Training for the Square Halt

Monday's ride was pretty good. Rose was a somewhat silly baby in the cross ties, but her new habit of  last week, which was trying to bite me when I brush her has vanished and that is something to be thankful for. Well, that and my handy little jumping bat which helped to convince her that it was a bad idea. Under saddle, she was terrific. She's really getting the hang of the half-halts now, although at times she overreacts and halts, but I ask her to move on when she's made that mistake, and it doesn't happen too often.

Speaking of halts, they are really improving. We've been working on developing a square halt for a few months now, and all that hard work is really starting to pay off. I'd say 65% of the time when she halts now it is square, the other 35% of the time I can now say "square up" to her, apply a tiny bit of leg, and then she thinks about it and fixes her feet. It took some time for her to put all the pieces together, but with repetition and diligence she's gotten it. It's pretty darn cool! Here is how we've gotten where we are with the square halt:


How I've been training Rose for a square halt:

1. From the trot I ask her to to halt through my seat (it is easier for the horse to halt square from the trot than the walk, as the horse is only operating of diagonal pairs of feet rather than all four individual feet).
2. I look down or in a mirror and check all four feet.
1. If they are square, I pat and praise Rose saying "square". I want her to associate the word square with the stance.
2. If they are not square, I ask Rose to take a step or so forward until they are square and say "square up*". Once square I then pat and praise her saying "square". I don't ask her to square up by backing because that is a fault in a dressage test at the halt...a bad habit I don't want to start.
3. Repeat periodically throughout our schooling session.
4. When we are finished, and after our cooling down walk, we trot down the center line and halt at x.
5. I look down or in a mirror and check all four feet.
1. If they are square, I pat and praise Rose saying "square" and dismount immediately before she has a chance to move an inch. Dismounting is the ultimate reward for a good deed!
2. If they are not square, I ask Rose to take a step or so forward until they are square and say "square up*". If she doesn't get square from the walk, I come back around down the center line and try again from the trot. Once square I then pat and praise Rose saying "square" and dismount immediately before she has a chance move an inch. Dismounting is the ultimate reward for a good deed!

*At first I didn't say "square up", I only said square when she was square. Only after she started associating the square halt with the word square did I start using "square up" to communicate verbally to her what she should do when she got it wrong.

Happy trails and swooshing tails!