The half-halt rebalances the horse, asking him to shift more weight onto his hind end and recycling forward energy to his hind legs. In this video, Ashley Donadt offers simple exercises to help you feel and understand the mechanics of the half-halt, explains why and how it’s used, and teaches you how to implement half-halts for better balance. Donadt is an FEI dressage rider and USDF bronze and silver medalist with distinction. Along with husband/head groom Evan Donadt, she is based out of Donadt Dressage in San Diego, California. Before starting her own business in 2017, she previously worked for David Blake and his wife, Rebecca Rigdon, as well as Elizabeth Ball. Since 2019, she has been training with three-time Olympic medalist Guenter Seidel. She also has trained with FEI Dressage World Cup rider AnnA Buffini and debuted at Grand Prix on Buffini’s schoolmaster Sundayboy.
Up Next in Halt/Half-halt
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Riding Up and Out
With a horse that has a tendency to get too low and curl, Kasey wants to make sure the rider focuses on the half-halt bringing the horse’s shoulders up and the hindquarters under. However, she wants the half-halt mostly through the seat so that the hand doesn’t take too much and make the horse cu...
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True Half Halts Intro
U.S. Olympian Steffen Peters helps this pair with riding half halts to create more self-carriage. If you have a strong, forward-thinking horse, this is the video for you!
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True Half Halts, Part 1
Steffen sets the standard of a true half halt.
