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one rein stop AND half halts

3K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  DancingArabian 
#1 ·
Do you guys feel that you can use both on trail rides OR do you feel that the half halt will dull the one rein stop?
I have a friend that will not use a half halt when her horse gets rushy but will one rein stop him every single time.
I use a one rein stop if I feel like we are truly out of control and use the half halts for just rushing or do some zig zagging.
 
#2 ·
Why would you go all the way to a ORS if a slight hold with rein and seat will do the trick? THAT will dull your horse out. The purpose of the one rein stop is to say something like, "hey! you didn't listen to my asking you to slow with just a little rein and seat, so now you need to get out of the barging forward mentality and lets start over and see if you can do it right the next time". and the next time , you try to ask lightly. how else would you ever improve your horse's "brakes"? continually Stomping on them will not make them more sensitive.
 
#5 ·
They're not the same maneuver so HH will not affect ORS. If someone is jumping right to an ORS I would guess a lot of it is due to fear on the rider's part and the horse not knowing how to respond to a HH.
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#6 ·
A half halt is very important when you want to slow down, speed up or remind your horse who is in control. A well executed half halt could be the difference between jumping a fence and knocking the top bar because your horse wasn't concentrating.

One of the body parts we need to control is the horses neck. During the Foundation of Ground Training we teach the horse Lateral Flexion. Lateral flexion disengages the hindquarters, teaches the horse to give to pressure from one direct rein, warms the muscles, is calming before more difficult exercises and prepares the horse mentally before asking for a more advanced exercise.

The lateral flexion is used by some riders as the one rein stop that has proven to be a very dangerous method of stopping a horse! If the horses gait is faster than a walk; horse and rider have tumbled to the ground resulting in serious injuries.

If a horse does not stop from your cues; seat, verbal whoa and/or reins it is not trained and/or the rider is not educated!
 
#8 ·
...The lateral flexion is used by some riders as the one rein stop that has proven to be a very dangerous method of stopping a horse! If the horses gait is faster than a walk; horse and rider have tumbled to the ground resulting in serious injuries.

If a horse does not stop from your cues; seat, verbal whoa and/or reins it is not trained and/or the rider is not educated!
First, a ORS is not dangerous. A trained ORS involves pulling back a little on one rein as a cue to stop. It is simply a CUE. A variation is spiraling to slow a horse down and stop it, which works very well when there is room. A violent yank on one rein is NOT the definition of a ORS...although it is possible for a horse to gallop with its nose at your knee. A ORS is no more likely to result in a crash than any other stop, but ANY bolt can result in a wreck.

It is best to have several techniques in your bag of clues, so you can use the one that makes the most sense for that case.

Second, a horse who stops great in an arena may not stop if spooked on a trail. Or it may fight stopping if doing a canter or gallop with another horse in the open. Many of us are imperfect riders with imperfect horses.

Third, a half halt should have no impact on a horse obeying a ORS cue. I'm not a big fan of the ORS, but the horse will have no trouble distinguishing between a half-halt and a ORS.
 
#9 ·
As My said, there is a fine balance of too much and too little, and it takes some practice to find it.

That said, I don't really understand why your friend thinks a half halt would dull her horse, as a half halt and one reined stop are different cues used for different purposes.
 
#11 ·
I've never met anyone who taught a ORS as "yanking their horse's nose to their boot". Too many people have used it to good effect for me to reject it as a method because someone somewhere can apply it wrong. I prefer a curb bit to a pulley rein, and a pulley rein to a one rein stop, and have had success more than once in a bolt by giving lots of slack to the reins and forcing my knees AWAY from the horse. Maybe I'm the only one who has fed his horse's bolt by clamping down on both sides, but I doubt it. I have also had success with just calling my horse's name softly - the moment an ear flicked back, we were within a couple of strides of stopping.

I like having a lot of tools in my toolbox so I can pick the right one for the job at hand. It is worth reminding folks that technique X can be used wrong and how to uses it right.
 
#12 ·
I was always taught that the one-rein stop was just a precursor to a "no-rein" stop. You're supposed to use your seat and body language first, then reinforce with the one rein. One the horse begins to put two and two together, you no longer need the rein and simply have the stop cue being your seat/legs.

In an emergency situation, disengaging the hindquarters (which is different), is most effectively applied before the horse takes off, in that transitional phase to prevent the horse from getting his butt under him and motoring off.

But essentially, a one-rein stop employs the "deep seat" posture, no energy, and one rein.
In a half halt you still have energy in your body, and you are usually using two reins - with the outside rein supporting.
 
#13 ·
I need to offer DancingArabian an apology. From an article by Clinton Anderson:
"5. ...draw your horse's head to the side, which brings him around in a small circle and back under control. At this point, you have the option of bringing him all the way to a stop (use the leg on the same side as the pulling rein to push his hindquarters to the side as you do--this "disengages" his hind end), or simply continue riding in a small circle until he softens in your hand and becomes more responsive.

6. Here, I'm turning my horse the other way (because you don't want to always turn in the same direction), and am bringing him all the way to a stop, flexing his neck around so his nose almost touches my boot. (As soon as your horse "gives" this much, pitch slack to him as I am here.)"
Clinton Anderson: Using the One-Rein Stop for Western Lope Control Slideshow



That isn't how I was taught a ORS, and I don't know if CA meant it that way, but I sure can see how someone reading it could conclude they need to pull their horse's head way around right away. But the good news for the OP is that there is no way a horse would think a half-halt meant to do what is pictured above...

My apologies, DancingArabian!
 
#14 ·
No offense taken bsms :)

Here's another one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmpDSbXPtzU
Look at 4:06, he tells you there's two parts to a ORS, pulling the horse's head to your hip then disengaging the hindquarters.

There's TONS of videos that teach ORS in this manner on youtube too.
 
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