Half halt in jumping: Ever feel like your horse is a speeding bullet? Here's how to effectively control his speed.A half halt in jumping is crucial for two reasons. First, it helps you control your horse's speed. Second, it sets him for the jump so that he launches himself from his haunches rather than throwing his forehand over the jump awkwardly. But a half halt in jumping isn't pulling back on the reins only half way. But it is the secret to controlling your horse’s speed through a course is using the half halt effectively. You might now be thinking, “I already knew that.” But do you really know how to execute a genuine half halt? Horses that race through a course usually carry most of their weight on their forehands. And they pull their riders forward toward the withers, thereby giving themselves more power and control. To put yourself back in control of your horse’s speed, you need to reverse this—you need to bring yourself further back toward the horse’s haunches and rebalance him so that he drives more from behind and pulls less from in front. This is why a properly executed half halt in jumping is so crucial. The essence of the half halt is sending your horse’s energy back to his haunches. This not only affects his speed, it puts him in a more balanced position to jump. Green horses typically carry about 75% of their weight on the forehand, giving them a “downhill” feel when being ridden. The job of a quality trainer is to teach the horse a better way of going under saddle, which moves some of that weight toward the haunches. The horse becomes more balanced that way, and feels more “horizontal” than downhill. In the highest levels of collection, the horse feels very “up hill”. The more “up hill” the horse, the more he can drive from behind, a characteristic dressage riders call impulsion. And the more in control the rider is. That is why a half halt in jumping is so useful. HOW TO EXECUTE THE PERFECT HALF HALT AT TROT: To learn the half halt in jumping, begin with the trot. The half halt comes from your core muscles, not from your hands. It isn’t a matter of squeezing the reins half as hard as you would for a full halt. Instead, it comes from your powerhouse of core muscles. When executing a half halt in jumping, keep your shoulders low, but stretch your torso so that it feels longer. Tighten your abs and lower back by rotating your pelvis under you so that your buttocks and lower back flatten and your pubic bone moves up in the direction of your navel. If you take Pilates, yoga, or martial arts, this move will be familiar to you. It provides a core of power and stability to your stance. At the same time that you engage your abs and lower back, squeeze (not pull) your reins by closing your fingers, allowing your little finger to come closer to the underside of your wrist. This has the effect of shifting your weight back towards the horse’s haunches and closing an invisible barrier in front of your horse’s nose. The effect on your horse will be to slow him down, and to rebalance him as well by shifting more of his weight toward his haunches. This also will flex his jaw and poll, raise his back, and put his hind legs more underneath him so that he can drive from behind. This is the essence of the half halt in jumping. To practice this, lower your stirrups by a couple of holes (from jumping position) so that you can open the angle of your hip. Put your horse into trot and post. Allow your hips to swing forward as you rise from the saddle. When your horse is trotting forward with a lot of energy, abruptly tighten your core muscles, shift your weight slightly back from your legs, hips, back, and shoulders, and squeeze your hands as you rise up out of the saddle. Think about and feel what is happening behind you so that your focus is on your own weight moving back in the saddle. Your horse should respond to this sudden rebalancing of your weight by slowing his pace and elevating his trot. If he doesn’t respond the first time, be patient. He may not be used to paying much attention to what’s happening there on his back, particularly if he is used to you controlling him by pulling and pulling on the reins. Once your horse reliably responds to this rising version of the half halt, you’re ready to try the actual half halt at trot and canter. Establish an energetic trot, then “stretch up tall” by lengthening your torso (your shoulders remain low), tuck your bottom under, tighten your abs and lower back, shift your weight back slightly from your legs, hips, and shoulders, and squeeze your fingers to tighten your fists. Again, think and feel that your own weight is shifting toward your back and your horse’s back. You should feel your horse respond to this shift in your weight. His pace should slow, his back should rise under you, his poll should flex, and his weight should shift back in the direction of his haunches. He will still feel very “stretchy” and powerful, but you will feel more in control of him. Continue to practice this at trot until your horse reliably and immediately responds to your half halt. Then do the same thing at canter. This is especially important because most jumps are taken in canter. So it is vital that you perfect your half halt in canter before going on to half halt in jumping. Using the half halt this way will improve your control of your horse, build your horse’s topline, and improve his gaits so that they are less “rushy” and more elevated. Your dressage or equitation scores should improve as a result. HOW TO EXECUTE THE PERFECT HALF HALT IN TWO-POINT: Now add your perfect half halt to your two-point position: Canter your horse along the long side of the arena in two-point, developing a 12-foot stride. As you approach the corner (be sure to give yourself enough room) sit back in the saddle in “dressage seat” and execute your perfect half-halt. This rebalancing will allow you to ride through the corner in a balanced, controlled way. Keep this “collected” canter until you’re through the next corner, then go to two point again along the long side, allowing your horse to stretch into his 12-foot stride. Continue this exercise (with appropriate breaks for your horse) until you can collect your horse immediately any time you want using your “dressage seat”. Then try doing the same thing while remaining in two-point: Tighten your abs and lower back, shift your weight slightly back from your legs and seat, draw your shoulders back slightly, and close your fingers. You should be able to collect your horse easily this way even though you remain out of the saddle. HOW TO USE THE PERFECT HALF-HALT TO CONTROL YOUR HORSE’S PACE WHILE JUMPING A COURSE: Now the BIG payoff! Half halt in jumping to improve your scores! Take your horse through a practice jump course. Each time you feel him begin to rush toward a jump, go back to your dressage seat and execute your perfect half halt. Presto! Your horse will be rebalanced and more controlled, and should take the jump with more impulsion and spring from behind (as opposed to throwing his forehand over the jump). Be patient if he at first puts up a fight by trying to go back to his old ways of jumping. Habits are hard to change. But patience and persistence will teach him that YOU are in control of his pace, and that he benefits from cantering and jumping this way!
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