This is how it feels: It’s a trot that’s resistance free. He glides with relaxed strides. At first you think it might be slow, but no, his strides are longer. He has time to push from behind. Every vertebrae in his back is loose. His movement is fluid and soft, like riding a wave.
 His poll relaxed without fear or tension, knowing there will be no pain in his mouth. Your elbows and hands float on the reins with no pull and no slack. You can trust him to keep his head steady because he’s balanced by the forward movement; true forward relaxes the poll and his spine, all the way to a soft “S” movement to the end of his tail.
You’re sitting the trot. You’re not posting and this is no western pleasure jog. With every stride you feel his hind legs push underneath you and lift your sitbone, one and then the other. Instead of trying to drive your seat back into the saddle, you lift just enough. You ride the up-stride. Lift, lift, lift. Light, light, light. And his stride gets a bit longer because your sitbone has created a space for him to step into. His back lifts and there’s a magnetic quality between your seat and his back. This is where the conversation happens. It’s small and quiet, but his movement is so much more than that.
As you finish the long side of the arena and come through the corner of the short end, toward “C” at the centerline, you give your good horse a half-halt. It’s an inhale, your shoulders straighten a tad, with a light pulse of the thighs, you release quickly enough to feel the tiniest pause as he lifts his shoulders. He’s ready. Then one, two, three strides and your seat melts.
If following his stride with your sitbones continues the trot, then allowing your seat to soften and rest, along with a squeeze of your thighs, means he will come to a halt, right at C. Let a three or five second eternity pass. Breath in, exhale. Let your body be soft, your hands quiet. He is immobile at the halt, standing square, but you both maintain a forward attitude; the shared awareness that you are not done. Inhale and allow your calves just an inch forward with light energy, and as he takes his first stride back, release a sitbone and move with the backward stride in the same way as a walk. One two, three, four. Exactly four strides back, and a halt from a thigh pulse. Immobile.
Notice that you’ve done nothing with your hands. Continue doing that.
Especially now, do not rush your good horse. Inhale and cue his trot confidently with both calves. Go with him on the first stride, light and connected. Exist together inside every stride; feel freedom and cooperation as equals. As you approach the corner, think about your outside aids as you turn your waist. Feel the inside hand open while the outside hand and leg close on his shoulder. Feel him turn underneath you, bending softly through his body. Because it’s natural.
As you begin the long-side, let your legs stretch down and your shoulder blades come closer. Inhale, let your legs ask for longer strides as you extend your elastic elbows just an inch so he can reach forward to the bit and carry you effortlessly on, dancing cheek to cheek.
I believe the halt/rein-back movement is as beautiful as any upper level dressage movement, piaffe or canter half-pass included. Some version of this movement has existed in dressage tests, from Second Level on up, forever. One clue about its difficulty is that a gait is skipped; from rein-back to trot without walk steps. It’s deceptive in its simplicity.
The first thing I love about this movement is that it clearly reveals the quality of communication between the horse and rider. Are the steps diagonal? Is the horse’s mouth relaxed? If your horse’s head and neck can stay soft, if the rider can hold a neutral position, and if your horse can do the movements with out bracing, your partnership will shine. This movement is relentlessly honest about your riding.
The other thing I love about this movement is that a Warmblood doesn’t necessarily do it better than a backyard horse. Where a trot is a subjective thing but this is not abstract. It isn’t about gaits or breed or athleticism. Tack doesn’t matter and any rider is capable. It’s about cooperation and oneness. Much more challenging than upper level party tricks.
Ride the transitions without a horse. Imagine it in slow motion, training your brain to relax and notice details. Become so familiar with the movement that when you’re in the saddle, you can let your brain rest and focus on your seat.
The easiest way to ruin your rein-back? Use it as punishment, pulling the reins, see-sawing hands, using hyperflexion or pulling your horse behind the vertical. Shame on you.
How to train it? Like everything, start with small pieces and do them separately. Remember the top half of your leg cues half-halts, halts, and downward transitions. It might feel more like your knee than your thigh, but it definitely feels different from your lower leg, meaning calf, ankle and foot, which are used for forward cues. Learn to use upper and lower halves separately and correctly.
Start with the halt, give him time to get past not feeling the bit, metal on bone, and feel your leg instead. Even if he just slows a bit, reward approximation. Be aware of your seat in every stride. Ask for longer strides melting to stillness. He is on contact but no pulling. None.
Be clear, ask for his best effort, and reward generously. Then give a long rein and be cheerful. Don’t think too much. Instead, look for any opportunity to say good boy. When you have a soft peaceful halt with no rein, followed by an easy walk off, then begin schooling a rein-back of the same quality. Expect it to take time to become habit. Like piecing a patchwork quilt, stitch one square at a time.
In riding, don’t be fooled by smoke and lights. Anyone can intimidate a horse into speed and jerk them to a halt. If you want to know the truth, look for partnership between the movements. Because the art is always in the transition.
While I definitely appreciate this from the aspect of horses (and other living things), sometimes the philosophical zen is just what I need to center myself (without a horse under me) to prepare for the day ahead. [Picture my best head bow of gratitude for this morning’s message.]
