In part two of our article on lunging we are adding pieces of equipment as well as talking about correcting alignment issues with the use of the whip to help shape the horse more on the circle and develop bend and relaxation.
Additional equipment for lunging
Additional equipment for lunging are a surcingle or saddle, a lunge line used as a Vienna rein, as well as sidereins. Protective boots for the horse are also recommended. Don’t forget your gloves! Instead of a bridle you may want to use a lunging cavesson.
For a simple and effective piece of lunging equipment, the cavesson has many benefits. The cavesson has rings along the nose piece which when the line is attached to the middle ring (centre of nose piece) it can guide the horse on the circle, encouraging the horse to maintain true bend rather than counterbending. With the horse in true bend it is easier to shape the horse’s body with the use of the whip and body language. Throughout a lunging session the horse can be encouraged to stretch down as well as move more uphill through the use of body language and the whip (see below corrections with use of whip).
Why we lunge with a Vienna rein
If a horse is chronically inverted (high-headed with hollow back) or counterbent we prefer to lunge with a Vienna rein. The Vienna rein is a combination of a draw rein and siderein but it is not hooked up static and therefore encourages the horse to stretch long and low into a proper frame. The horse will feel better while stretching and bending.
To attach it, run the lunge line from your hand through the snaffle bit ring from the outside and then attach it to the d-ring of the cinch, the buckle of the girth, or the ring of the surcingle.
Do not use a Vienna rein if you are unsure of your body position as you could send conflicting signals to the horse (see previous article Proper lunging part 1 on using the wheelbarrow turn).
We sometimes use an outside siderein, but only in order to prevent the horse from overbending through his neck. The siderein should be adjusted fairly loosely so it only engages when the horse starts to overbend.
If your horse lunges well, carries himself properly without inverting and counterbending, and is not prone to bucking or bolting (being silly), you may lunge your horse directly off the bit using a D-ring or full-cheek snaffle bit.
Contact
The lunge line should never be slack, but instead there should always be steady, elastic contact between the horse’s mouth and the lunger’s hand so that the horse cannot flip his nose out/change his bend or make an unwanted turn.
The lunge line should never be used to pull the horse into a turn. The contact with the horse should be giving, taking and blocking, never pulling (imagine a bungee cord).
Hold the lines in folds rather than loops as they will unravel easier if the horse were to jump, bolt, or spook.
Corrections with use of whip
If your horse is shaped like the diagram below, point the whip to the girth to ask for bend, flex the lunge line by rolling your wrist as the horse’s inside front foot hits the ground (the horse is more balanced to bend as the head and neck are balanced over this foot at the moment of contact), keep your core toward the girth. Alternatively, use the whip low along the ground from back to front in a sweeping motion so that the lash pushes the barrel of the horse out on the circle (the horse will see the lash along the ground). Or, if the horse ignores this, allow the lash to touch the belly as you make a soft arc with the whip and lash. The horse will feel the lash and move the barrel out of the circle bringing the head and haunches onto the track in true bend.
Haunches to inside: As you are walking the circle, keep your core pointing at the girth to continue to ask for bend; flex your wrist as the outside front leg hits the ground (this asks for the horse to turn back into the circle), and at the same time push your hips toward the horse’s hips to ask the hips to move out of the circle (maintain core alignment with the girth to prevent the horse’s shoulders from falling in). Depending on how much push is needed you may point the whip toward the hip. The lash is not needed, only the energy of the push out. Ideally the horse will move forward with the inside hind stepping between the footsteps of the two front footsteps. If you find that as you push the hips out and flex to create bend that the horse overbends then you can add a siderein to the outside to prevent over bending.
Shoulders to inside: Check in with your alignment. Keep the whip pointing toward the shoulders to prevent them from coming in, core to girth. Sometimes the handler is walking too much toward the hind end. This can cause the hip to push out and shoulders to come in. Maintain a small walking circle and review the wheelbarrow turn. Adding an outside siderein to prevent over bending to the inside can also be helpful. Asking for more forward energy can also be beneficial.
Inverted horse: The horse is likely unbalanced and tight. Use the Vienna rein to encourage the horse to flex down to level and encourage the horse to bend on the circle by using the whip long and low from back to front with the lash reaching out toward the horse or touching the barrel. In our next article we will discuss moving the circles on the lunge line which helps to ‘unlock’ a high-headed horse. Work with this horse in-hand to encourage bending and suppleness before moving on to lunging. This will greatly reduce any stress the horse will feel on the lunge circle.
Avoid holding the whip high as that will cause stress in the horse as the horse reads the whip as an inverted or rearing horse. Raising the whip high is very dominant and should only be used with a very aggressive horse who challenges the handler.
In general, keep the whip low to level and send impulsive energy towards the horse’s body from back to front as needed. Avoid sending energy from the whip towards the horse’s neck and head.
Don’t use a whip until your body language is correct.
Sometimes a horse will see our pressure as too much push when we are making corrections so always start with subtle energy first, then build up. If the horse bucks or speeds up, ask the horse to stop, and then send out calmly and try again. It is much better to keep the scenario calm than to increase pressure and stress for the horse. Using body language and whip cues you will be able to learn to shape the horse effectively.
Happy lunging!
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past seven years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Proper lunging part 1. By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
Why do we lunge?
When done properly, lunging is not only an invaluable tool for starting (or restarting) horses, but it also beneficial for bringing horses back to work, whether they’ve been off due to injury or just had some time off. Lunging is also a great way to warm up your horse’s muscles prior to work or a way to introduce a new piece of tack in your training progression.
Through proper lunging, we are able to shape the horse’s body and put it into a frame that is comfortable. This helps to continue to earn the horse’s trust and respect, develops true bend and balance, introduces forward movement and contact, and develops proper muscling in the horse’s back, hind end and neck as we work towards an uneventful first ride or re-ride or continued harmony.
Equipment for lunging
For this article we will be using minimal equipment. Halter, lungeline, and lunge whip. In part two we will add different methods that will help shape the horse more on the circle and develop bend and relaxation. Gloves and protective boots for the handler are also highly recommended.
