How do YOU develop half-pass?

[StraightForward]

Annabelle and I have been playing more with HP recently. I've been lightly touching on it for about a year, but it is now starting to feel like more of an actual movement in the trot, and we are getting a small taste of it in canter too.

My instructor always wants us very parallel to the long side throughout the HP, and has me ride forward in SI if we start getting to diagonal with the shoulders leading. This works fine for us to the left, A's hollow side, but to the right, I couldn't get it at all until I started thinking of riding a renvers on the diagonal to really ensure that the haunches were coming along (renvers is proving to work better for me than travers because then I'm not blocked by the invisible fence at the shoulder, apparently ).

Anway, I've also heard that some trainers develop HP from riding on a diagonal line, and then slowly developing the bend, so the shoulders would be leading quite a bit for quite a while. I tried this with A and it worked on her hollow side, but allowed the haunches to trail even more on the stiff side. I'm just wondering how common this approach is, or if trainers tend to use a blended approach depending on the horse? I've been watching some of the Festival of Champions rides and it almost looks like there is a split. In the GP special, I was surprised that several horses were more at an angle to the long side in HP, and coincidentally, those seemed like they didn't have enough bend in the body. Curious what everyone here does/thinks on the subject.

[khall]

We started HP with Joplin last Cedar clinic. My biggest prep is making sure I have a good HI. If you have HI then HP should not be a problem. Cedar wants us to be parallel to the long side not having shoulders leading. I have several exercises to address any issues that crop up.

Canter through short side trot then HP. Canter helps energize the outside hind. Works wonders From Mark
HP to LY zig zag if losing bend
HP straight to SI also can help with bend
HP to circle also helps with bend
Outside rein open to help send haunches more. Inside rein up and close to the neck if falling on inside shoulder. I think about holding the shoulders a bit and sending the haunches
Transition to walk back to trot in HP

Rip struggled with HP. The better engaged they are the easier they find it. Both Gaila and Joplin find HP fairly easy.

[Ryeissa]

I've done it from many starting points as my horse needed different things at different times:

shoulder in has been my "go to" because my horse likes to already be leading with the haunches
HP to LY to HP to prevent falling of the shoulder
1/2 circle circle to HP like in third level test

I always start with the bend/position first, then the HP so I have not done what you are describing but its an interesting idea.

The half pass if a defined track, so I'm not sure I'm following the GP discussion- but yes I agree its likely a problem of not enough bend.... that seems to be the most common flaw.

[StraightForward]

Rye, the riders are all riding the same diagonal, but some horses have their body more parallel to the long side and others are more at an angle with the shoulders leading.

[Ryeissa]

Rye, the riders are all riding the same diagonal, but some horses have their body more parallel to the long side and others are more at an angle with the shoulders leading.

yeah, that sounds like a bend issue. thanks for the clarifying. The shoulder needs to lead in HP. I was really shocked how much when I started doing HP myself.

[Tanga]

I see a lot of horses at GP with their haunches lagging quite a bit in the half pass. The judges seem to prefer that in general to losing rhythm.

I find it much easier to ride canter half pass than trot because of the energy. I was taught to do a haunches in on a diagonal line. The problem with that for me is that HI can seem very discombubulated to me.

I think it is easier to learn by going back and forth between half pass and leg yield because the bend is so easy to lose in HP. As soon as you feel the loss of bend, which usually comes with loss of impulsion, if you go back into leg yield, you can get it back and then take it back into HP.

I also mentioned my light bulb in the HP where I felt I couldn't get the bend in HP where I feel like I am taking my hands up and out (in reality they are straight) really helps me correct this because it stops the inside shoulder dragging into the ground and collects the horse into a shorter frame, making it easier to move.

[blob]

I do best with a HP when I think of riding haunches in on an invisible/diagonal rail. So, to build up to it i make sure my horse can do haunches in down the long side with no problem. Then i move to the inside track to make sure I can keep haunches in without the rail keeping the shoulder. And then I move to the diagonal line. Once I get this, IF the horse isn't leading enough with the shoulder I can usually just move my hands over and get the right angle.

with MM, i've found that I"m getting my best half pass if I ride a few strides medium trot and then go into half pass. But she is one that finds sideways easy and forwrd less so.

[StraightForward]

I see a lot of horses at GP with their haunches lagging quite a bit in the half pass. The judges seem to prefer that in general to losing rhythm.
...