What is it about humans and hurrying? How did breathing become optional? Thank you, I think you speak for all of us.
I do not know, but I do often have to remind myself and others, “oh, yeah, remember to breathe.”
Same here. Sometimes I come up short and ask myself ‘why am I hurrying?, what’s so important that I’m hurrying to?” The answer almost always is huh, nothing. Easy to say, hard to do.
Truth.
This was just beautiful.
Susan Dehncke
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks for reading, Susan.
Oh Anna, this whole thing read like a guided meditation! I love, love, love this!!! I felt every bit of this like a ride, taking every slow breath, tightening and releasing every muscle as you laid it out. Thanks so much for this!
You’re welcome; have a great ride!
Whew … wow! This is so expertly written, with a level of detail that informs and really clarifies. Genta is right; it does read like a guided meditation! Importantly, it invites me to work on this with my horse and build on the partnership we’ve been forming since I read your books. If my horse, Caesar, could write to you, he would be even more thankful than I am! Thank you thank you thank you.
You’re welcome and so is Caesar… Glad it makes sense, and give that boy a scratch from me.
I see the future ( I hope)! At age 68 I have just started dressage lessons. My sweet lesson pony is the perfect teacher, and I want to do right by him. My first goal of learning enough not to fall off immediately at the trot or canter has been achieved. The speed is thrilling. I’m in two point because I cannot yet sit either gait without banging his back. We are working on down and up transitions. I don’t even know what a halt/ rein back is yet. But I am so in love with the precision of this and how beautiful it is when it flows and how nice it will feel for my little guy when I better. I never dreamed I would be able to do even what I’m doing now, but your post shows me that there is so much more to learn and what my ultimate goal should be. I would so love to be able to ride as you have described. What an inspiring picture you paint. It’s never too late, right?
Hooray, Good for you and bless lesson horses everywhere. It is most certainly not too late, those pesky words mean “stop and back up” and if I’m still learning (and I do every day) then the good news is that we can do this forever! Thanks, Bonnie. Great comment!
Hardly understood the mechanics of it all, Anna, but sure felt it as I read along. Thanks, Anna!
That’s why I love dressage, it’s like dancing with your horse, only this time I lead. If I don’t lead well my horse follow.
It should be if I don’t lead well. how can he follow.
Loved reading this! Makes me want to ride again…
Thanks, Linda. I admit, I loved the waltz of writing it.
Have you thought doing audio casts of this information? I can read it and visualize orbit forget when I am on my horse. An audio that we could download to our phones and listen to while riding would be awesome. Thanks
Yes, Judi. I do think about it. I’ve looked at the equipment and studied online opportunity. I listen to lots of podcasts myself. I’ve even done some long distance lessons. And I’m still working on it… stay tuned. Thanks, Judi.
I can only imagine…trotting with my horse just doesn’t feel like this – yet. Hopefully, we’ll get there someday, but we keep building our relationship, learning together. Beautiful to imagine though.
Don’t give up. It’s a long journey to get to this point… but doing better transitions is the path to nirvana. Thanks, Lorie. Good luck.
So far I’m still on the ground with this. I walk, stop, back up, Ember walks, stops and backs up. I walk toward her hip, she turns on the forehand (most of the time!), I walk toward her shoulder, she spins (again, most of the time). We’re pretty good dancers on the ground, (she does it even better if I’m carrying her feed tub), now if we can just transition it to me in the saddle………
Yay, great start. Confidence building for both of you. It can’t ALL be the feed tub. (Thanks, Sherry)
I cannot comment without being redundant … I loved this. Pure and simple, breathing, gratitude, exhale, encouragement. A beautiful lesson for a beautiful dance.
Thank you.
Thanks, Brenda… I wanted to write a different kind of how-to.
What a great post. Rein back is such an awesome exercise and so powerful. I love how you describe the ride around the arena.
Thanks, Elizabeth. I think we ride more aggressively than we are aware sometimes.
Beautiful !
I have been riding / training / educating horses for 45 years and still love learning from them.
I first discovered this wonderful zen feeling when I trusted my horses enough to close my eyes and allow my body to fully focus and our flow together. I have helped others achieve this feeling while initial lunge line supervision. The feeling of allowing ones body to be so completely with the horse is truly addictive and so very satisfying.
I love helping women rediscover or discover the path to a true relationship with horses. No matter the age or ability it is never too late. And oh so worth all the effort.
Thanks, Patricia. Women have so many natural skills with horses.
Loved this. Absolutely loved this.
(However, the rein back WAS removed from the GP test a few years ago and since made a come back. 🙂 )
Thank you so much for this and all your other writings. <3
Yes, over the years it has come and gone, but it remains one of those definitive movements. Even at that level. Thanks Laurie.
I feel so blessed by this quiet meditation on the harmony between horse and rider. I second the podcast/audio idea! It would be electric.
Thanks, I do have to say some of the mystical quality will be dampened by Yapping dogs and I’d have to avoid the donkey mealtimes…:)
Haha! Just dub it over with some tranquil wind chimes and it will be fine 😉
Bloody marvelous! Well done woman! (to be read in my best British and almost all but faded British accent!)
This was wonderful. Just wonderful!
Thank you, Lyn. I heard it just that way.!