Can you put into words what the half halt is? Let’s say you are speaking with your friend, who is not a horsey person, and you’re telling her all about the half halt. What would you say? This week I had two eye-opening conversations. One with a rider and one with my sister… I drew a similar conclusion from both conversations.

My conclusion? There are a whole lot of riders out there who don’t really know what the half halt is, or why everyone goes on and on about it…

So, back to you and your version of the half halt… It might be easier to start with what it is not. A half of a halt! But, you knew that, didn’t you. And yet, there are many riders who are surprised at that. “It’s kind of slowing down, but not actually letting the horse stop…, I think…” No, that’s not quite it.

What is the Half Halt

The half halt is a few things in riding. However, we can simplify things by dividing the purpose of the half halt into three simple categories

1. An effective ‘intercom’ system between you and your horse
2. A little ‘fixer-upper'
3. An effective way to help you and your horse maintain balance, focus, and forwardness

I am a firm believer that most riders can take the number of current half halts they ride every time they're in the saddle and double or triple that number. And that is just to get started with! We are simply not doing enough half halts. And the irony is, that when you are getting started with it, the more you do, the less you will have to do it later.

The half halt is really one of those things that you can do a lot of the work up front and reap the benefits later.

Additional Resources for Equestrians:-

• • • FREE Half Halt Training Audio
    • The Aids to Ride the Half Halt
    • Harnessing the Power of the Half Halt
    • Improving Your Ride with the Half Halt
    • Understanding and Refining Your Half Halt
    • Your Half Halt on the Ground with Your Horse
    • Connection in Your Riding; Your Seat and Legs
    • Connection; My Online Membership for Equestrians
    • Online community for equestrians working on their mindset & fitness
    • Online Community for equestrians focusing on re-schooling horses (and ex-racehorses