I also mentioned my light bulb in the HP where I felt I couldn't get the bend in HP where I feel like I am taking my hands up and out (in reality they are straight) really helps me correct this because it stops the inside shoulder dragging into the ground and collects the horse into a shorter frame, making it easier to move.

On the first point, I was wondering if that might be what was happening. The GP half passes are pretty steep, so I could see fudging them a little to be able to maintain the energy if the horse isn't super supple with his crossing ability.

On the second, that is a great tip, thank you!

I appreciate all the great thoughts here. I think I am on the right track keeping the position parallel to the wall and riding as shallow as needed in that positioning. I definitely also go to the SI if the HP starts to deteriorate. I also tend to incorporate canter between the trot HP to help keep the forward. We are still working towards a more jumping canter, so I suspect canter HP will come when we can get more of that bouncy ball feeling.

[Kyra's Mom]

Well, with my limited HP experience, I was taught to initiate SI then step to the inside and viola...HP. Inside leg maintains the forward and outside leg guards and keeps the haunches moving over. That has worked pretty good...I think those instructions were 4 horses ago and it has worked on all that I have gotten to that stage. However, HI on a diagonal gives me a great visual and I have practiced that a few times by dragging out some poles and setting them on a diagonal. I have not tried HP in canter since way back when, when I was riding with Heather. Kyra was quite stiff/tense about it and I didn't get much and haven't really tried since with my woeful riding schedule over those last 7 years. Her canter work is starting to return to a more 'schooled' canter and I have started doing some limited LY in canter to get her moving away from my leg so maybe soon, we will try it in canter...but only if I have the relaxation to start.

Lately, I have been working her a bunch in baby trot and I tried HP in the baby trot a couple rides ago and they flowed quite nicely both directions. Normally she is stickier going left when she has to step across with that weaker right hind.

I have also been told the tidbit about the hands that Tanga mentioned. I helps me if I feel like I am wanting to cross that outside rein across the neck.

Susan

[exvet]

I start very early in training teaching lateral movements at the walk and use it in my warm up. I have found that when they're strong enough to start these movements at the trot, the bend is much easier to establish. Junior has always been very capable of SI; but, haunches in to the right has been more difficult for him. As a result I was told by my coach to work tons of HI/traver which I have. I will start HP much like Kyra's Mom describes but am always prepared to have more challenges when I do HP to the side that requires the weaker hind leg to step under. I will use the exercises already described by khall to refresh the bend, refresh forward and most importantly restablish straightness before asking for [more] lateral movements again so that I can insure that Junior is responding to my aids correctly and to insure that I'm not weighting my seat bones incorrectly. I try to take a mental check throughout these the exercises used to develop HP to make sure that whichever direction I'm doing HP and at whatever gait that my chest and sternum are up and directing the horse correctly, my shoulders are back and down and square AND that I'm weighting the correct seat bone and appropriate leg is at the girth. So often I find that to the more difficult direction, it's all too easy for the horse to throw me into pretzel mode and onto the wrong seat bone.............gets to be a vicious cycle if I'm not mentally in the game to prevent it from happening at all costs

[Ponichiwa]

I have a couple go-to exercises that I really like for developing the carriage and suppleness for halfpass.

Walk/trot/canter:
Start in SI down long side. When the connection feels right (bit of a judgment call here), take exactly 2 steps of halfpass and then ride straight ahead in SI slightly off the wall. Rinse, repeat.
Benefits: can get into zen halfpass mode (don't have to change directions in the arena, etc.); keeps horse up and bent around your inside leg/girth; clarifies sideways vs. bending aids.

More advanced (in canter):
Halfpass from quarterline (or centerline) to rail; ride straight ahead in counter canter along rail in slight haunches-in (to the canter lead; renvers to the arena). Around short side, counter canter a 15m (or 10m if you're ready for it) half-circle; repeat previous exercise.
Benefits: as above, can get into zen halfpass mode. Unlike the previous exercise, this one tests the ability to keep the shoulders out to your outside rein (relative to the canter lead, not the arena). Counter canter also re-instills the sit and carry needed for good halfpass.

Walk, trot or canter:
SI slightly off the rail. 3 steps halfpass, SI. 3 steps LY (in SI angle) back to initial track, finish in SI. Rinse, repeat.
Benefits: evidently I'm big on zen halfpass mode. Similar to first exercise, also installs confidence in the bending vs. sideways aids and the LY in SI keeps the hind end charged up underneath of you instead of escaping out the back door or being left behind.

