Okay, so today I tried to figure out this “half pass” thing in dressage. I’ve seen it in videos, and it looks so elegant, but man, is it harder than it looks!
First, I warmed up my horse, just like I always do. Lots of walking, trotting, making sure he was listening to my legs and seat. I figured a good warm-up was extra important for something that felt so… sideways.
Getting Started… Or Trying To
- I started with a 20-meter circle, trying to get a nice, even bend. My horse is pretty good at circles, so that part was okay.
- Then, the tricky part. I tried to move him sideways, keeping the bend, while still going forward. I think I used too much inside leg at first. I ended up just kind of… pushing him crooked. Not at all like the smooth, flowing movement I was imagining.
- My horse, bless his heart, was super confused. He kept wanting to just straighten out or turn onto a smaller circle. I could practically hear him thinking, “What are you even asking me to do, human?”
I spent a good 20 minutes just trying to get a few steps of anything that resembled a half pass. It was more like a “quarter pass” at best, and a messy one at that. Lots of wiggling, lots of losing the bend, lots of me getting frustrated.
Figuring Some Things Out (Slowly)
- I realized I needed to keep my outside rein more connected. It felt like I was letting him “fall out” of the bend with my outside rein, making it impossible to keep the sideways movement going.
- I also started focusing more on my seat. I think I was leaning the wrong way, which was throwing both of us off balance. I tried to sit a little more to the inside, thinking about pushing his shoulders over with my outside leg.
After a while, I managed to get a few steps where it felt… almost right. Not perfect, not pretty, but definitely moving sideways with some bend! It felt like a tiny victory, even if it only lasted for a second or two.
I finished the session by going back to some easier stuff, just letting my horse stretch and relax. I didn’t want to drill the half pass into the ground and make him sour. We both needed a break!
So, yeah, today’s ride was a bit humbling. The half pass is definitely a work in progress. But hey, that’s riding, right? Always something new to learn, always something to improve. I’ll keep practicing, and maybe one day I’ll actually be able to do a decent half pass!
