Half Passe

[Gwenllian]

What is a half passe????? In simple terms if poss please??

[Mike]

We've got a very brief explanation on the lateral pages (http://www.newrider.com/Starting_Out/More_Advanced/lateral_2.html). If you have look at the leg yield page (http://www.newrider.com/How_To/Riding_Tips/leg_yield.html) it gets a mention or two.

We are planning to expand the video clips type atricles to cover half pass and the other movements.

Does that help?

[sallym]

I have spent the last three days trying to find out what this and how (in theory) it is done. I have just started learning leg yielding in my long overdue (30years) lessons. I asked my instructor (she is excellent) and she was not sure - it is not part of the BHS syllabus at my sort of level.

I found a site on the internet with animated video of it through northernlight.com power search. I'm sorry I didn't book mark it but if you try "half pass" in quotes you might find it.

I've also looked it up in a book. It seems to be a a forwards and at the same time diagonal movement where the horse's legs cross over. The difference from a leg yield is that you ride it with the bend in the same direction as the movement.

Apparently, the best way to learn it (walk at first) is to do a half circle onto the three quarter line and then ask for a few steps towards the outside track, keeping the same bend as you were on the circle, but not continuiing the circle.

I've no idea if this makes any sense because I've only read it. I will probably try it in my lesson on Sunday - if it goes horribly wrong, I can always pretend I got the leg yied wrong, can't I?

Best wishes

Sally

[Sue Carnell]

In half pass the horse moves diagonally towards the bend, in leg yield he moves diagonally away from the bend. The horse and rider should already be trained in shoulder-in and travers, before attempting half-pass. Half-pass is much more difficult for the horse than leg-yield, as he has to really stretch to do it. Leg-yield is one of the first lateral movements that riders are taught as it's very easy for the horse to do. I expect your instructor isn't a dressage trainer if she doesn't know what half-pass is and has only just started you with leg-yield. If you're particularly interested in dressage, you might need to find another instructor to help you with your dressage training.

Some not very good pics of myself and a friend playing with shoulder-in, travers and half-pass at Heather's last weekend can be found at
http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/rach
There's a link on the first page to the weekend at Heather's in Devon.

We're hoping eventually to put some video up to.

Sue Carnell
sue@eclipse.co.uk

[C]

In half pass the horse has to *ENGAGE* his hindlegs more, but the leg-yield does not require any engagement, and is a simple movement where the horse moves away from the leg. The shoulder in, renvers and travers are lateral exercises that require engagement, and a horse and rider not trained in these exercises should not attempt the half pass

[fionahogg]

Leg yield does require engagement.

[barnesp33]

Hi Fiona

The leg yield is performed with the horse straight through the body and as such it actually does not engage the horse. The hind leg through the leg yield crosses over as opposed to stepping forward under the centre of gravity. The other lateral work involves bend through the body and as such improves engagement.

Over time there has been a lot of discussion about the use of this in the training of horses and many masters would not use it saying that it ***-engaged the horse and could actually cause hock problems and the like.

Leg yield is a good exercise for getting the horse to step away from the leg and to supple the horse but that is it, it does not require engagement nor will it improve engagement.

The problem is that after a couple of sucessful leg yields the horse will feel looser and therefore can give the power that was always there in the first place but it will not increase the power.

P.

[Heather]

HI folks,

Half pass doesn't just require more engagement of the hindlegs, than leg yield, but also considerably more stretch of the shoulders. The horse in leg yield is bent slightly away from the direction of te movement, i.e flexed right, but moving left, the right foreleg is crossing over the left forelg, with no real stretch.
In half pass where the hrose would be flexed to the right and moving to the rigt, the left shoulder has to advance across the right foreleg, taking into aaccount the horse's neck is also bent to the right, requiring a lot more stretch/suppleness on the part of the horse.

Travers and renvers are half passes along the track or can be done diagonally acorss the school too.



Heather

[Wally]

Clarification please!!

If you do Travers and Renvers off the track don't they become a half pass? Is there a difference between?

I know renvers and travers are along the wall, either bum to the wall or nose to the wall, but is it still renvers and travers when you are winging your way across the middle?

HELP!! I'm confused now!

[Janey Painy]

Hi,
I was a little puzzled when Heather mentioned the Spanish Riding School teach Half Passe with the forehand slightly leading in her book. So I asked the Lipizzaner web ring and got this very good in depth reply. I thought some of you might be interested in it. I have got John's permission to copy it onto the message board.

John D'Addamio wrote:

I can answer that two ways: historically and biomechanically

1. According to what the now deceased Director of the SRS, Alois Podhajsky, wrote in his book "Complete Training of the Horse and Rider", the SRS follows the precepts laid down by de la Gueriniere in his book "Ecole de Cavalerie" which was published in the early 1730's. In del la Gueriniere's book, he defines a movement called "Change of Hand on two tracks" which we now usually call half-pass. I say usually because we still call changes of direction in the half-pass "counter change of hand." de la Gueriniere's description of the movement says that a) the horse should be bent in the direction he's moving, b) have the shoulder slightly leading and c) the horse should move on two tracks, and d) move sideways as well as forward across the arena with the outside hind leg stepping across the inside. de la Gueriniere's book is currently available in 2 different English translations, if you'd care to read it. In short, the half pass was defined that way nearly 300 years ago and the SRS still follows that definition.

2. Biomechanically, leading with the shoulder makes the inside hindleg work somewhat like it does in shoulder-in (which BTW de la Gueriniere invented.) When done correctly, this will improve collection and suppling. However, IF you put the horse straighter or w/ the haunches leading, you lose those benefits of the exercise. For a better description than I can whip up in a few minutes, see Paul Belasik's book "Exploring Dressage Technique". He has a good chapter on what benefits each of the lateral exercises gives when they are done correctly. I have not seen this as clearly explained anywhere else.

Good luck,

John

Just thought it might be of interest since generally people seem to teach and think of Half Passe with the horse's shoulders and quarters in line.

God bless,
Jane.

[Gwenllian]

I'm almost sorry I asked.....eitherway...I think it's beyond me,at the moment!

[sallym]

When I tried this (wrongly) on my sensitive lesson horse his brain went to fog so I stopped. I think it is possible, but I have to work out what is required much more clearly brfore I try it again.

Best wishes

Sallllly

[Katie_85]

Slightly off topic but...I wasn't brave enough to read Complete Training of the Horse and Rider but I did read My Horses, My Teachers and it was excellent.:)