You should also outfit your horse in the appropriate bit for galloping, one that gives you adequate control. For some horses, this might be a simple snaffle; for others, it might be something stronger. A flash or figure-eight noseband is important because it ensures the horse will keep her mouth closed, which will also help you maintain control. If the horse’s mouth is open, no bit will work. Your horse should also be wearing brushing boots for protection. Polo wraps can come undone or slip, and a horse can trip or fall if she steps on a loose wrap.
Refrain from galloping in wooded areas. It’s hard to gauge your speed and see what’s ahead or coming at you in the other direction. Before you gallop, walk the area to check for holes and debris and to make sure the ground is not too hard, deep, or slippery. Understand that your speed (when you’re practicing) will depend on what the land and conditions allow. You can turn only so sharply or go downhill safely at only certain speeds. As you go faster, the balance of the horse should always stay the same.
This horse is properly equipped for galloping, with a flash noseband on the bridle and brushing boots on the legs.
The Half Halt
The half halt is probably one of the most misunderstood skills in riding. Many riders find it difficult because they focus too much on the physical mechanics of the aid. Concentrating on thinking it through makes the aid last too long, and the rider ends up mistiming the half halt or pulling against the horse. The half halt is actually momentary. It shouldn’t last longer than one footfall of the horse.
The name of the skill is a great description of what it does: it halfway halts the horse. To analyze it a step further, the half halt works by slowing the front end momentarily. Because you are still asking the horse to move forward, the hind legs continue to do so; as a result, the horse’s frame briefly becomes more compact, and he begins to move with his topline arched. This posture helps the horse balance on his haunches rather than on his forehand or, worse, on your hands. And from this posture, he will be able to carry out the changes that you are about to ask for, such as a turn, a transition, or a change in tempo (speed). You’ll feel that the horse is easier to influence and more comfortable to ride. You’ll also feel a sense of being with the horse rather than somewhere behind him. The horse’s movement will be more fluid. The flow of energy between the two of you will also become more fluid. It will feel easier to sit to the trot and the canter. The horse will also feel stronger and taller and arched in his back.
Besides slowing and balancing the horse, the half halt has other benefits. Horses tend to take over the tempo and the center of balance to make things easier for themselves. Typically, you’re riding around thinking all is well until you try to circle. Suddenly, you realize your horse is off in a world of his own. The half halt reminds him to be a team player and to listen to your communication. It’s often a little reminder that you’re the one who’s setting the agenda.
The use of the half halt will help keep your horse balanced in the canter, like this.
The Anatomy of the Half Halt
Here is a breakdown of the important elements of the half halt:
• Make sure that as you ride along your back is flowing with the movement of the horse. If you always sit stiffly against him, he won’t be able to feel the half halt coming through your seat.
• Lengthen your legs slightly so that the lower leg asks the horse to step a little deeper with his hind legs.
• Decrease the flow of your back and seat by gently firming the muscles along your spine for a split second. Your horse may feel this resistance and think, “Oh, she wants to stop,” and begin to shift his balance back in anticipation of the halt.
Half halts need to be customized to suit each horse. This horse is resisting the rider’s request to halt.
The rider makes the half halt more emphatic, and the horse responds.
• If your elbow is hanging directly under your shoulder and not in front or pulled too far behind, the resistance from your spine will move down your arm and into the rein. Don’t pull the reins. If you need to get your point across to your horse, squeeze the reins rather than pull back.
• Your lower leg should remain lightly on the horse throughout and ready to send him forward again. As you feel the horse make the shift down, apply your leg aid, soften your spine, and move forward again.
The rider responds to the horse by softening the contact. The horse has halted well.
Here the rider applies the half halt just when the horse’s outside foreleg is forward.
The most effective moment to apply the half halt is when the outside foreleg is going forward. That makes the outside foreleg take a slightly shorter step.
The Wrong Ways to Half Halt
Riders commonly make the following mistakes when using the half halt:
Making the half halt last too long. Riders often eliminate the middleman of softening the spine by continuing to brace against the horse and continuing to pull on the rein. They wait for the horse to give before they give. The half halt must last no longer than a stride, whether it works or not. If it hasn’t worked, repeat it slightly more emphatically in another stride. If you hold too long, your horse will begin to fight you by leaning on your hands, rushing off, or resisting your aids. At best, the half halt lasts no longer than one stride. If it doesn’t work, stop asking, then repeat it.
Focusing too much on the reins. Many riders wrongly equate the half halt with pulling on the reins. The old tug-and-release method to slow down is a crude approach to riding. However, if you feel that your horse is barging through your hand rather than pulling on the reins, reconfirm the contact by closing your fingers within your hand, much like wringing water out of a sponge. Think of riding the horse forward into an already halted bit, rather than bringing the bit backward to halt the horse.
Not thinking ahead. Riders have to act before things get out of hand. Sometimes it’s too late to do a half halt: the rider has waited until the horse is really on his forehand and moving too fast. Then the momentum is so great the rider would need a half halt strong enough to stop a bus. Some horses need a half halt even in the first stride of the canter or the trot. If you ask for the half halt right away, you set the balance for the new gait so it doesn’t get out of control. If you’ve lost control completely, halt the horse and start the transition again.
Performing the half halt mechanically. Many riders apply the half halt too technically, which means it’s clumsy and it takes too long. Horses are “push into pressure” creatures, meaning that if you put pressure on the horse without knowing and communicating its purpose, then the horse is going to resist you. The aids are meaningless unless they are supporting a clear idea. Riders often get wrapped up in the physical mechanics of the aid without having a concept of what the horse should feel like after they apply the aid. Try not to become obsessed with how