Using the wheelbarrow turn
Before sending the horse out to lunge, let’s first look at the handler’s body position that will keep the horse moving forward on the circle. After the horse is sent out onto the circle the handler will step in behind the horse’s girth line in order to send ‘pushing pressure’ to keep the horse forward and not turning back in. The handler will walk a small circle, while the horse is on the larger circle.
If you imagine what your feet and body do while pushing a wheelbarrow this will give you a sense of how to walk on the circle. To get the wheelbarrow to turn left you need to step out to the right while your body is turning left, in the direction of travel. As the horse is sent out to the left, the handler’s feet step out to the right, positioning the handler behind the horse’s girthline. The handler’s hips push slightly right which opens the left hip to allow the horse to move forward.
Pushing a wheelbarrow shows how the handler steps out to the right as the horse goes left. This keeps the handler behind the girthline of the horse and not stepping across the circle toward the head.
Common mistakes and problems while lunging
If, as the horse is sent out onto the circle, the handler steps in the same direction as the horse, for example steps left across the circle as the horse moves out to the left, the handler will get ahead of the girthline. This is often seen if the handler tries to ‘lead’ the horse with the lunge line, instead of pushing the horse forward from behind. Horses are herd animals and respond better to a push than a pull. Often when the horse sees this it will feel more pressure in front of them and will slow down, stop, turn in, or want to turn away from the handler, or even speed up to get away from the pressure. The horse may also pin his ears or swish his tail. The horse’s response will depend on the sensitivity of the horse. This pressure on the head may also be felt by the horse if the handler’s hip is not open enough for the horse to feel it can move forward into the space.
Another common mistake when sending out or walking on the circle is to step too much toward the haunches, which will either speed up the horse or will push the hips out of the circle causing the horse to turn in. Have you ever started to send your horse out and it kept turning circles around you? Quite likely this was caused by too much pressure to the haunches. Often the handler will then put pressure toward the horse’s head to try to prevent the turn in which causes the horse to invert and possibly rear or kick out.
Ideally the horse and handler should form a triangle, with the horse being the base of the triangle (hips to head being the bottom two corners of the triangle and at an equal distance from the handler) and the handler being the top of the triangle. The handler will be stepping slightly toward the outside of the circle with her core pointed toward the horse’s shoulder/girth area to keep the horse from turning in.
How to send the horse out to lunge
Before sending your horse out to lunge make sure you are holding the lunge line in folds and not in loops for safety reasons. Keep the folds of the line in the whip hand and only one ribbon of line in your other hand so you can easily maintain contact with the horse’s mouth. This also allows the handler to shorten or lengthen the line easily.
If this is your first time lunging a horse, stand facing the horse’s shoulder. With your hand holding the line in contact, block the horse’s face from turning in by putting a boundary up towards the corner of his mouth with your hand holding the single line. Apply pressure to the shoulder area either with body language or with the handle of the whip (if you have a long lunge whip it would be difficult to get the end of the whip to the shoulder being so close asking him to move away from you). As soon as the horse steps out, use the whip to send him forward while stepping out on the circle in your wheelbarrow steps. Keep your inside hand up as a block until the horse has moved away from you, then drop it into a relaxed position.
If the horse is familiar with lunging you may start out by facing your horse from the front. If lunging to the left, open your left hip by shifting your weight to your right foot. With your left hand holding the line, block the horse’s head from turning in, then send impulsive energy to the horse’s left shoulder with the whip, asking him to move out onto a circle, while immediately stepping out and forward (on an arc) maintaining the wheelbarrow steps.
It is important to remember to stand your ground. When sending the horse out to lunge, if the handler backs up, it can have the opposite effect of drawing the horse back in. It is seen as ‘drawing energy’ from the horse. Once the horse has started moving away from the handler, the handler needs to keep her feet moving forward on their circle. If the horse does not want to move away, stand your ground, make yourself big and use pressure from the whip and/or loops of lunge line to move the horse away.
Sending the horse out on the circle. The handler is opening her hip and her whip is making an arc toward the shoulder. By opening the hip the horse now has space to go forward. Notice he is relaxed as he moves away.
Here the handler is trying to send the horse out but is pointing her core too much toward the hip. At the same time she is blocking the horse from coming in with her hand at the corner of his mouth. Notice the tail swish and the raised head as the horse receives the mixed signal of ‘move your hip out, but don’t bring your head in.’ If the handler turned her core more toward the shoulder the horse would move out onto the circle in a more relaxed manner.
Once the horse is out on the lunge circle we will be working toward relaxation and correct alignment with the horse moving from poll to tail on the line of the circle.
Proper position and alignment are of utmost importance when lunging a horse to prevent problems and unwanted behaviour.
While lunging the horse’s topline should be evenly bent and following the circle line. His barrel shouldn’t be bent into the lunger but also not be straight on the circle (see figure 1 for the red arrows). The horse’s hind end, barrel, shoulder, neck and head should all be travelling on the same track (see figure 1 for the green arrow). The hind and front legs are on the same track and the neck is in the middle of the horse’s chest.
On the lunge circle. The handler is stepping out to the right, keeping her in a pushing position behind the girthline, while her core is toward the shoulder/girth. Her inside shoulder is back. The line from the halter and the whip low and toward the hind legs forms a triangle from her body.
Horse: Pirro, 7-year-old warmblood gelding
Handler: Lisa Wieben
Photos: by Gary Wieben
Alignment is everything.
In the next blog post we will look at tools we can use to help correct alignment issues as the horse is moving forward on the circle. Even if you are unable to work with your horse due to cold or icy footing, you can start to practice this wheelbarrow step to prepare for getting them back to work.
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past seven years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Groundwork exercises. By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
It’s the time of year when the cold weather may be limiting your time with your horse and increasing your time inside. Since both Birgit and Lisa have recovered from injuries during their careers they would like to share some of their exercises that helped them regain their strength, balance, and flexibility as well as keeping fit during off times.
When coming back from an injury or starting a new workout plan it is important to make changes slowly and work within your own limitations. Riding is a sport where balance is key so finding exercises that help you work both sides of the body and that allow you to develop more core stabilization are important.
