How do you ride your Half Passes?

[Camacoona]

You can tell I have time on my hands can't you!?! 

Have been thinking about this for a while.

IMO a lot of riders ride a kind of contorted leg yield with wring flexion when they are trying to ride half pass.  The push the horse sideways with their outside leg and can't/don't control the sideways steps.   When ridden in this way, its difficult to be accurate with the riding of it, getting the required bend and the rider certainly cant control where the half pass will finish...

I like to ride my half passes as a travers on a diagonal line... as the horse gains collection and greater suppleness more bend can be introduced for the great passes and more sideways sweep.  In this kind of half pass you keep control of the forehand and you can control where the half pass will finish.  I also think the reach is more impressive because the step is (dare I say it) more forward and sideways than just falling to the side.

Again these are just my opinions and I'm certainly not always correct!

So it got me thinking... How do you ride your halfpasses?  How do you keep your bend true and uniform down the horse's body?  How do you control the transition into the half pass?  how do you control where the half pass is going to finish?

[Heather]

Interesting question Omar. I ride mine like the Spanish Riding School, forehand leading as I think that this also is much more attractive than the competition variety with body parallel to the wall.

The biggest cause of failure to achieve the correct flexion I find is that the rider's inside leg is off the horse. I can think of one rather famous classical trainer whose latest videos show this remarkably well!! It is also the greatest cause of the 'Leaning Tower of Pisa' effect that you will see when the revised book comes out 

[Camacoona]

Thanks for that Heather! Yes I think by riding it as the SRS beginning with the travers on a diagonal line you avoid ANY tendency to have quarters leading.  You also have to ride off the inside leg for the bend! never mind just pushing sideways with the outside leg.  Had someone ride their half passes the other day and the she showed me a leg yield with wrong flexion.  when I had changed it to more like travers on a diagonal line, Wow the sideways sweep was much more expressive than just falling sideways.

[Trudi]

  just as I was taught Omar and Heather, not like a certain classical trainer I once heard telling his students to chance the bl**dy bend from the leg yield 

A trainer I had years ago used to have us teach the movement by first riding along the diagonal without the travers but just the correct bend for it and when that was mastered we could start to add in the travers, it really instilled the correct feel for the direction of the movement from the start.

[Camacoona]

  thanks Trudi!

[hilary]

My BHSI instructor ( she is an examiner too ) up here taught it as travers on the diagonal. She would also get me to do a cope of steps of SI after the corner, to help mobilise the shoulders, before then doing diagonal in travers.

[Mandeigh]

I always start from shoulder in and I still cannot picture the movement as travers on the diag....but then geometry was never my strong point 

[Heather]

I dont actually start with any other movement, I just do half pass where the spirit moves me  Comes from riding at Luis Valencas, in his tiny indoor school often with up to six stallions working in it. You do things like half pass almost as an evasive movement to keep out of the way if needed!

Jade and I have been riding Sudi and Rei in the school together and having some fun doing pas de deux. Today we were practising 'threading the needle' in half pass- it is great for Jade's timing too as she is only learning half pass, but she has it well nailed already! I really have found a little protege in Jade!!

[issywizz]

Heathers point about having the inside leg on was a massive help to me.

[Heather]

Theres a thread on CD about half pass/renvers/travers, blimey it is no wonder people end up turning themselves into pretzels and the 'Leaning Tower of Pisa' Sarah! The inside leg is so much the key to rider straightness as well as horse bend!!

[Candypony]

I "can" ride them anywhere, Candy's always happy to go sideways!, but find I get better control and truer flexion if I ask from shoulder in, ensuring that I don't take too much contact with the inside hand or forget my inside leg.  Actually thinking about this I've been taught the following:

1) Establish a soft shoulder in, with good flexion, flowing and simply take my weight to the inside to move into half pass
2) Ask from a well ridden corner to across the diagonal... using pirouettes if necessary to reestablish the correct bend
3) Work on side pass (ie very little sideways) in walk to encourage the sideways stretch/sweep and then reduce the sideways and allow the forwards.

I've been taught, too, all three positions by different people - shoulders leading, parallel and quarters leading (for the gymnastic benefit, not for show!). Phew - no wonder people get confused at times!!

[issywizz]

Yes but thats because CP cant go straight 

I like SI into HP too as it means I get the bend a little better, also like doing it from a corner across the diagonal, I will also switch between HP and LY if I need to to correct or I will go straight into a medium trot if we lose too much impulsion.
I think it all depends on the horse and what is happening at the time, there are no specific formula that work for all horses/occasions.

[jenb]

It was taught to me as travers on the diagonal, never really thought of it as anything else.  Have recently been playing with SI into HP, a very good exercise for practising keeping your body parts in the right places and just shifting the weight over to lead the horse into a change of direction.

[Heather]

To me, to be honest, travers on the diagonal means quarters leading to many people! I tend to teach it out of SI because then they are less likely to go bum first!!

[Mandeigh]

To me, to be honest, travers on the diagonal means quarters leading to many people! I tend to teach it out of SI because then they are less likely to go bum first!!

That's exactly why I start with SI...cos I was really bad for going 'erse first'