Q: Every time I halt, my dressage horse will stop square and then immediately swing his hindquarters to the right. I always get points taken off for my halt. How can I fix this?
Asked by Niel Noppe
A: This problem is described as a technical mistake in a dressage test. In fact, it is caused by a missing key piece of basic training. Each horse has a favoured side and the horse in question has difficulties stepping under with his right hind leg. This problem is often caused by a lack of equal development in the horse’s body. When the horse stops square and the trails out behind, this demonstrates that he lacks the strength or the ability to stretch his topline correctly. The horse chooses the easiest mechanism of finding relief, which is to step out sideways.
In the long run, this problem will probably disappear if the rider works on developing the horse’s straightness. The horse’s body will develop equally and he will be able to better stretch both ides of his body and become stronger.
In the interim, there are some training tricks that might prevent the horse from swinging out his hindquarters during a competition. Firstly, try to keep the horse’s right shoulder slightly to the fore when you ask for the transition to ensure the right hind leg steps under. Secondly, don’t make things more difficult by asking the horse to stand still for too long. Once your horse has halted for approximately two seconds, ask him for a forward walk so that he doesn’t get the chance to swing his haunches. Try to be very quick with your leg aid when you feel that the horse is about to swing out his hind leg. Don’t try to solve this problem by pushing back his hindquarters with your lower leg or by asking him to step back.
Always reward the horse when he doesn’t step out because it means that he is trying his best to find the stretch and the strength. Remember that even though a square halt seem to be an easy exercise, the immobility requires strength and stretch in the horse’s body.
Answered by Equine Support International