I have a 13-year old Thoroughbred gelding. He is really good at dressage and I would like to use his potential as he can go very far with it, but there are a few things he still needs to perfect.
• Halt: How can I teach him to halt square. What are the steps I need to take in order for him to understand what I am asking him to do? As I do the downward transition I keep him as collected as possible, yet he never halts square.
• Flying change: Every time I ask him to perform a flying change, he bombs off and then changes. When he changes from the right to the left leg, he always becomes disunited as he only changes the front leg. How can I ask him to become calm (not bomb off) and show him what I want him to do? I have been transitioning him from the canter to the walk, changing the bend and cantering again.
He is quite a perfectionist and when he can't get something right, he gets upset with himself, so I need methods that will help him understand clearly so we can avoid him becoming upset.
Jaco Fourie answers:
I can share with you how I do it in my training:
Halt
The halt in its correct form is absolutely still, square, on the bit and straight. No compromise. Perfect halts come from halting perfectly every time, also when not mounted. Make sure you get an experienced instructor at least once a week to help you with this: No-one (not even Olympic riders) can train by themselves all the time!
Standing still is practised first – in hand, while grooming, while mounting, on the lunge, on outrides, on long reins, wherever and often. Only when they can stand immobile, RELAXED and waiting for an aid, do I work on the rest.
While on the ground, I might use a dressage stick to "tickle" them lightly on the back fetlock until they lift it and step more under, after which I stop and reward immediately. This will help them understand the "arching of the back" and stepping under behind. Some horses don't like this at first, so you will have to be patient. But it is even better to have an experienced person there to help you with this.
Halt transition
When going into the halt transition, make sure the horse is not strong in your hand. Your horse should "stop" by curling his back, dropping the hindquarters and taking more weight behind – NOT leaning forward, poking the nose or throwing the head about. Make sure the aid comes from your seat: Sit in the middle, a little back with shoulders, hold a little with the upper leg, brace your back, breathe out.
The very last step – I'll encourage the hindlegs to keep stepping (using my lower legs quietly) while VERY GENTLY restricting forward movement with my hands. The moment they halt, I yield all pressure.
I normally halt sideways to a mirror, or where someone can check the legs. If he leaves one hindleg out behind (say, the right hind), then use your right leg to make him step under. Not too strong, otherwise the other leg will be left behind.
Restrain him from stepping forward with both hands. If he is not straight, I immediately repeat the transition into halt, keeping the horse well between hand and leg, and maybe even putting him into a slight shoulder-fore position. In the beginning stages I don't take accuracy too seriously; it is more important to keep the relaxation than having a square halt for only one second before moving.
Flying changes
Again, an experienced instructor on the ground will be able to see what you might be doing wrong, so try and get some help. My views on flying changes: Often, the training of flying changes is left much too late. The best time to start the flying changes is when you are beginning to practise counter canter and your horse still has a natural tendency to change into true canter.
The secret to flying changes lies in the horse reacting with the hindlegs first, out of a canter with much quality and balance. A good canter has four qualities:
• Round, 3-beat, with a long moment of suspension.
• Relaxed and loose.
• Completely straight (hindlegs jumping straight towards the centre of gravity).
• Balanced (rider is able to give and retake the reins, without the horse rushing).
Before the change, I do some transitions on a 20-m circle: Walk, counter canter, walk, true canter, etc, all the time taking care of the four points above and making my aids as LIGHT as possible (honestly, this is the most important: barely noticeable aids and sitting as quietly as possible). Every time in counter canter, when three legs are on the ground, I make sure that my inside leg is driving the horse forwards on the girth.
To true canter
After some repetition of the sequence above, I change from counter canter to true canter, by simply asking for cantering on the new leg (no acrobatics in the saddle or pulling on any rein). Since the horse has done the walk-canter-walk sequence on VERY LIGHT aids and stays on a 20-m circle, I simply shift my old inside leg backwards (no kicking or pushing) and sitting dead still.
The right moment to ask for this aid is the moment of SUPPORT, when there are three legs on the ground. Any reaction is rewarded at first, and most horses will attempt a flying change if prepared like this.
If he runs away, quietly bring him back to walk, and repeat the sequence of walk-canter-walk on VERY LIGHT aids. I sometimes practise going back to walk immediately after the change, using the walk as a reward, which eventually slows them down and keeps them relaxed.
If he changes late behind, make sure the four qualities of the canter above is in place. While my "old" inside leg drives the horse forward in counter canter (when three legs are on the ground), I might tickle the horse on the "new inside" flank for two or three strides before asking for the change.
Golden rules
Keep the horse relaxed, ALWAYS. Practise the sequence walk-canter-walk with incredibly light aids, and have someone check your technique. Refrain from changing from one circle to another, or with any abrupt change in direction – this encourages them to change only in front.
