We deconstruct the halt to walk transition, considering the horse who really wants to hollow his back. When the rider keeps her front vertical and short, she can influence the length of the horse’s underneath
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The key to this is an image: if the rider imagines a carousel pole running from her head vertically down to the horse’s belly, and refuses to let it deform and/or lean back, she can prevent the equivalent line of muscle in the horse from elongating. She then needs to maintain this in the next step, and the next step…but there are many mistakes that limit this profound degree of influence. When elite riders ride the transition from piaffe to passage they often topple back just like less experienced riders do in the halt to walk transition. Strength and skill and understanding build over time
