up! Tricks to developing an easy and rhythmical back-up.

Top 10 Ways to Reward Your Horse: A happy horse is a willing partner, and many horses will give everything they have if they feel your acknowledgement and generosity of spirit.

Demystifying "Contact" in Horseback Riding: Does “contact” have other-wordly connotations? Here is why effective contact is within reach of the average rider.

From a Whisper to a Scream: How Loud Should Our Aids Really Be? Should we be “loud” in our aids, or should we be working as softly as we can in hopes that our horse can respond to lighter and more refined aids?

Do You Make This Timing Mistake When Riding Your Horse? Have you ever given your horse an aid and got nothing in return? There could be one other variable that you might not have considered...

Secrets to a Great Turn (a.k.a. Shift Out to Turn In): Can you tell if your horse uses his hind end before taking the first step in the new direction, or does he feel stiff and awkward, almost like he’s leaving his legs behind the movement?

Don't Mistake the Halt For a Stop! Don't do it! Don't mistake the halt for a stop. They are two entirely different maneuvers.

How the "Not Canter" Can Drastically Improve Your Transitions: Every time you ask (with the correct aids), the horse resists. The situation becomes ugly – you have a hard enough time just sitting the bounciness, never mind getting the transition. What to do? This article remains one of our most popular posts of all-time.

The #1 Problem of the Year: The Outside Rein! The outside rein is the most underused and poorly understood of all the aids, and here’s why.

6 Ways to Unleash the Power of Your Riding Seat: As you become more subtle in the aiding process, you will begin to discover just how powerful the seat can be in guiding the horse without disturbing and interfering in his movement.

To Lesson or Not To Lesson? That shouldn't even be a question!

The 99% "Lucky Rule": The 99% Lucky rule is very simple – when you’re around horses, and particularly in dangerous situations, you are lucky 99% of the time. That is a good rule – unless it happens to be the 1% of the time that you might be ‘un’-lucky! Then, it’s no fun at all.

Speaking "Horse" (a.k.a. "Pushing the Envelope"): Horses send messages out as much as humans do. Once you know how to listen to your horse, a whole world of communication can open up for you.

Horses. Riding. Life.

Tag: balance

5 Ways To Be A Confident Horse Rider

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

The Five Stages of a Transition

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

What’s Your Stickability Factor?

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Move to Stay Still on Horseback

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

Rarely Considered, Often Neglected: Lunging to Develop the Riding Seat

Why Bother With the Seat?

Do You Walk, Trot and Canter With Your Seat?

On the Lunge

Off the Lunge Line

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Interpreting the Half-Halt

What the half-halt is:

What a half-halt is not:

Developing your half-halt

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening Book 2 - Forward And Round To Training Success

Listening Corner – The Rider

Archives – Lessons/Training

Look through these articles for tips and recommendations on common horse riding problems. Let us know in the comments sections if you tried something and how it worked out!