While strength training has been part of their programs it is important to bring in some form of flexibility/mobility exercises. Building muscle can be a cause to tightness in the body if the body has not been trained to release tension. When riding we need to have the ability to use a muscle when necessary, but then be able to release the tension when the required task is completed. If you have one hip that does not move as easily as the other there may be tension in that hip that needs to be released. Lisa and Birgit like Somatics for this reason. Through simple movements you can train your body to release muscle tension that has been held by your unconscious mind (see our three-part series in SaddleUp issues November 2018, December 2018, and February 2019).
Cardio is always a great place to start, with walking being one of the best forms of cardio exercise. Find an app that counts your steps/day and build up each week. 10,000 steps/day is the recommended number of steps for health and fitness. If you are currently recovering from an injury you may be starting off with much fewer steps; if you own a barn you may be used to doing much more. During the winter you can use a treadmill, elliptical machine, or stationary bike for a convenient workout.
One of Lisa’s favourite ways to exercise at home is with a mini-trampoline. Likely you’ve had one in your home at some point in your life. Walking or bouncing on the mini-trampoline is working on your balance as well as cardio. Turning while bouncing brings awareness to the inside knee of the turn rotating more open in order to step in the new direction, much like one would do when riding. Rotate in both directions and see if one direction is easier to do. Jogging on a mini-trampoline is much easier on the body than running on a hard surface and helps increase lung capacity and lowers blood pressure. It also has proven benefits for the body’s lymphatic system which fights bacteria and viral infections and transports waste products. Lymph fluid relies on muscle contractions to move around the body and rebounding is one of the best exercises for this because so many muscles are involved. Because people tend to hold themselves straighter, without leaning forward this is also a great way to strengthen the back. If bone mass is an issue for you a NASA study of astronauts showed that rebounding was the best exercise to rebuild the bone mass lost while in space. A great way to prevent and actually reverse osteoporosis. Another benefit is it can help strengthen the pelvic floor. Tightening of the pelvic floor occurs without really thinking about it. What a wonderful, inexpensive tool to keep you fit in your off time.
Here are a few body weight exercises you can do for a quick workout before or after you cardio or on alternating days. Doing Somatics or yoga after your workout will help keep you supple and prevent an excess of muscle tightness that can come from strength training.
With all of the exercises start with a number of reps you are comfortable with (8-12, then work up to 20). Do 2-3 sets.
Side lying leg lift – Lay on one side and lift the top leg toward the ceiling. Works the outer thigh.
Side lying leg lift – Lay on one side and lift the lower leg toward the ceiling. The upper leg is bent with foot either in front of or behind the lower leg to balance. Works inner thigh.
Any of these exercises could also be done with an ankle weight for added resistance.
Seated on floor with legs directly in front, rest upper body back on elbows. Lift one leg toward ceiling and slowly lower. Works the quardiceps and core.
Hands and knees on the floor, back level. Kick back one leg to straight. For added resistance you can use a band held in your hands and positioned around your foot. Repeat all reps on one side then repeat on other side keeping the back flat throughout. Works glutes and hamstrings and core.
Squat – standing, lower your seat back as if sitting on a chair then return to standing. Keep your knees over your ankles.
Squat with leg lift – repeat squat but as you return to standing balance on one leg and lift the other. Be careful not to arch your back or lean the upper body in the direction of the leg lift. Alternate sides each time.
Push-ups – either on knees or toes.
Triceps dips – either from a chair or on floor.
Core work – Lie on back with knees bent. Inhale and arch your back slightly while allowing the pelvis to roll forward and bringing the chin toward the chest. On the exhale slowly lower the back to the floor and melt down allowing the pelvis to roll up and back and the chin to lift toward the ceiling. Bringing the awareness to the ribs as you do this exercise greatly improves the range of movement. Place both hands on the sides of the ribs. As you inhale and arch feel the ribs expand and lift up, the space between the pubic bone and bottom of ribs will lengthen.
On the exhale feels the ribs lowering down toward the belly as the pelvis lifts and chin lifts. The back will flatten more. The space between the pubic one and bottom of ribs becomes smaller. It is this mobility that is required when following the walk, sitting trot, and following a lope.
Exercise for your horse
For a quick, easy exercise that will help your horse during shorter sessions, lead over raised poles. Set up 4 or more poles that are raised at least 6”. As the horse lifts up over the poles he will be working his back and core. Be sure to keep the head low to level. If he wants to look at the poles as he goes over, even better. This is a nice stretch over the topline and improves core stability.
Picture by Birgit Stutz
Enjoy your downtime and be ready to feel a difference the next time you mount up!
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past seven years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Whether we like it or not, winter is here to stay. While some riders are fortunate to have access to a heated indoor arena, or at least an indoor arena, many riders don’t. Cold temperatures, snow, ice, uneven footing, and short daylight hours can make it difficult to safely exercise our horses.
Don’t feel guilty. There is nothing wrong with letting your horse have break. It may be beneficial for him physically and mentally to have a break from his regular workout (as long as he still gets some turnout).
However, if you are looking for things to do with your horse that keep your horse and yourself in shape, as well as keeping you warm, there are lots of groundwork exercises you can do.
Here’s a groundwork exercise that we like. It’s also great for horses who can’t be ridden. The exercise can be done anywhere, as long as the footing is reasonably even.
In this exercise the horse will first be learning how to back up, which is a two-beat movement where the horse moves backward in diagonal pairs. Many horses can be lazy in the back-up and back incorrectly in four beats (each foot moving separately), drag their feet back, or invert (lifting their head and hollowing their back). As you move through the exercises the horse will become lighter and more true in the back-up as well as develop more push forward when asked to walk or jog/trot forward. Ideally you want to start the exercise along a wall or fence, but it can also be done without it.
If you need a refresher on proper leading, check out our articles in the March and April 2019 issues of SaddleUp. You can also find the articles at https://fallingstarranch.wordpress.com/.
The horse is stepping nicely back in diagonal pairs.
To cue the horse to back up
Start by standing next to your horse’s shoulder or just between the shoulder and throat, facing forward. Hold the rope like a rein, with your wrist turned so the thumb is level. The basic hand position is under the horse’s throat directly in line with the middle of the body in order to keep the horse straight. Keep your body aligned with the horse. Your belly button (core) should be facing straight ahead, in alignment with the centre of the horse’s chest. Imagine a railroad track, with you walking on the one track and the horse’s spine following the other track. The two tracks are always aligned (parallel or congruent).
