The Magazine June 2022
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Ride the perfect halt with Piggy March
Posted 16th May 2022
What could be so spectacular about stopping? Piggy March shares plenty of reasons why halt is worthy of your attention
Halt, immobility, salute – the three memorable words that mark the end of every dressage test sheet. Although many riders dismiss practising the perfect square halt in favour of faster and more exciting moves, asking your horse for a halt worthy of a 10 takes plenty of time and training. To execute it, he must be responsive, balanced, forward and straight.
While no one wants to, or should, dedicate an entire schooling session to halting, refining your accuracy when riding this move will not only teach your horse a number of valuable lessons, but will also help you become more aware of your own straightness in the saddle. I’ve got some simple, effective exercises to help you ride the ultimate halt, whether your aim’s to improve your horse’s manners or score highly in a dressage test.
A square answer
Riding a perfect halt takes a lot of practice, but with time you’ll soon learn to master it. It shouldn’t be cast off as an insignificant move because your halt can show a lot about your horse’s level of schooling. Is he distributing his weight evenly over all four legs? Does he stay round and connected through the bridle? Is he balanced? The answers to these questions are all tell-tale indicators to a dressage judge. As your horse’s schooling develops, so too will his ability to stand square.
Even though the quality of your halt is indicative of your horse’s overall level of training, there’s still plenty you can do as a rider to lend a helping hand. In a test situation, preparation is key. That means knowing your test and riding into the corners to allow yourself time to set up the movement. Rushing your halt as an afterthought will only lead to pulling back on the rein to initiate a sudden stop, which will encourage your horse to hollow – and you’ll be late to the marker, too. So, it’s important to think ahead to where and how your halt will happen.
Pick up a copy of June Horse&Rider magazine, on sale 19 May 2022, for Piggy’s top exercises on riding and training a square halt.
