Demonstration with Marj Radford coaching Bella Robson riding Diorella
Medium and Advanced movements

- Trot half pass:
* Setting up the movement with three track shoulder-in
* Look in direction moving towards, bend around neck
* When learning the movement, often have the horse deeper and a little behind the bit
* Constantly manoeuvring the mare from shoulder in to travers to get the hind legs underneath
* Bad half pass = straight (no bend) and lack of cross over

- Canter:
* Forward thinking horse so important to keep her relaxed

* Canter half pass:
* .. Again, begin with shoulder in before the half pass
* .. The half pass was a little laboured. In 6 months will have more reach as she develops more strength, hind end trailing.
* Important to be able to maintain the counter canter as the changes are introduced

* Changes:
* .. Want expressive and ground covering
* .. They often anticipate when learning changes
* .. Sets up the movement with simple changes through walk so they don’t anticipate quite as much
* .. Important to stay calm as horses often get rattled with changes
* .. 4 x changes needed in Medium, Advanced and PSG
* .. important to give lots of breaks as they are physically demanding

* Teaching flying changes:
* .. not good idea to do them over poles as teaches them to be late behind
* .. ideal on a short diagonal line and give lots of rewards as they are demanding
* .. walk to canter/canter walks (simple changes) need to be very good before changes and balanced

* Pirouettes:
* .. Begin in traver and then bring around
* .. Don’t over do them as the horses need a lot of strength
* .. Want a good walk pirouette
* .. in a good 4 beat walk first, inside flexion and bend
* .. In canter want them to be able to stay straight and do collected canter nearly on the spot
* .. Traver first is important to have control over the shoulders
* .. Keep clear 3 beat canter
* .. Begin on large circle and the horses will tell us when they are ready to go smaller
* .. Begin travear on 20m then 15m, then 10m, then pirouettes
* .. This mare is only able to do them on a 10m circle as needs more strength

- General tips:
* Corners are very important to set up the horse for the next movement
* Transitions within the pace are essential and most horses find it hard
* Stretchy trot is important for relaxation, keeping them through behind, stretching the longitudinal muscles and important to keep the horses sound. Do it at the beginning, between movements and at the end of a session.