To back the horse stand tall beside the horse and holding pressure on the lead to prevent the horse from stepping forward, cue the horse to move forward into the blocking pressure by clucking and either tapping with the whip near the flank or using your lead rope behind you. Once the horse feels the block in front he should round and step backward.
At this point many horses will push through the block and step forward. If this happens you can push the horse into a circle around you, then ask for the halt by breathing out or saying ‘whoa’ when you get back to the fenceline or wall. Repeat the cue into the contact until the horse takes a step back. When he does reward him well. Teaching the back-up in this way prepares the horse to back up by rounding his back and stepping back, much like we do when backing the horse using leg pressure when riding (see previous article).
Once the horse understands the backup cue, then you can move onto the next part of the exercise.
Handler – Andrea Morrison
Horse – MCR Silver Dream, 9-year-old Quarter Horse gelding
Photos by Lisa Wieben
Walk, halt, back-up, walk
Stand beside your horse and pick up contact on the lead rope, then ask the horse to take the first step before joining in. This will maintain the contact without you inadvertently pulling on the rope. It is important to work the horse from back to front by “pushing” the horse from the hind end into your receiving, never pulling hand.
Maintain contact on the lead. After several steps forward, stop your body, then cue your horse to back up (as above). Don’t change your body position during the transitions and remember to breathe through the transitions. At first the horse may be a bit sluggish to step back but continue to cue until the horse steps back, then proceed immediately forward. The reward is going forward. Continue to work walk, halt, back-up until the horse moves easily from one movement to the next and is backing in clear diagonal pairs. If the horse needs a little extra encouragement to back up you may use your whip level across the chest or your lead to tap the chest. Keep your energy low so that the horse does not lift his head to step back.
Walk, back-up, walk
Next we will test how well your horse follows your lead. Begin in the walk, then after several steps forward change your mind and step backwards. Does the horse follow your body or does he continue forward? If he continues forward turn him in a circle again, ask for a halt on your track and then back up. Go forward one or two steps, then ask for the back up again. Keep your body language quiet as you move from forward to backward. You may at this point use your whip lightly on the horse’s chest to help him get the idea of moving backward immediately from the walk. With practice your horse will begin to tune in to your body language and move quickly from one movement to the other. Once he can do this in a walk, then begin to ask for a jog/trot forward. Walk, back, trot or trot back trot. You will be amazed at how responsive your horse gets and how light on his feet he becomes as you play with this exercise. Then you can practice walking and trotting circles, adding transitions anywhere. Eventually you won’t even need your lead to play with your horse!
Remember to practice from both sides of the horse.
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past seven years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Western Dressage – Using the three-loop serpentine as a training tool. By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
In the 20x60m arena the three-loop serpentine is ridden as 20-m half circles connected by a few strides of straightness. When the serpentine is first introduced in Level 1 the serpentine is ridden in working jog, but eventually the requirements are to ride the serpentine in a collected lope with no change of lead, then with simple changes, and finally with flying changes in Level 4. With all this progression the serpentine can become a wonderful training tool to add into your training program.
The first thing to consider in riding the serpentine is accuracy. It may help in the beginning to lay out the circles in the arena with pylons so that you get a feel for the flow of the half circles. What makes the circles in the large ring more challenging is that they do not fall evenly with a marker on the centre circle. When starting the loops at A, the loop would end two metres towards X off the V-P line (or two metres from L on the centreline). The next loop would finish 2 metres towards X off the S-R line (or two metres from I on the centreline) (see illustration). Once the loops feel equally round, bring your focus back to the basics of rhythm and connection. Focus on maintaining the same rhythm and connection throughout the serpentine. Count the rhythm in your mind as if you have a metronome to see if the horse speeds up or slows down. Begin in the working jog, then progress to riding in lope when ready.
Many horses will try to fall into the new circle as the direction changes over the centreline, or they will try to speed up as they are asked to straighten before the change of bend. To help the horse balance use a few steps of leg-yield after the change of bend.
For example:
Silverwind is a 16-year-old paint/saddlebred/Friesian cross.
Ride the horse from A in a half 20m circle to the left (left leg is asking the horse to maintain left bend on the circle).
Just before the centreline begin to straighten the horse from your right leg.
Once straight using the right leg ask for the horse to change bend. The rider’s body will also turn in the direction of the new half circle and the new outside rein will support, prevent the horse from falling in, and tell the horse the size of the new half circle. The outside rein will also prevent the horse from speeding up.
Immediately after the horse changes bend, using the right, now inside leg, and left rein, press the horse over a couple of steps to the left. This encourages the horse to stay balanced into the new turn (the horse is being moved away from the direction of the new circle just a step or two to help rebalance). A horse that falls into the turn will put more weight onto the shoulders and new inside front leg and will become heavy. Doing this exercise will encourage the horse to use the hind end and remain light on the front end.
Horses love to anticipate, especially once they have done an exercise a few times. The serpentine is a great training tool for this as well. If you feel the horse starting to anticipate a change of bend you can change your mind and stay on the circle until your horse is ready to change bend without anticipating. Even doing a few circles with changes of gait will help them settle and focus.
For example:
Begin at A, plan to change bend over the centreline. If the horse anticipates continue on the first circle.
Ask the horse to lope at A and lope a full circle, trot jog at A, ask the horse to walk before the centreline.
Change bend through the walk, then continue the serpentine. Repeating the process again if the horse anticipates the next change. Vary what you do each time, even asking the horse to halt and settle at the centreline. Keep the horse guessing.
Practicing the lope loops without change of lead will take some time (seen in WDAA Level 2 tests). This will require the horse to be in a counter-lope for the centre half circle. It is always best to start the counter-lope work on the loops to the quarterline and centreline before attempting them on a half circle in a serpentine. Asking the horse to slowly progress from the loop work to partial circles, then half circles in counter-lope, then onto the serpentine will bring more success as the horse will learn to balance and maintain rhythm before going onto the serpentine. To maintain the counter lead the rider will have to maintain their body position with the bend of the horse, keeping the leading hip following the horse’s lead and maintaining the pressure of the lope cue so the horse understands to maintain the same lead. Inside leg of bend forward, outside leg of bend back. The horse maintains the same bend throughout the serpentine. Left bend for left lead, right bend for right lead. Once the horse can do the lope serpentine in balance, then they are ready to progress to work with simple changes, then flying changes (which we have discussed in other articles).
