Ride in Harmony – Half-Halt – Biomechanics of your seat, legs and hand
For many riders, the half stop is elusive, although they understand that if done correctly it will rebalance the horse, increasing the grip of its rear end and preparing it for the next move. Your seat during the half stop must be prepared to receive the engagement of the hindquarters and the increase in energy created by your legs, otherwise you will lose your balance and be tempted to hold on to the reins or catch with your legs because the change of balance and energy has been left behind by the movement of the horse.
There are many ways to half parry and many definitions for it. The FEI says:
“The half stop is an almost simultaneous, barely visible coordinated action of the rider’s seat, legs and hand, in order to increase the attention and balance of the horse before the execution of several movements or transitions to less or more steps By transferring a little more weight to the horse’s quarters, it makes it easier to hitch the hind legs and balance on the haunches, to the benefit of the lightness of the front end and the balance of the horse as a whole.”
This, of course, says something about effect, but not about how to achieve it, and especially about the details of that coordinated action of seat, legs, and hand.
When you ask the horse to rebalance and increase engagement, his legs continue to get more engagement and more hind leg activity. The half parry rebalances the horse on its hind end, so he should feel the same amount of power from his hind legs that he would feel with a stretch, but contain it, both with his seat and with his receiving hands. . This energy reaches the horse’s back and the seat of the horse must be ready to receive: soft buttocks, hip joints ready, mobile pelvis and flexible lumbar spine supported by the muscles of the lower torso to receive. energy. This is why the saddle appears first in the definition: set yourself up first with your saddle (and the well-trained horse will need little more than this to change his posture and energy).
As your legs close in and your horse responds, you may lengthen your stride or become more compact and serene. Either way, your seat should be set and your shoulders elastic so that the outside hand, acting regardless of what the pelvis or chest is doing, can close in to contain and stabilize the horse, helping to rebalance, and then soften or release. to finish. the circle of energy The inner kidney retains flexion and gently bends inward.
Your seat during the half stop must be prepared to receive the engagement of the hindquarters and the consequent surge of energy created by your legs, otherwise you will lose your balance and be tempted to hold the reins or grab with your legs because the change in balance and energy you have been left behind by the movement of the horse. The stiff seat stops the surge in the horse’s back, and the horse rushes forward or slows, feeling the thud in the back as the rider loses balance and stiffens in the back or chest or both. When the rider stiffens and comes behind the movement, it is as if the horse hit a brick wall with the energy of its hind legs and the circle of aids is interrupted. Your hands, if they pull, will rob you and your horse of the surge of hind legs. The horse learns to ignore your punitive half parries.
How do you prepare as a cyclist for the rebalancing and burst of energy, whether it be lengthening, collecting or some other change?
First: Your spine and pelvis should oscillate around a neutral position, neither overflexed nor overextended. The horse moves the sides of the pelvis alternately, which impacts the spine, and through this movement of the pelvis, the lumbar spine will alternately flex and extend around the median or neutral place. By staying centered around a neutral spine, he never reaches full range of motion and risks damaging soft tissue and discs under the stress of driving.
Second: You must “catch” the first bounce of the surge or your nervous system will react by stiffening and blocking the surge your horse has so gracefully given you. It’s like slipping on ice, if you’re ready and your spine is stabilized and your legs springy, you can slide on it with glee; if you catch him off guard, he is likely to slip, stiffen, and perhaps fall. Properly stabilizing your spine by strengthening the layers of muscles that surround your lower torso will allow you to ride the surge without being caught off guard. This is a tummy tuck, or tummy out! — not zip up or scoop out the abdomen, which actually destabilizes the rider. Abdomen out with engaged abdominals and extensor muscles protects the spine while allowing it to move. Abdominal braces also allow you to breathe into your lower abdomen, further increasing powerful, well-coordinated use of your lower torso.
Third, your hip joints will remain loose and your legs like wet towels when you move and support your horse’s shift of balance. After giving the leg assist, release again and allow your hips to remain mobile so that your legs are springy and ready to absorb the higher step you’ve been taken.
Fourth: Your hands are the last part of the half stop and their independence depends on your shoulders remaining relaxed. In the momentary closing of the seat, legs and hands, his hands close and then soften and give way so that the front of the horse does not lock. For this, your well-coordinated lower torso will support freedom of movement in your shoulders so that your independently acting outside hand can close and then relent to receive power from the horse. Your hands should feel like you can juggle a ball while riding. Stiff shoulders from a protective impulse response from the horse means that the elbow joints will lose their elasticity and the hands will lose connection or hit the horse in the mouth. Your stabilized but mobile pelvis and prone posture will allow your back muscles to remain long, your head to remain balanced on your spine, and your shoulders to hang.
Fifth: You will enjoy the harmony you feel as your horse rebalances and gives you more power, happy to let you, with your receiving seat and hands, lead the dance.
I love helping riders move in harmony with their horse’s movement and I love the response of the horse as he is more comfortable and can give the rider the best performance. Contact me for clinics or video lessons that use the work of Feldenkrais, Centered Riding, and total fitness training to teach all riders to ride in harmony. Video lessons are a great alternative to a clinic – you’ll receive a program of awareness lessons and movement/fitness exercises to train you to improve your driving. Visit SitTheTrot.com.
Health! michelle
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