It's never just the mouth that yields to bit pressure. If the mouth, head and neck yield to the hand of the rider without the rest of the horse yielding all the way into the hock, then this is what is referred to as a false frame.
When the rider takes contact on the bit, the whole top line of the horse must respond. The way to test this, is through a half halt in the shape of a circle.
We need the circle for the horse to step under to his point of weight and lift up his top line. The horse should resemble part of the circle in his body shape, let's call it a C shape - this shape supples the horse and allows his inside hind leg to reach the center of gravity easier (solar plexus), which it might not do if the horse is traveling straight instead of bent.
A half halt is when the rider asks for the horse to shift his weight "through" the shoulders to the haunches and the horse slows down for a moment (pausing and rebalancing in motion). If the horse resists this request, it is often because the forehand is blocked or because the pathway to the haunches is not aligned (not in a C shape) and therefore the half halt is a good way to test if the horse is correctly balanced.
if he doesn't take the half halt, he is not balanced and therefore can't become light. When he is in a C shape and able to take the half halt directly all the way through to the haunches, then he will be balanced and balance equals lightness. Lightness is the absence of resistance, and using the circle we can better balance the horse on the inside hind leg.
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10 июн 2024
