Such a dumb question - what exactly IS giravolta?

[Magsndan]

Looking at the videos yes it is the same exercise. My favorite one, I wouldnt be able to sit dans trot afterward

Bunny rabbit wins hands down 

[Trudi]

  good one Sue, that's one hairy wabbit, can't show it to my daughter as she's desperate for a hairy rabbit and I'm holding strong on the NO 

[issywizz]

   

Issywizz can't tell the difference between piggies and bunnies, don't take any notice of her. 

He's not a pig, he's a 'ikkle Italian bunny rabbit.  You didn't watch it!  Bet you didn't have the sound on either. 

You hear 'gira, gira, Braavo, click, nibble, nibble, nibble.'  It's so cuuuuute. 

At the end he does a lovely levade at the camera, before doing his little giravolta too.

I was actually looking for a giravolta with a more attractive backside for us to look at than the Simon one you posted and got side-tracked by the cute bunny.   

 

I only watched the first minute or so and was sure it was a piglet  Mind you I spent the first few seconds wishing he would stop pointing the camera at the ground and blurring everything 

My excuse is I was very busy yesterday. Oops 

[thecatsmother]

He's a great all rounder, he jumps too. 

So he does, the jumping vid is fab too 

[Peaches]

Trudi suggested giravolta to me a year or 2 back for L, on my blog - I had to ask the same question then too, K 

What I like about it is that whilst we probably get it all terribly wrong from a technical perspective (inhand + me = CRAP  ) it really works to get the horse listening and more focused (or at least, that's what I've found). I used it when I started stressaging Lance out and about again and he turned into a bit of a roaring monster - we'd do 'our' giravolta in the carpark inhand before I got on which must have looked very silly to other people but I didn't really care as for him, it turned his focus from the scary/exciting party to me and destressed him very very well. Dunno if that's an 'intentional' use for it ordinarily or anything, but as I say, worked for us 

Great vids Trudi and W&B, thanks 

[Heather]

That is just the cutest bunny, ever!!

[Mossy]

Being very thick, it looks like what I know as a turn about the forehand. Which way is the bend, toward the turn or away from it?

[lmevans]

it can get a bit 'turn-on-the-forehand-ish' if you are just moving the hindquarters, but the best benefit I think comes from the whole horse stepping over, opening the outside shoulder and stretching the hips and shoulders as he steps away. The bend is to the inside of the circle, as the body steps away from you towards the outside. Make any sense 

[Mossy]

IW Do you mean the bit where the horse circles around the trainer at about 2.40? If so I think that is what i was taught as a turn about the forehand. Not TOF. That is different. The trainer's expalianation of why it is good was the same as well. Forgive me if I am talking rubbish

[issywizz]

Yes thats the one, Mossy.
The circle is much bigger than a TOF, , generally around the 10m mark, not sure how that compares with the turn about the forehand?

[Mossy]

TAH as I was taught it is maybe a bit smaller, not really thought about it. I will next time I do one. Thanks muchly.

[whisper's mum]

  @ the Lionhead bunny.