Ashley Donadt breaks down how to ride and trouble-shoot the half-pass, introduced at Third Level. She shows how to ride a haunches-in along the rail and then take that haunches-in on a diagonal to create the half-pass. She also shows a correction to common training problems using her “staircase” exercise—half-pass to shoulder-in—for improved balance, suppleness, and proper positioning.
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 Half-Pass
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Steffen Peters – Schooling an Upper-L...
Trot work is saved for the end of the ride. Steffen Peters and the clinic rider try schooling some passage, half-pass and half-steps that are in front of the leg. If the pony starts to lag in the tempo or cadence, Steffen suggests freshening the trot with a few steps of rising trot or even canter...
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Steffen Peters – Schooling an Upper-L...
Steffen Peters and the clinic rider move on to canter half-pass and flying changes with the German Sport Pony. Steffen’s top priority is energy and suppleness. Collection is secondary. The half-pass should be forward-thinking. He wants the rider to wait and make sure the pony is very straight bef...
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Half Pass - Part 2
Gary gives suggestions for her leg and hand position during a walk break, and when they start up in the walk again he asks for deeper corners and a little quicker tempo than she offers. He emphasizes riding straight, then getting bend before turning in the corners or on a circle. In the sitting t...
