Jumping
Intermediate
20 min
Sitting Trot-Halt-Sitting Trot on a Straight Line
Focus: Collection, Obedience, Responsiveness
Equipment: 4 cones or markers
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set up 4 cones in a line, 60 feet apart, along the long side.
- Sitting Trot from cone 1 to cone 2. At cone 2, halt. Stand for 3 seconds.
- From the halt, immediately pick up sitting trot to cone 3. Halt at cone 3.
- Continue the sitting trot-halt-sitting trot pattern through all 4 cones.
- The halts should be prompt and square. The sitting trot departures should be clean and on the correct lead.
- This exercise develops the responsiveness needed for adjustability in jumping courses.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Trotting between the halt and canter instead of making clean transitions.
- The halts being messy — the horse walking forward or swinging sideways.
- Losing the correct lead on the canter departures.
- The canter becoming tense and rushed from the repeated halts.
Variations & Progressions
- Reduce to 3 cones for a simpler version.
- Replace halts with walk transitions (3 walk steps) for an easier version.
- Add this exercise before a gymnastics session to sharpen the horse's responsiveness.
Tip: If your horse can halt cleanly from canter and depart cleanly from halt, it has the obedience to handle any distance question in a course.
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