Schooling the halt

[polkadotedpony]

I have a horse who just turned 5 who I have just started showing at training and I’m wondering if people have any good tips about schooling the halt. Initially we had a really hard time being relaxed through the transition and still once in it. We improved with exercises like asking for the halt when approaching the wall, just letting him chill and put his head wherever without nitpicking him once he hit the halt so he could think of it as a happy, chill place he wants to stay in and then letting him walk out on a long rein if he nailed the halt to reinforce the reward if he was truly relaxed and still.

The trot-halt-walks have improved substantially but trot-halt-trot just seems to totally fry his brain. If I do a single trot-halt-trot we can get an ok but not great set of transitions, but the second time I go to ask he will get very bracy and fussy and want to move out of the halt immediately before we hit the requisite 3 seconds. This only gets worse with repetition. Because of this I’ve just generally avoided trot-halt-trot, figuring he’s a pretty forward guy who can work it out for a single time in a test and I can still work on halt quality with trot-halt-walk, but I wonder if there is a better way to deal with this issue.

[joiedevie99]

At training level, the halt should be through the walk. I’d start by playing with walk steps. Trot - walk 10 steps - trot. Vary it until you can do only a few walk steps. Then try Trot - walk 10 steps - halt - walk 10 steps - trot. Then start reducing the walk steps in that sequence.

[Rerider54]

@joiedevie99

At training level, the halt should be through the walk. I’d start by playing with walk steps. Trot - walk 10 steps - trot. Vary it until you can do only a few walk steps. Then try Trot - walk 10 steps - halt - walk 10 steps - trot. Then start reducing the walk steps in that sequence.

This ^

What really helped us was to remember that “as” the horse steps into the halt give the reins slightly. Also helps to breathe out as the horse comes into halt. Both of you need to relax into the halt. I also make sure to work on halting on the centerline once you get them calmly on the rail. We still do at least one of those a day, if it good I dismount immediately. That centerline halt (immobile) happens twice in every dressage test make it memorable for your horse as well as the judges.

[polkadotedpony]

@joiedevie99

At training level, the halt should be through the walk. I’d start by playing with walk steps. Trot - walk 10 steps - trot. Vary it until you can do only a few walk steps. Then try Trot - walk 10 steps - halt - walk 10 steps - trot. Then start reducing the walk steps in that sequence.

Thanks! I saw that “halts can be through the walk” but interpreted this as a few walk steps before the halt and trot out. Can I also have a few walk steps before picking up the trot? And thanks for the exercise. I could see mixing up the number of walk steps both up and down helping with the anticipation issue.

[alibi_18]

What @joiedevie99 said.

If your horse is bracing and fussing after you do more than 1 repetition, your transitions are not good and thus should not be repeated.

If you are getting such strong reaction is because you are being too strong with your hands and inconsistent with your contact.
Your idea of the 3 sec might also feel rushed to your horse.
You need to use more seat and legs to properly do a halt and keep your horse immobile. Your horse needs to stay connected and through during the halt to be able to happily transition back to trot.

You are at training level. Do what is being asked at that level perfectly before trying to move up.

[alibi_18]

@polkadotedpony

Thanks! I saw that “halts can be through the walk” but interpreted this as a few walk steps before the halt and trot out. Can I also have a few walk steps before picking up the trot? And thanks for the exercise. I could see mixing up the number of walk steps both up and down helping with the anticipation issue.

You need to do what is needed for your horse level of training no matter of the test you are doing.

If that means 5-6 steps of walk prior and after a halt to get a good transition, just do so

At worst, you will be a tad penalized for early/late transition, which is less costly that « fussy, bracing, over the bit, fighting the bit, etc. » and could impact further movements.

[polkadotedpony]

@Rerider54

This ^

What really helped us was to remember that “as” the horse steps into the halt give the reins slightly. Also helps to breathe out as the horse comes into halt. Both of you need to relax into the halt. I also make sure to work on halting on the centerline once you get them calmly on the rail. We still do at least one of those a day, if it good I dismount immediately. That centerline halt (immobile) happens twice in every dressage test make it memorable for your horse as well as the judges.