Incorporating work on the serpentine can help improve the horse’s response to the rider’s aids as he learns to wait for the cues. The rider will also develop more skill in guiding the horse through the half circles being aware of rhythm, timing, and connection as they tune in to how the horse tries to speed up, slow down, drift, or lean into the turns. It becomes a wonderful lesson in awareness.
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past seven years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Backing up. By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
Learn how to back up without pulling and have the horse move back soft, round, and light, and with an even rhythm.
Teaching the backup improves transitions as the horse begins to shift its weight more onto its hind end.
Before teaching the horse to back under saddle, it is a good idea to teach the horse to back from the ground. When asking the horse to back from the ground keep the horse’s head low to level so that the horse can lift its back and step evenly back. Backing is an essential skill for every horse, no matter its age or level. Your horse may have to back out of a trailer, wash stall, or a tricky spot on a trail.
The Western Dressage Association of America rule book states:
WD107
1. Back is a rearward diagonal movement with a two-beat rhythm but without a moment of suspension. Each diagonal pair of legs is raised and returned to the ground alternately, with the forelegs aligned on the same track as the hind legs.
2. During the entire exercise, the horse should remain “on the bit”, maintaining his desire to move forward at the slightest indication of the rider.
3. Serious faults are: Anticipation of the movement, resistance to or evasion of the contact of the bit either by raising the neck or going behind the bit, deviation of the hindquarters from the straight line, spreading or inactive hind legs and dragging forefeet.
4. Steps are counted as each foreleg moves back. After completing the required number of steps backward, the horse should show a square stop or move forward in the required gait immediately. In tests where a back of one horse’s length is required, it should be executed with three or four steps.
5. A back series is a combination of two backs with walk steps in-between. It should be executed with fluent transitions and the required number of steps.
WD108 Faults
Faults of gaits include crookedness, loss of rhythm; tight and tense back with short stiff neck; horse on forehand and/or leaning on the bit; nose consistently behind the vertical; raising of the head to avoid collection; changing tempo; and evasion of contact which can come from improper training, too harsh a bit, or bad hands. In all cases faults will be penalized.
How to ask for the backup
In a correct backup the horse moves forward into contact, then steps back rhythmically in diagonal pairs.
– Start with a square halt.
– Centre, grow tall, and lighten your seat to allow the horse’s back to come up. The rider’s body will not lean forward or back.
– With your legs ask your horse for forward into your contact which is maintained with blocking, not pulling, hands. You may want to widen the reins slightly in order to prevent your horse from getting out of boundaries. The reins provide just enough contact to prevent the horse from moving forward into a walk. The horse leans into the contact slightly, then will step back away from the blocking pressure.
– As soon as the horse takes a step back, soften the reins a touch, but maintain a soft contact, keeping the light seat.
– Some horses do better with pressure applied from both legs used together while others may prefer the alternating leg as the horse is stepping back. The legs would press alternating with the swing of the horse’s barrel.
– Make sure your hips are following the movement.
To complete the backup let your weight down and apply leg to ask the horse to move forward in the required gait. Ask the horse forward after every backup to teach the horse to propel from the hind quarters.
Start out with just one step of back, then two, then three, and so on. Each diagonal movement is one step.
Common problems while backing up
Resistance is common when the horse is first learning how to back up.
Often the resistance is caused by the rider pulling on the reins. This will be seen when the horse lifts its head up and perhaps gapes its mouth. There will be tension in the poll, neck, and back and the horse will step back unevenly.
Remain patient and using your legs continue to ask the horse into contact until the horse drops its head. Reins block the unwanted movement so the left rein blocks the horse from bending to the right and the right rein blocks the horse from bending to the left. Keeping the hands wider will give more block if the horse wants to turn away from the pressure. The pressure of both reins together keeps the horse from moving forward. At first the horse will try to find a way out of pressure until it finds the point where the pressure eases, when he drops its head and softens the poll. Continue to apply leg pressure to ask for the backward steps.
If the horse is backing crookedly use your legs to help guide the horse back by applying more pressure on the side the horse is veering to, while the reins keep the neck straight. Sometimes backing along a wall or fence will help maintain straightness.
Give your horse plenty of time to figure out the backup and only ask for one or two steps to start with, then immediately forward. By practicing this at the end of your training session you can finish your ride as a reward once the horse gives you a few good steps for the day.
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past six years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Western Dressage – Level 1 – The Introduction of the Leg-Yield. By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
Progressing through the levels of Western Dressage, each level builds upon the last. The lower levels develop a foundation with each level adding new components to build upon it. The lower levels begin to develop accuracy, bend through the 20-metre circles, and light contact. Moving into Level 1, this is where lateral movements are developed, which leads to more collection as well as the lengthened gaits for impulsion, bringing more push power to the hind end. Level 1 is ridden in the 20x60m ring and can be ridden seated or posting, although it is suggested that the jog be ridden seated. If you do sit the jog, the lengthen jog can still be ridden posting.
In this article we will look at the Level 1 tests and specifically the Leg-Yield component. Whether you ride WDAA tests or other association tests you will likely still come across these three examples.
WDAA Level 1 Test 1: From left rein – At E half circle left 15m, leg yield right, quarter line to M
Now here we have two new components, the 15-metre circle and the leg yield. If you are not familiar with a 15-metre circle we suggest you use pylons/markers to lay out the size and shape of the circle. Measure 15 metres from track to quarter line, then 7.5 metres from the E-X line to the top of the circle. This will give you the correct arc and distance for the half circle. The half circle will help to give your horse the shape to begin the leg yield as your horse will be bending around your inside (left) leg. As soon as the half circle is complete you may begin the leg yield. You will want to arrive at M, with the rider’s body at M as you reach the marker. While the rider’s body remains with the bend of the horse, turn the head and eyes toward M, look where you want to go. Apply the left leg with the swing of the horse’s barrel to ask for the lateral movement, applying pressure only as the barrel is moving to the outside or away from the leg. The inside rein will maintain a slight flexion to the inside, while the outside rein will maintain straightness and prevent the horse leading too much with the outside shoulder or over-bending around the inside leg. The outside leg will maintain impulsion and also keep the horse straight. To make the distance all the way to M you will have to focus on preventing the horse moving sideways too quickly. This can be accomplished by asking for a step over, then a step straight forward, over, forward, over, forward, until you reach M. The outside rein and leg are key to preventing the horse from moving over too quickly.
