What are a few of your favorite exercises or tips for introducing the half pass. My horse is confirmed SI, HI and we have begun experimenting with the half pass. The tendency has been to want to lead with the haunches which I know is not correct. I have a feeling my body position is to blame and any advice would be very helpful.
I introduce it out of a 10 meter circle. I also play around with shoulders leading, haunches leading a bit and get to a point where the horse stays where I want most of the time.
Yes - out of 10 m half circle.
You should be able to perform it with haunches leading (and finish in renvers along the rail at the end) or shoulders leading and finish in shoulder out.
That way correct half pass is easy-peasy.
Do your 10m circle, on the last 1/4 hold your bend, guarding the quarters with your outside leg and using a strong inside leg to keep the bend, think of it as jumping sideways on a counterbent leg yield. 
It isn’t LY but it sometimes helps to think of it that way.
Others have suggested riding it as H/I on the diagonal rather than up the long side.
Yep, merry has stated that correctly. HI on the diagonal. 
Makes it simple for the horse to understand and easier for the rider to perform it!
I did my very first half pass in my lesson this week (and am still feeling rather giddy). The instructor had me come out of a circle to the rail (10 m), then SI to set it up, then ask for the half pass toward the quarter line or center line if we could get that many steps.
Merry described exactly the instructions I was being given and it worked wonderfully. Keeping that bend and guarding with the outside were huge keys in making it work correctly.
Are you only introducing half pass to the horse, or are you learning it as well?
I had trouble getting it with my gelding when we were both learning together until I rode a horse who knew it well, and was very sensitive to lateral aids - so only gave a proper half pass when I sat correctly. Once I did, it became easy on my gelding.
I accidentally did a half pass my first ride on my filly - her 5th ride. We were under lights for the first time, and I was avoiding the black parts of the arena, had just passed one and wanted to get to the rail. I just automatically asked for half pass over without remembering who I was on - and she did it. She already understood basics of moving off the leg from ground work and her first few rides, so it was just natural for her to do it with no introduction or intent. I think sometimes we complicate things more than necessary…
PS The 10m circle/ S/I is for schooling. In a proper H/P, you would be straight at the letter, and go immediately into H/P.
And netg-horses already know how to do flying changes, it’s keeping the rider out of the way that takes the time. They do complicate things.
[QUOTE=merrygoround;7737212]
Others have suggested riding it as H/I on the diagonal rather than up the long side.[/QUOTE]
By ‘‘Others’’ you mean the FEI?
At the trot; leg yield to half pass to leg yield can be a fun exercice too and working on your haunches-in on the inside track.
Like CFFarm said, playing with haunches or shoulders leading is a good way to work on precision and control.
Alternating haunches-in and shoulder-in on a circle can be quite challenging and helpfull for the half-pass.
Put a line of poles on a diagonal, and play with it as travers. If you already have that well developed on the long side, it will allow you pulse the aids and remain more relaxed. Remember, first forwards, not merely side ways.
[QUOTE=ideayoda;7737640]
Put a line of poles on a diagonal, and play with it as travers. If you already have that well developed on the long side, it will allow you pulse the aids and remain more relaxed. Remember, first forwards, not merely side ways.[/QUOTE]
Basically how I learned it, except I just visualized the poles/rail. If you are proficient in HI it’s really just taking that off the rail on a diagonal.
Thanks so much for these suggestions!!! My instructors method is to have me start a half pass from a shoulder in which has proved a little challenging for me! My horse and I are both new to this movement…so the learning curve is going to be a little bit steeper
The only difference between shoulders-in and halfpass is the way the stirrups are weighted. While shoulders-in weights the inside stirrup, halfpass needs that weight taken back into the outside stirrup. This is the reason that entwicken is often used to reinforce the stirrup weighting change after the horse first learns to respond to the halfpass aids.
[QUOTE=angel;7738658]
The only difference between shoulders-in and halfpass is the way the stirrups are weighted. While shoulders-in weights the inside stirrup, halfpass needs that weight taken back into the outside stirrup. This is the reason that entwicken is often used to reinforce the stirrup weighting change after the horse first learns to respond to the halfpass aids.[/QUOTE]
Nope.
There are two school of thought about where the weight should be :
Inside the bend
In the direction of travel
Since that half-pass requires the horse to bend in the direction of travel, both theories agree that the weight should be inside.
What is ‘‘entwicken’’ ?
I concur - weight always to the bend is what I have been taught.
perhaps they mean ‘entwickeln’ ? Where more outside leg is used, but not weight on the outside from what I understand.
Found.
Entwickeln means “developing” and from what I read, it means “exercices that include short repetitions of all the different lateral movements done randomly with straighntess moments in between.”
From Walter Zettl
“Entwickeln” is an exercise that renders the horse obedient and supple through the use of flexion and bend as well as straightness. It is critical for the rider to be able to give well-balanced aids.
Food for thought…I audited a symposium of Klaus Balkenhol (sp?). The symposium started with 4 yo as the first lesson and then progressed through the levels finishing the day with a GP horse.
The rider that had the horse that was learning the half pass, started in SI on the long side and then to HP. Well Klaus did not like that at all! His opinion is that in the SI the inside leg is the active driving leg, where in the HP the outside leg is the active driving leg and that shift is confusing and difficult for a young horse.
Klaus favored turning onto the diagonal and developing haunches in on the diagonal line.
(It’s interesting now while I am developing an FEI horse that has been established in HP for years…is how active my inside leg is on an upper level horse…)
(Also, sorry, but Angel and her weighting theory’s have never made sense to me)
I was taught that way dudleyc. To start with travers on the diagonal. It makes it clear to the horse, the haunches never at risk of leading… etc.
I keep my weight in the same place for both movements. I think I push my inside hip into the axis of the horse to get shoulder in (move the inside hind under the horse and let the outside front reach, while half-pass puts my outside leg back to engage the haunches and I use my inside hip to “pull” the reach of the inside front leg and outside hind leg. In half-pass I sit to the direction of travel, not the outside. Just my two cents, there are people who can ride this better than me.