Thanks. Glad to know that still focusing on the relaxation is the way to go. When we first started working on the halt I would just abort the attempt and keep trotting/walking if the tension started rising and ask again when he was relaxed. Sounds like we should go back to that. With a show coming up this weekend I was getting anxious that I’m not doing enough and starting to second guess the keep it relaxed, keep it minimal approach.

[joiedevie99]

@polkadotedpony

Thanks. Glad to know that still focusing on the relaxation is the way to go. When we first started working on the halt I would just abort the attempt and keep trotting/walking if the tension started rising and ask again when he was relaxed. Sounds like we should go back to that. With a show coming up this weekend I was getting anxious that I’m not doing enough and starting to second guess the keep it relaxed, keep it minimal approach.

Your horse is 5. Never let “what the test requires” now get in the way of correct training for the future. Ideally you want 2-3 steps of walk max in and out of the halt. But you should do what the horse needs now from a training perspective - - and chances are you will score better with 5 steps and a good transition than 2 and a bad transition.

[polkadotedpony]

@alibi_18

What @joiedevie99 said.

If your horse is bracing and fussing after you do more than 1 repetition, your transitions are not good and thus should not be repeated.

If you are getting such strong reaction is because you are being too strong with your hands and inconsistent with your contact.
Your idea of the 3 sec might also feel rushed to your horse.
You need to use more seat and legs to properly do a halt and keep your horse immobile. Your horse needs to stay connected and through during the halt to be able to happily transition back to trot.

You are at training level. Do what is being asked at that level perfectly before trying to move up.

Thanks. Regarding the 3 seconds being rushed, I would actually love to have him wait and remain in the halt longer, but he basically wants to rush off and the bracing/fussing is within the halt. I do think adding back the walk steps will be helpful to keep him from feeling rushed/frazzled. I’m sure I could substantially improve with my own aids and appreciate the above advice.

[merrygoround]

You have created a problem. Now you have to quietly, thinkingly, solve it.

There is a reason for halt through the walk at Training level. The horse is not strong enough for trot-halt-trot.

So now, to defuse your horse, I would go a day or two or more without asking for halt until the end of your ride.and in addition, I would hand over a treat, and a verbal “good boy”. Bad practice I know, but the treat can be later eliminated gradually, and the peace should remain.

When you do go back to practicing, do it once or twice in a day’s session. Not every day. And do it random.ly in any part of the arena.

Only after you get relaxed halts, which you should ask for by slowing and stopping your seat, and then closing the rein. can you go back to working on the centerline… It is your seat,and legs not your hand that should hold him in the halt.

In the long term when peace has been achieved, the treat can be mostly replaced by “good boy” which in turn can be replaced by a scratch on the neck.

This sounds like a long route, but better a long route than a continuous, unwinnable fight.

And if you cannot figure out how to use your seat, you need help.

[Jackie_Cochran]

Here is another viewpoint.

Horses can take 4 seconds to “process” what happened in their brains, so you can count second or simply count to 10.

Your horse has not “processed” everything yet.

It may take some time. When you get a halt start counting off the seconds and reward him when you get to four seconds, and this is in addition to immediately releasing the tension on the reins for the signal of “this is the right reaction.” I find it best to relax my reins once the horse is slowing down with my goal of the horse halting with light contact. This often removes the reason for the horse fussing with his rider.

If the horse won’t stand still just go on walking, repeat the halt, always counting down. I do my countdown at first out loud, and eventually the horse “gets” it if I am consistent and ease up on the reins before the horse has come to a full halt.

Then go through the same process from the trot to the walk, then down to the halt (when he get to the walk count 4 seconds after easing up on the reins), then work on getting from the walk to the halt (count down 4 seconds then praise the horse for figuring it all out.) At the first successes be lavish with your praise and you can tone down the praise once the horse gets it and obeys you to your satisfaction.

[SuzieQNutter]

This comes under ‘don’t do the same thing twice’.

Use at your descretion as in you want him to halt and stay halted so you ask for that more. One halt to trot and then halt and stay halted again at least 3 times.