Of course this is repeated in the opposite direction: Tracking right – B half circle right 15m, leg yield left quarter line to H.
Below are two examples of correct leg yields.
The horse is crossing over nicely and has a slight bend around the rider’s pushing leg.
Rider Lisa Wieben
Photo credit: Rebecca Wieben
Rider Birgit Stutz
Photo credit: Shayla Dunkel
Level 1 Test 2: Tracking right – A down centreline, D-S leg yield left.
To successfully ride this maneuver the setup onto the centreline is key. Plan to ride a 10-metre half circle to get onto the centreline. Begin the half circle one metre past F (there are 6 metres from the last letter to the end wall). To ride a 10-metre half circle you need 5 metres or start 1 metre after passing the letter. This is something to practice for all the starting and ending centrelines as well. The letter D is the first letter on the centreline, located between F and K. Once you are positioned straight on the centreline, maintaining a slight bend around the inside (right) leg, turn to look toward the letter H. At D you will begin the leg yield, again thinking of over, forward, over, forward as you make the distance to the letter. Press over with the inside leg, then ask forward with the outside leg.
This is repeated in the opposite direction. Tracking left – A down the centreline, D-R leg yield right.
Level 1 Test 4: C track right M-X leg yield right, X-F leg yield left.
In this case the leg yield is immediately after the starting centreline. Both directions of the leg yield are addressed so it is only performed once. Plan a 10-metre half circle from the centreline, through the corner, and finishing 1 metre before M. As soon as the half circle brings you to the track, put the horse into a slight counter bend using the left rein and leg. Turn your head to look just before X on the centreline. Begin to leg yield to that point. Left leg press and release and right leg maintaining straightness and forward. Plan to reach the centreline just before X so that as you move through X ask for a stride of straightness, then ask for the right bend to leg yield back to the walk. Right leg press and release, while left leg maintains straightness and forward.
To maintain straightness through any of these leg yield variations you can imagine that your horse is sandwiched between two sheets of plywood or plexiglass. You are moving the whole sandwich over and forward.
If your horse feels reluctant to move laterally sideways check that your weight is shifted in the direction of travel and not where the pushing leg is. For example to leg yield right, shift weight slightly to the right, while asking the horse to move over from the left leg. Imagine giving someone a piggy back ride… if they shift to the right, you will try to get under their weight. The horse goes where our weight goes.
At the end of each line your horse will be set up to ride into the corner as they will already be bent around your inside leg. After you pass the last letter turn your body more for the corner and use the inside leg to keep the horse bending through the turn.
If the test is ridden posting the leg yield cues will ask for over on the sit beat and forward as the rider rises.
Enjoy practicing these variations and see your scores improve as your accuracy, straightness, and lateral movements improve!
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past five years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
3 things to remember when preparing for your first show – By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
It may have been a year since you last competed or you’ve been anxiously awaiting your chance to attend your first show. You’ve done the work, you’ve practiced the tests at the level you plan to show, you have all the correct tack and attire, but you may have neglected a few things that could make all the difference on show day.
Trailer loading
Over the past year you may have been lucky to still have a place you could haul out to ride, even if it was to get out on a nice trail. If not, your horse may not have been off the property in a while. Taking a few days to practice trailer loading will pay off on show day. When those first show nerves are taking hold, or we are running late with last minute details, our horse picks up on those emotions and picks that moment not to load. Being confident your horse will load will make all the difference as you are departing for the show (trailer loading could be a whole other article, but for now we will just say… ‘be sure to practice before the big day!’ If you need help with this be sure to find someone – a coach/trainer/qualified friend or neighbour) – so that your horse has a good experience and builds confidence.
Prepare your horse to ride past the judges table, flower boxes, letters
The first time out to an event your horse may be more aware of his surroundings than you are used to. Be prepared with a plan. When we are getting our horses used to a scary object or area we usually start on the ground with a simple exercise.
- Lead the horse past the object/area with you between the horse and the area. By doing this the horse can look at the object, but still bend away from what he is worried about. Putting yourself in the middle shows the horse there is really nothing to worry about as you are not bothered to be beside it.
- Lead the horse from the offside of the object, but keep your body ahead of the horse to allow the horse to look at the object and bend his body away if he is still worried. The handler will keep his or her core in front of the horse’s nose, turning in the direction the horse is looking, drawing with an open inside hip (the hip closest to the horse’s head) to keep the horse moving forward. The leading hand will remain back under the horse’s throat to maintain contact guiding the horse in the direction you want him to move.
- Lead past the object asking your horse to stay in correct bend (not bending into you). Leading your horse from the left side, the object is to the right of the horse. You can use a dressage whip to tickle his belly to remind him to stay bent around you and not look away at the object.
Following this progression will teach the horse that you will not force him into something he is not ready for and build his confidence with an easy progression.
- Now it’s time to bring this into riding. When you have a spot that your horse is worried about, allow the horse to bend away from the spot. For example, you are riding along the rail and your horse wants to counter-bend past a barrel in the corner. As you begin to feel him change bend, your aids will change. In true bend you ride the horse more from the inside leg, but when he counterbends, you will then change your bending aid to the outside leg (which is now your new inside leg). The horse will be bending around your new inside leg as he changes bend past the barrel. Your body will turn to be in the direction of the bend. This may turn into a bit of a leg yield off your new inside leg depending on how much the horse wants to move away from the object. Once the horse is past the scary barrel wait for him to begin to change to true bend before you change the aids and your body position. If doing this in a trot you will change your diagonal as the horse changes bend and then change back after the horse changes back to true bend.
