Thought it would be nice to have an actual dressage topic 
and this one is timely as we get into winter and making the most of our schooling time indoors.
What are your go to exercises for making a really good canter half pass?
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- Canter haunches-in…then Canter shoulder-fore…then alternate, 5-6 strides Haunches-in to 5-6 strides Shoulder-fore…
- Canter in a circle in haunches-in
- Counter-canter a circle in haunches-out / renver
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Stairs - Two steps of half pass, two steps of shoulder in, two steps of half pass, two steps of shoulder in.
Transitions/Squares - Haunches in on the rail in collected canter. Medium canter maintaining haunches in. Collect in haunches in and ride a 1/4 working pirouette. Repeat for each side of the square.
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Two great responses above. I would add, make darn sure your changes are solid, as well as your counter canter. And work on riding straight in counter canter - not bent to the outside.
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This is my world at the moment. We are doing a lot of work in the haunches in, on the long side, on a circle, on the diagonal, at a walk as well as the canter.
For me, the key would seem to be how we start it… i.e. discovering the pont on the notional circle that gives me the appropriate angle and bend.
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The sideways in canter half pass happens by jumping sideways in the moment of suspension so exercises that put more jump in the canter are useful.
(Horses cross legs in trot half pass-the mechanics of managing their legs are quite different.)
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See, I don’t know if I have trouble with spatial relationships or not, but to me calling a half pass (in any gait) “haunches in on the diagonal” makes sense when I’m looking at an illustration, but not when I’m on a horse. When I come out of the corner, I position the horse in shoulder-in and then bring the haunches with him, bending him around my inside leg, but always keeping the forehand ever so slightly leading.
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I think that’s what I’m doing too, but the “thought” of haunches in seems to put my body in the correct position to control the haunches in the half pass.
I just muddle through really, doing what seems to work. I’ve never been very good at analyzing this stuff!
If I think HI in the trot HP, I get a canter depart. Took me an awful long time to figure this out. Can’t really have outside leg back, just a guarding leg…
And in the canter hp, when successful I really have my seat involved, slightly lightened to prevent blocking the sideways….
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This is one of the most difficult things with this particular horse. Super light who can become a freight train in less than a heart beat. This has become super manageable, but she’ll still pull out the “THIS WOULD BE BETTER FASTER!” thing in canter HP. Then, I find myself riding far more strongly than either of us would like and it all goes to hell in a flattened out handbasket 
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An exercise i love that does wonders for separating the landing of the hind legs and generating jump in the canter: shoulder-in in counter canter.
Centerline, half pass to rail
Land in renvers (haunches on rail, shoulders towards inside of arena, bent in direction of the lead)
Change bend to shoulder in, maintaining counter canter.
At this point you may get flying changes everywhere. However, the goal is to feel the outside hind take more weight, and the inside hind/outside fore pair wait just a bit longer to hit the ground.
Rinse, repeat: turn back down the centerline (10m half circle in counter canter) and try again.
Also works great from the quarterline. Less half pass, more shoulder in, and easier to reestablish from the counter canter if 10m half circles are not yet in the wheelhouse.
You can combine with the half pass/shoulder in stairstep as well.
Finally, this is pretty tough bodybuilding for the horses, so make sure to take breaks and don’t drill too hard when you introduce it.
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Don’t think of your leg as “pushing” her sideways. Instead, sit in the direction you want to go and take her with you. That way, no unintended canter, no not-asked-for flying change, nothing untoward. Your legs don’t move.
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This is why the French use the inside leg as the aid for canter depart.
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I’ve been riding in the dark after work, and realizing I feel so much more than when I ride in daylight. The other night I was really feeling into the canter and it produced our best yet canter HP. So it was almost about not overthinking it, and just really being attuned to the feeling. Not helpful I know, but maybe try riding in the dark.
Also, rather than thinking HI on the diagonal, it can help me to think of renvers - i.e. the haunches are positioned towards the imaginary fence instead of the shoulder. Just something to play with to see if it resonates and helps maintain position.
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Pushing this horse would not go well 
I love riding in the dark and my mare loves being ridden in the dark. We get some of our best work in the dark. I’m always trying to figure out how to get that heightened connection in daylight/indoor.
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Great responses. Many focused nicely on the hind end. I’ll add to focus on the bend and the jump of the shoulders. I do this by doing the stairstep exercises above but often by HP to straighten and then MEDIUM canter. Stairstep is good but some horses really anticipate so remember to shake it up. I learned over the years that when I “shake things up” I change something every 3-4 strides. Horses have caught on that something is going to change every 3-4 strides so I have to make myself do something sometimes every 5 or 6 strides to prevent anticipation. HP to a working pirouette also helps improve the jump of the shoulders. Great suggestions.
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