Recently I was studying the USDF Dressage Manual (which is a great resource) and I came across a segment that outlined how to work on rider position at the halt. At first this seems strange, but you actually can do a lot to establish the correct position and muscle memory at the halt!
Here are some tips to work on at the halt:
The Seat: At a halt work on finding the correct balance of weight on both seat bones and the pubic bone. You can experiment with over-arching your back or curling your back and then finding the correct neutral spine. You can also experiment with over weighting one seat bone or the other and then finding equal weight on both seat bones.
Hand and arms – you can work on developing the correct techniques with your hands by working on moving the fingers at a halt, then the wrist, and then the elbows. Also practice the turning aids and rotating your shoulders without moving the hips. Make sure that you have and “independent seat” when doing these exercises meaning that your seat does not change when your hands and shoulders move!
Legs – at a halt, work on loosening up all the hinges in your legs. In order to have an effective leg position, it’s important that all the hinges in your legs are moving. Start by rolling your ankles around. Then work on scissor legs using your knee as a hinge. Then work on your hips by lifting your thighs up and out of the saddle. You can also work on tensing and gripping with your inner thigh! What happens to your seat when your grip with the inner thigh???
I hope you enjoy the video this week on “How to Improve your Position at a Halt”
Happy Riding!
Amelia