This will keep the horse comfortable as he goes past the object. If we try to hold or force him to remain in true bend while he is nervous about an area he could invert (lift his head and hollow his back), creating more stress in his body. Once you have ridden past in this way a few times then you can start to ask him to stay in true bend as you go by (your horse will let you know when he is ready). The inside rein will block the horse from changing bend while the inside leg asks for bend.
Now how does this help you at the show?
First, do this with as many things as you can to get your horse used to the routine. Set up a table and have your friend sit there and move papers around. When you are at the show, the judge sits at C and will have a scribe with them. Sometimes the judge could be in a vehicle depending on weather or the show will have a box area for them to sit in. Bring out flower pots, white markers, etc. The more you can show your horse prior to the show the easier it will be for them to handle new things. You will have built up his confidence and your own!
Second, now that you know how to ride past ‘scary’ things, when you are in the ring for the warmup be sure to ride past the judge allowing the horse to look and change bend if he needs to. During the test you can use a very slight counter bend, if needed. Doing your homework will give your horse fewer things to be worried about.
Lastly, visualize your test
Even though Western Dressage shows allow you to have a reader all the way up to World level, visualizing the test will prepare your body for your ride. The more you visualize the more automatic your cues will be and you will have more confidence going into the test. Imagine that centreline straight as an arrow, your circles round and your corners as part of a 10-metre circle. As you visualize, ‘feel’ your ride.
Enjoy the process and have fun at your first show of the year!
Photos by Marc Lavigne. Rider Birgit Stutz. Horse “Shooter” (FS Firewater), a 13-year-old Arabian-quarter horse cross gelding. Shooter is ridden English and Western dressage and has also done some Working Equitation.
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past five years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
The Mysterious Half-Halt: What is it and When to Use it – By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
You have heard us mention the half-halt in many of our articles. But what exactly is the half-halt, how do you set up for it, and when do you use it?
In Western riding the half-halt is commonly called a ‘check’ as you are basically checking in with the balance of your horse. Ideally when the horse is moving forward correctly his centre of balance will be placed under the rider’s centre of balance and the hind legs will be stepping under with the shoulders evenly balanced, without leaning in or out, and the horse will be in an uphill balance. The horse will be bending correctly on a bending line and will be straight on a straight line.
The horse’s weight has a tendency to move more forward which places more weight over the shoulders and ahead of the rider’s centre or more to one shoulder which causes the horse to drift out or in on a circle.
You can think of half-halts in two ways: rebalancing or corrective.
In a rebalancing half-halt the rider will check in with the horse’s balance by squeezing the rein. Ideally the horse will give immediately, the rider will release, then the horse will move into self-carriage. If the horse feels heavy, stiff, or doesn’t yield to the pressure, then the horse is missing some key points. He may not be bending correctly, the inside hind leg is not stepping under with the inside hip forward and he is not off the rider’s aids.
If on a circle half-halt from the inside rein. If the horse responds immediately the rider will feel the horse shift back, the inside leg will step under, the inside rein will remain soft when the rider gives and the horse will ‘fill’ the outside rein. The horse is now bending correctly on the circle with good self-carriage.
The rebalancing half-halt helps the horse move his centre of balance back toward the hind legs.
If he is stiff during the rebalancing and pushes against the rein this means the horse is out of alignment and you will move to the corrective half-halt. Something to practice is to check-in/rebalance every quarter of a circle and a few times during each maneuver. The rebalancing half-halt is a quick check in to make sure all is well. It can also be used just before a change of gait or before starting a maneuver to prepare the horse for the change. A rebalancing half-halt can also be used with the outside rein to rate speed if the horse is moving forward with quick steps or you need to slow the forward energy to perform a lateral movement.
The corrective half-halt is used when the horse is moving out of alignment and needs more correction than just shifting the weight back. In this case there are four other corrections that may need to be made: more weight to inside shoulder, more weight to outside shoulder, shoulder falling into circle while haunches drift out, or shoulders drifting out while haunches move in.
In these cases the rider will not only use the rebalancing half-halt, but will also use the seat and legs to encourage the horse to shift his weight back and bring the body back under the rider with correct bend.
For example:
1) If the horse is falling too much to the inside of the circle the weight will move to the inside shoulder or the weight shifts to the outside shoulder causing the outside shoulder to bulge out. The hind legs will not be stepping under the body. The rider can use an indirect rein against the shoulder to move the shoulders back in front of the hind legs while guarding the position of the hip with her legs. The horse’s inside hind will step more under the centre and the inside rein will become soft once the horse is rebalanced on the circle.
2) The horse may shift his haunches into or out of the line of the circle. In this case the rider will half-halt while using his inside or outside leg to move the horse’s hips back into position. The aids need to be used simultaneously.
3) The horse moves the shoulders in while shifting the haunches out – the rider will use an inside indirect rein against the shoulder to move the shoulder out while using her outside leg to bring the haunches back in line.
4) The horse drifts out with the shoulders while moving the haunches in – the rider will use an indirect outside rein against the shoulders while using an inside leg to move the haunches out.
In these cases the rein not be applied to the neck can give a subtle rebalancing halt-halt which will slow the horse down slightly which will shift the weight back. This rein will also prevent the horse from moving too far in the opposite direction. After the correction is applied the result will be more bend and self-carriage.
Note: The horse pictured is a young warmblood who has a tendency to be very wiggly. When riding on a circle the rider uses half-halts, both to check balance and as a corrective aid in order to guide him to straightness. This horse will be ridden in Western and English Dressage. At this time the English saddle fits him well.
Horse: Pirro, 6-year-old warmblood gelding
Rider Lisa Wieben
Photos by Gary Wieben
Half-halts may be used during shoulder-in, haunches-in, leg yield, half-pass, etc. as the horse may also move his weight more to one shoulder or drift more in or out with haunches. The key to effective half-halts is becoming aware of where the body is situated and being able to feel the difference in the hands. Finding this feeling will help the rider correct the horse when on straight lines as well as the rider will begin to feel immediately when the weight shifts forward or the horse moves out of alignment. The mouth of the horse will tell if the horse is balanced. If the horse feels heavy, pushy, not yielding, then that is a sign to correct the body. Change the body, the head will follow. Corrections cannot be made head first, it always comes back to the body alignment.