Generally speaking, halfpasses suffer because we stay in them too long when we're schooling and let the bend, energy, or connection escape (sometimes all 3). Short pieces of concentrated work with clear start/end of halfpass improve the work immensely. And then when you go to string more than QL to rail of halfpass together, turns out you've got the strength and power you need from all that prep work you did.

And another thing! The main driver of halfpass quality is how you start it. Too many of us (myself definitely included) neglect the 10m turn on the centerline before the halfpasses start and then have to recreate the connection and balance before kicking off halfpass-- which is why I really like exercises that get me to focus on how to start and end the halfpass because that's where I lose all my points.

Good luck!

[tlkidding]

For not enough bend, I abandon the HP and do a SI or a 8/10m volte. Also if there's not enough bend, that usually means I don't have enough inside leg...For not enough sideways, I switch the bend to a LY for a few steps. And if none of my corrects seem to be helping, the biggest help is to go back to the walk and fix the response to the leg (for bend and sideways).

Honestly, the HI on a diagonal has never worked for me visually or in the arena.

The GP trot HP are so steep and the international quality horses have so much elasticity with the elbows, the riders usually seem to keep the extravagant cadence, which changes the angle of the body a bit. For some reason, keeping completely parallel to the rail and doing the trot HP doesn't allow for quite the same cadence. My horse is definitely not nearly as fancy, but when we have our "upper level" bouncy trot happening and I go to the HP, if I keep him bouncy, we are not as parallel to the rail but if I ask for a completely symmetrical "C" shape from the body in the HP, we lose a lot of the cadence and bounce in the trot to go 20m sideways in 38m distance. If we had 40m to complete the HP, I could keep both the cadence and completely parallel body.

[Ryeissa]

Honestly, the HI on a diagonal has never worked for me visually or in the arena.

same here. Just can't compute for me.

[StraightForward]

The GP trot HP are so steep and the international quality horses have so much elasticity with the elbows, the riders usually seem to keep the extravagant cadence, which changes the angle of the body a bit.

I thought that might be part of it.

Thanks for all the tips! Ponichiwa, I played a little with HP a few steps in and LY back to the wall tonight. That was helpful to stay together and more bouncing. Lots of great tips, I will keep referring back as we go.

[Kyra's Mom]

I like to LY away from the rail about 5-10 meters then half pass back to the rail. Set up the proper bend for HP and the rail helps draw them over. It has a magnet in it after all .

Susan

[Chisamba]

does no one even try to.pretend that the leg yield is ridden with no bend anymore?

I think.most commonly I ride travers on the rail and then move the travers diagonally off the rail. in othervwirds the traditional Travers on the diagonal.

once we are maintaining cadence and bend I will start in shoulder in,

in either exercise if I lose cadence tempo or bend I add a circle to help correct that. I may even ask for a yield from the inside leg in that circle to place the rib cage and hips and have the shoulder effectively in the outside rein

[Tanga]

I thought of something else I've been doing that helps HP. I will do circles with HI on e circle, which I think is somewhat helpful. But even better, I do SI on the circle, really feeling like the horse is sitting on the inside hind and carrying and onto the outside rein. It gives that same collected, balanced feeling that using the reins in the HP does, and the horses seem to understand it. Kind of like what you said, Chisamba.

It's good for getting the right feeling and for conditioning them to do it correctly.

[Ponichiwa]

does no one even yrynto.pretend that the leg yield is ridden with no bend anymore?

Had to laugh at this (with you, Chisamba, not at you!). I'm sure somewhere on the internet there's some keyboard warrior shouting that true LY cannot have any bend at all and is also an abomination. They'll also call the exercise I typed out above a plie instead of LY with SI positioning.

6 of 1, half-dozen of another. Half the battle of my real-life job is making sure I speak the language of the people I'm talking to, not the deep jargon of a technical expert.

[Chisamba]

I never liked the " straight" definition of the leg yield but I don't think it has been officially changed.

I also do not refer to the travers as haunches in because haunches in can be ridden bent, straight or counter bent. it just helps in the absence of a horse and rider to demonstrate, to have agreement on terminology.

for example no matter how hard I try I cannot visualize how a renver could become a half pass, in my brain it would be a leg yield.

so terminology, in absence of agreement, becomes confusing.

[StraightForward]

for example no matter how hard I try I cannot visualize how a renver could become a half pass, in my brain it would be a leg yield.

It's the same thing as travers on the diagonal, just that the imaginary fence is behind, rather than in front of you - horse is still bent in the direction of travel. IDK, works for me, but maybe later I'll change my mind.