Half Halt for Rhythm & Balance

Rhythm is the foundation of the dressage training scale, the subsequent levels of the scale being suppleness, contact, straightness, impulsion, and collection. Without good rhythm, the other training principles will never be achieved.
One of the major challenges riders face is maintaining an active, working rhythm while remaining in good balance. For Canadian Grand Prix dressage trainer and competitor Lee Tubman, good rhythm and balance begin with good rider position. “The rider needs to have good basic posture and a degree of muscular suppleness that allows correct posture but does not impede or restrict the movement of the horse,” he says. “If this can be done, the focus then shifts to the horse.”
The simplest, most effective exercise to improve the horse's rhythm and balance, and thus improve the gaits themselves, is the half halt. A correctly ridden half halt encourages the hind legs to step further underneath the horse’s body. The horse’s neck and front legs should never be restricted or tight during a half halt, but remain soft and loose.

It should be understood that there are varying degrees of the half halt,” explains Tubman. “While in working trot it is possible to give a half halt that brings the horse to a halt, or just to a walk, or nearly to a walk… by alternating from trot to one of these other transitions and then back to trot, you will create a longitudinal suppling effect

Half Halt at the Trot

Begin with trot/walk/trot transitions, then trot/nearly walk/trot, and finally trot/halt/trot. Ride the half halt with your seat and legs and a supportive hand, maintaining acceptance of the bit at all times.
Once you have mastered these transitions, you can move on to varying the trot steps. “Increasing the impulsion in the trot and riding more forward into lengthened trot, or medium trot, or extended trot, and then