When applying the half-halt the squeeze of the hand should be like Centered Riding’s idea of squeezing a bird. Your goal is a light squeeze to hold the bird, but you also want to keep the bird alive! Your corrective aid is applied until the horse responds. Sally Swift said, “Ask, Receive, Give”.
When executing a half-halt the rider will sit deeply in the saddle, breathing down into her centre. By continuing to breathe the body will carry less tension which could be transferred to the horse. If doing a ‘check’ the rider will squeeze the rein, wait for the change (a stride or two), then release. In a corrective half-halt the rider will sit deeply with legs ready to aid in moving the hips into position or to maintain position of hips. The rider’s legs also keep the horse using the hind legs under the body as opposed to letting them move behind with a longer back. Think of the image of your horse staying within a circle – round back, stepping under the body. The hands will work together; if the inside rein is moving against the shoulder to block the shoulder from falling in or to help move it over, the outside rein opens to allow the shoulder to move over. If the outside rein is against the outside shoulder, the inside rein will open. Maintain even contact on each rein throughout the correction. When the horse rebalances, the inside rein will feel softer and the horse will fill the outside rein. The rider will use her torso to help with the rebalancing; legs, seat, and hands work together. As the rider squeezes the rein the shoulder blades will move toward the spine, the seat will deepen, the lower back will remain flat (arching will lose the effectiveness of the half-halt) and the legs will guide the horse into the reins.
The half-halt is mysterious because there are so many times we use them during a ride. With practice they will become second nature and feel, timing, and balance will be improved!
As always have fun and feel the difference it makes in your horse!
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past five years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Leg yield exercise – By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz
This exercise will set the horse up for balanced changes of bend. It is a great warm-up exercise starting out at the walk and progressing to the working jog. It can be ridden on a figure eight, serpentine, loop, or change of rein across the arena. Our favourite way to start is by riding random bending lines. This allows you to decide when the horse is ready for the change rather than trying to force the changes with the horse feeling tight or quick.
Ride around the arena on random bending lines, starting out in left bend. Straighten the horse from your right leg, then initiate the change of bend from your right leg. Now leg yield the horse a step or two off your right leg away from the new bend (leg yield to the left, the horse is in right bend) before turning right. This prevents the horse from falling in on the turn. Continue in right bend, then straighten the horse from your left leg, ask for change of bend from your left leg, leg yield the horse off your left leg for a step or two (moving the horse to the right in left bend), then turn left. Keep repeating the exercise.
Practicing changes of bends with a leg yield away from the new turn will teach the horse to keep the inside shoulder up on the turn. As an added bonus this will improve your lope departs later in your ride!
Riding the right circle
Straightened out changing to left bend
Rider aids for leg yield
* Sit tall with eyes forward (remember to always look where you are going!) and shoulders parallel to the horse’s shoulders. Your body should always turn in the direction of the bend.
* Shift your weight very slightly in the direction of travel (leg yield to the right, shift right). The horse will balance under the rider’s weight. Shifting in the direction you want your horse to move will aid the horse to the direction as well as creating lightness in the rider’s inside hip, aiding the horse to bring his inside hind up and forward.
* Ask your horse to move sideways a step or two by applying your inside leg directly below your centre, in rhythm with the swing of the horse’s barrel (apply leg pressure as the barrel swings away from the inside leg as this is the timing when the inside hind leg is moving forward and can cross over).
* Your outside lower leg maintains light contact so that it is able to ask for forward movement if the horse begins to slow down and also to prevent the horse from moving over too quickly from the rider’s inside leg, or to prevent the hip from leading the movement. The rider’s upper inner thigh can block the horse’s shoulder’s from moving over too quickly along with the outside rein.
* The outside rein is a supporting rein and guides the horse into the direction of travel, while also preventing the horse from overbending through his neck and bulging through the outside shoulder. Use half-halts to maintain the straightness of the movement as well as rhythm.
* Gently apply the inside rein for slight flexion at the poll. Keep consistent, elastic contact (not alternating slack and tight). If you use too much inside rein the horse’s shoulders will bulge out in the direction of the movement and he will lose his rhythm. Keep a slight space between the inside rein and the horse’s neck to allow freedom of movement in the horse’s shoulder.
As you ride random bending lines the horse should be able to maintain a level headset. If the horse inverts (lifts up his) as you begin to ask him to straighten, then go back into the same bending line asking for more bend from your inside leg. Repeat asking for the horse to straighten until the horse can come through the change without inverting, then ask for the new bend. Maintain connection from back to front using your seat and legs to send him forward into your receiving (never pulling) hands.
Moving off the left leg before riding the left circle
Moving off the right leg before riding the right circle
When you practice your next dressage test or work on movements use this exercise to set up the horse for the corners at the end of a loop or change of rein across the diagonal or the half circle onto centreline. For example, when changing rein across the diagonal, change bend just past the quarter line, then leg yield a step or two to the letter, then ride the corner or make the turn onto the track (short diagonal).
Elsie is demonstrating a common mistake: as the rider is turning left, her inside hand has pulled back to ask for the bend and the outside rein has released forward. This creates an overbend in the neck and moves the horse’s weight onto the outside front. The shoulder will end up leading in the leg yield rather than the whole body moving together.
When performing this movement in the show ring the rider will take out the leg yield steps, but will “think” leg yield, keeping the aids in place to prevent the horse from falling in.
To view a video of this exercise, check out https://youtu.be/CSYKFEFC05U.
As always have fun and feel the difference it makes in your horse!
Elise Petitjean riding Master Scout Gunsmoke aka Smokey. Photos and video by Lisa Wieben.
If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach that knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.
This article is part of an ongoing series of articles that appear in the horse magazine SaddleUp on a monthly basis. The articles are a collaboration between Lisa Wieben (see biography below) and Birgit Stutz.
For the past five years, Lisa and Birgit have been writing monthly articles for SaddleUp on various topics related to Western dressage. For the coming year, Lisa and Birgit are encouraging readers to submit training questions to SaddleUp. Each month Lisa and Birgit will pick a question and write an article based on it. Be sure to send your questions to nancyroman@saddleup.ca as we will answer another reader question next month.
Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com
As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. www.fallingstarranch.ca.
Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship 