How to Begin the First Uberstreichen Half-Halt Exercise
Dec 10th, 2009 by Carolyn
The Uberstreichen Half-Halt Exercises school the horse from the ground to respond more effectively to your half-halts when you ride.
(Half-halt is when you ask the horse to stop and he responds immediately and in the moment you know that the horse will stop you ask him to go forward and he does this whole-heartedly. The purpose of the half-halt is to prepare the horse to listen for your next request. It prepares the mind and body of the horse to be able to respond easily and promptly.)
There are about 10 different reasons one asks a horse to half-halt. Keep in mind that a half-halt is a message to a horse that you will be asking him to perform something different that what he is doing in the moment. From your half-halt you may be making a request to halt or go forward or change pace or gait become more active, lengthening or collect or soften or change direction or to bring a horse to straighten. I am not going to go into the minutia of the benefits of all the exercises because it will not really help to create better result. If you need more explanation you can ask me to explain in the comments section. I might be able to answer your question. But to get the result all you need to do is practice.
First start standing in front of your horse. You will need a halter (not a rope one) and short rope. Wait until the horse will stand still without your influence. Once he can do this then teach him to stand in one place while you are able to walk around him. How you train him to do this is if that if he moves off his spot when you begin to walk around him return him to his spot and hold him their until he is willing to stand without being held. Tell him “whoa”. Begin again walking around him once more. For the horse to catch on take only a few steps and then return to his head. Walk further and further around him until you can make a complete circle while he is willing to stand still. Repeat until it is natural to you both. He will already know this if he as been trained with the Waterhole Rituals.
For a horse to be in self-carriage under saddle he needs plenty of practice in self-control. When your horse learns to stay put without your support you have started developing the horses ability to stay in your charge when he is in self-carriage when you are riding him. The horse is learning to be self-directed under your charge. An example of this would be a cutting horse that cuts cows on his own without direction however he is always prepared to take direction in a moments notice.
Self-carriage is when your horse can carry himself for a period of time without your support or direct influence. When you ask the horse to turn, stop, speed-up, supple, collect or lengthen and at the moment the horse starts to perform what you ask you stop the aids so he can carry out the request on his own. In those moments when the horse can perform freely self-carriage is achieved. Without this freedom we diminish the horse’s full ability and expression. When the horse looses energy and pace you can then take control of the horse and re-establish the energy and put the horse back on course and when the energy becomes active again you then again stop your communication and allow the horse to perform on this own. The horse should perform more in self-carriage than having to receive instruction from his rider. The less the rider has to direct the better the quality of the dance. The reason this is so important to look at is so you do not trap the horse in the bridle or think you need a contact rein as it is used or nose bands or bits or that awful rollkur training. These exercises also are a way for you to learn another way to but a horse into self-carriage, speed control and frame. Just think you may gain the “hands” of more than a master these days with practice.
Some of you have been asking for a video of what the Uberstreichen Exercises look like, so thank you to Alessandra for putting this one together for me:
Enjoy your weekend
Carolyn
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Hi Carolyn
due to problems with the computer, I haven’t been able to respond the last 2 weeks but I had more time to try out the UE.
I started by standing in front of the horse without halter holding the head softly between my hands and asked for a ‘head down’ as I’m used to when I give a carrot. This was no problem.
Some of the horses (5) had a problem when I touched the halter standing in front of them although the 7 rituals cause no problems. They stretched their leg into my direction but as I learned them ‘feet down,’ they’ve never hit me.
It’s getting better and better. 2 of them really understand what it’s going about, relax immediatly, head up and down, head left and right, tucking in their nose etc.
2 of them (the leading male and female) still have a bit of resistance in the beginning but then they accept the exercice. I have a feelling that they don’t enjoy the exercice for a 100% as they don’t give a sign of a deep relaxation yet as the others do.
But I keep on working on it.
As you recommanded, I tried out to work with the herd as my mare was so dominant towards another horse. She’s doing ok now for as long as I’m around…
I love the UE exercices. Thanks tine
Wow- loved the video – it clarifies a number of things: the lightness of touch you are going for, the usefulness of the side straps, and one of the end goals. THIS is the kind of relationship I want with my horse – no matter what discipline we choose to follow!
Been such a long time that I visited here- but loved the video
and I am still greatly benefitting from the two classes that
Mattlock and I had with you in that very same ring on the
video. (in fact, all my 6 horses are benefitting!!)Thank you so much Carolyn!!!
And a hello to alessandra (tell her we just finished another endurance ride!)
Stacy
Hi Carolyn
Thank you so much for setting this up and sharing your knowledge. I have a rescued Saddler x and he is defnintely benefiting from all types of Naturdal Horsemanship and now your teachings. We are doing very well together! Carol (and Tigger)
Hi Carolyn
please direct me to the very first lesson in UE
Thanks
A
hello carolyn,
heartfelt thanks for your enormously supportive site. i am gradually finding my way around it, i’m not the most computer literate person!
will get out there tomorrow and start the first uberstreichen exercise and let you know how i get on.
will be ordering books and dvds too.
kind regards daena
Adding my name to the list of participants as I catch up with reading what I’ve missed. THanks!!