What's Inside
Search the Site
Tip/Quote of the Day # 923
A half halt will not "go through" unless your horse is relaxed in the back and at least somewhat connected.
Did you enjoy this article? If so, please share with your friends! Look for the share buttons on the far right side of the page. Thank you!
Related Articles:
- Riding From "Front to Back"
- Is Your Free Walk Really FREE? And Do You Make Good Use Of It?
- An Exercise to Help Improve Your Horse's Connection Over the Back
- The BEST Exercise to Loosen Up Your Horse's Tight Lower Back Area
- Question # 273: I'm wondering if you have any favorite exercises for strengthening a horse's back and building topline?
- An Exercise to Help Improve Your Trot to Canter Transitions
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2817
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1807
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1742
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1685
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 913
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 903
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 498
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1797
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1234
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1766
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3421
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3274
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2157
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1868
- Quin's Blog post # 4: Praising the Snort
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1776
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1731
- Video # 309 and Question # 325: Kayla is finding it difficult to keep her horse on the aids in walk to halt transitions.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1636
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1581
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1490
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1453
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1442
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1402
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1356
- Signs That Your Performance Horse Might Be Sore
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1173
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 984
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 919
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 683
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4289
- An Exercise to Help Teach Your Horse to Seek the Connection
- The Benefits of "Stair Stepping" Your Lateral Exercises
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1379
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3443
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2244
- Lateral Work as "Medicine" For the Dressage Horse
- The Function of the Rider’s Elbow Joints
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3599
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1727
- Quin's Blog post # 2: The Ultimate Answer to Riding, the Universe, and Everything
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4191
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3893
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3536
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3508
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3430
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3271
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3219
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3210
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3086
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2603
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1845
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1829
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1816
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1793
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1752
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1705
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1626
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1605
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1585
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1509
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1483
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1216
- Question # 299: My OTTB was recently diagnosed with some major back pain associated with saddle fit (I guess two different saddle fitters looking at it 4 different times wasn't enough!)....
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1113
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1085
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1007
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 882
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 807
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 760
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 710
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 631
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 626
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 519
- Improving the Trot
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4114
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1594
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4445
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4039
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3413
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3322
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3165
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2904
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2880
- The 'Half-Go'
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2343
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1864
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1743
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1737
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1715
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1613
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1600
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1582
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1564
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1470
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1461
- Video # 102: This is Kellyn, riding Novice level test B
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1431
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1337
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1253
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1096
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1016
- Develop an Independent *Hand* - an Essential Skill That is Key to a Good Rein Connection!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 814
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 582
- The Front Door Analogy, That Will Help Improve Your Connection
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4327
- Guest Blog # 120: Too Focused? by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2598
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1860
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1831
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1808
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1759
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1753
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1750
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1688
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1671
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1645
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1527
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1499
- Guest Blog post # 95: "Situation Critical" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1457
- Guest Blog post # 89: "> or < ?" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1445
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1409
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1383
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1331
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1286
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1137
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1090
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 971
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 966
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 804
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 456
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1348
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1095
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4237
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3494
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3012
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2981
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2902
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2649
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2537
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2314
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2173
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2058
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2038
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1834
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1827
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1789
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1746
- Quin's Blog post # 1: Tiny Signals
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1647
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1496
- Question # 310: What's best way to teach your horse to maintain a steady rhythm? My horse has issues with this. (Chris)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1350
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1346
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1343
- Question # 304: So I have recently acquired an off track standardbred pacer. We are in the works of trotting only, and not pacing, before we even attempt the canter. The plan is for him to event lower level...
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1219
- Video Discussion # 96: This great video shows exactly why it is SO important to get your horse moving correctly through his back!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1076
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1002
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 857
- Question # 266: My horse hollows his back and throws his neck up in canter to trot downward transitions? What can I do to fix this? (Anonymous)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 703
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 549
- Question # 242: What generally causes a horse to slip under himself with his hind end? Weak hocks/stifles, unbalanced horse/rider? My horse slipped out behind three times at the 2DE on the weekend. (Shelley)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 418
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 260
- Video # 30: This is Nanna and her 6 year old mare doing their beginner novice dressage test!
- Does Your Horse Show This Positive Sign After a Flatwork Session?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4144
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4120
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2780
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2514
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 317
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4449
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4326
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4290
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4126
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3735
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3630
- Guest Blog # 116: "The Cone of Uncertainty" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2543
- Video # 319: This is Kayla, working on her flatwork!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1895
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1893
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1878
- Ruth's Blog post # 5: Connection Issues in Canter Transitions
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1813
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1780
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1769
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1762
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1755
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1741
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1700
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1687
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1686
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1680
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1662
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1623
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1615
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1611
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1606
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1549
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1542
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1526
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1503
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1492
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1484
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1401
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1373
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1327
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1295
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1284
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1275
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1267
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1258
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1250
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1227
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1221
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1215
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1154
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1114
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1094
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1053
- Dressage Canter Adjustability Exercise # 2
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1006
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1001
- Different Half Halts For Different Situations
- Adding More *Scope* to Your Lateral Work - For Better Dressage Scores!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 918
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 901
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 828
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 747
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 719
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 659
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 645
- Are You Riding With Your Reins at the Right Length?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 545
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 440
- Throughness
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4491
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4431
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4249
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4211
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4209
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4135
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3901
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3849
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3792
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3730
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3723
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3475
- Monitor Your Horse's Stress Levels, For Best Results in Training
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3251
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2837
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2654
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2540
- A Simple Exercise to Help You to Relax and Reset the Position of Your Shoulders When Riding
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1901
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1863
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1858
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1848
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1839
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1826
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1823
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1787
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1775
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1773
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1732
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1701
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1697
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1695
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1692
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1673
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1650
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1648
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1640
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1639
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1612
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1597
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1595
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1588
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1580
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1575
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1574
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1540
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1525
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1519
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1504
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1488
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1477
- Guest Blog post # 93: "Convincing (UN)" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1464
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1447
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1438
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1417
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1413
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1406
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1403
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1398
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1377
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1371
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1368
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1352
- Does Your Horse Pick Up the Canter With His Haunches In?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1298
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1291
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1287
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1282
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1276
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1231
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1214
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1202
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1183
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1180
- The Pre Flight Checklist
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1177
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1150
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1100
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1067
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1066
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 998
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 962
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 957
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 890
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 838
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 835
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 803
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 745
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 700
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 692
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 635
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 552
- Impulsion Defined
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1728
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1035
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1003
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 949
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 898
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 877
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 484
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4396
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4380
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4333
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4308
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4153
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4013
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3957
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3821
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3787
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3675
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3134
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3049
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2658
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2633
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2551
- How Your Driving Habits Relate to Your Riding Habits
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1614
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1264
- Horses that Tilt Their Head in Dressage
- Question # 290: I recently started riding a very nice, well trained thoroughbred. She is pretty big, probably 17+ and a little long backed. My normal ride is a 15 hand compact very (overly) sensitive ottb, so she feels ginormous....
- Discussion # 145: Stiff vs athletic movement
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 926
- Question # 275: My little quarter horse mare likes to tilt her nose to the left at the trot and canter when working indoors...
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 641
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 564
- The Full Body Relaxation Exercise (For the Rider)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 454
- Question # 232: My OTTB has trouble with anxiety, grabs the bit and makes upward transitions on his own. When is it appropriate to change bits? (Anonymous)
- Question # 225: Sometimes my horse's otherwise nice canter feels like it becomes four beat-y and almost lateral. What causes this, and what can I do about it? (Tina)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 175
- Question # 106: My horse carries himself nicely in the working canter. He feels like he is nicely balanced and in self carriage. But after every canter lengthening, he becomes rigid and is resistant against my hand...
- Question # 87: I work with two different trainers (one regularly, and the other every month or so since she is more expensive) and am getting conflicting advice on half halts and downward transitions.
- The Tail Tells the Story
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4301
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4006
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3780
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3549
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3434
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3170
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 63: Personality and Why It Matters
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 62: Coping With Stress Part V: Gratitude
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2669
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 61: Coping with Stress Part IV: Do What You CAN Do
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 60: Coping with Stress and Anxiety: Part III - Getting Grounded
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 59: Coping with Stress and Anxiety: Part II - Connection
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2504
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2099
- The "Walk Two Steps and Trot Again" Exercise
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4409
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4319
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4283
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4236
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4213
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3710
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3679
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3658
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3524
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3431
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3410
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3249
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3222
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3172
- An Exercise to Help You Improve ALL of Your Downward Transitions
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2501
- A Jumping Exercise to Help You to Turn Your Speed Into Impulsion
- "Reset" Your Aids
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2033
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1855
- Quin's Blog post # 3: How are you and your horse communicating?
- Video # 312 and Question # 331: This is Rachael!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1625
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1590
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1583
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1538
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1524
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1316
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1314
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1300
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1255
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1225
- A Test of Your Flatwork Training (For All Levels!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1199
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1196
- Clashing of Aids vs the Coordination of Aids
- What Does it Mean for the Horse to be "Between the Rider’s Hand and Leg"?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1052
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1028
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 964
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 933
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 894
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 887
- Improve Your Canter to Trot Transitions!
- Dressage Canter Adjustability Exercise
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 754
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 749
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 748
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 726
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 718
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 671
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 660
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 658
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 646
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 628
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 511
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 508
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 471
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 447
- Question # 202: What is the difference (if any) in the amount of contact you should maintain in the free walk and free trot? I know the free trot the horse should still be on the bit, just be allowed to stretch down. Is the free walk the same? (Kymbre)
- Video # 65: This is Vita and Toby!
- Question # 195: I have a client's horse that I'm working with, and she has an issue I've never had to deal with before. She thinks she is an accordion--she will shorten her neck and hollow her back whenever she has any contact in her mouth.
- Question # 192: I am stuck in my training right now. I know the concept of all that is being asked of me, but I have the movement of a brick. I am unconciously stiff in my movements...
- What To Do When a Half Halt Doesn't Work
- Abort the Transition!
- An Exercise to Improve Throughness Over the Horse's Back
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4463
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4325
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4275
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4222
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4154
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3917
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3891
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3571
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3553
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3505
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3484
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3483
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3460
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3450
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3439
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3415
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3411
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3391
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3386
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3365
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3221
- Guest Blog # 118: Why Counter Canter? by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3164
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3100
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3051
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3038
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2994
- Guest Blog # 115: "The Words Are Not Magic" by Bill Woods
- A Little Trick That is Helpful in the Training of Hot or Nervous Horses
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2868
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2825
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2724
- Video # 323, and Question # 355: Rose would like some help with her 6 yo Connemara mare, who tends to be tense and rushy.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2667
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2657






