2 Simple Ways to Improve Your Dressage Scores

When you ride a dressage test the very first and very last thing the judge sees is your centre line and your halt. These may look simple but they are also the most common places where riders throw away easy marks.

In Ridely’s training program Improve Your Dressage Scores, Carl Hester starts with these basics. By focusing on straight and confident centre lines and square halts you can pick up extra points in every test.

How to Ride a Square Halt

A correct halt begins with balance and energy. Even though the horse is stopping it must step forward into the halt, never backwards.

• Start from walk to reduce the power you need to manage.
• Use a ground person to check which legs are not square and correct them immediately with your corresponding leg.
• Reward a correct halt with a pat and make your horse stand for five seconds before moving on.
• Progress to halts from trot and canter as your horse becomes more advanced.

If your horse struggles to stand square

• Practise halts on the track or against a wall to encourage straightness.
• Use poles along the centre line, or on the side the hindquarters tend to swing, to keep the horse aligned.
• Ask your horse to take shorter steps before halting. The smaller the stride, the easier it is to stop square.
• Always insist that the horse stands square whenever you halt, even outside of tests.

How to Ride a Centre Line

A good centre line should be straight, rhythmic and confident. The horse’s hind legs must follow the path of the front legs, with the head positioned in front of the chest.

• Aim for a quality trot with long but not hurried strides.
• Practise centre lines in walk, trot and canter as you progress.
• Use poles or a ground person standing directly in front or behind to judge your straightness.

Extra tips from Carl

• Turn onto the centre line with your outside aids rather than pulling on the inside rein.
• Keep both hands together and turn your body with the horse for balance.
• If your horse becomes wobbly, make a 10 metre circle off the centre line and then try again.
• When trotting out of a halt in a test, think medium trot to encourage the horse to move forward from the hind leg.

The Takeaway

Centre lines and halts may look simple but they carry a lot of weight on the score sheet. By practising Carl Hester’s methods you can present your test with accuracy and confidence from start to finish.

These sessions are part of Carl’s full Ridely program Improve Your Dressage Scores which gives you step by step guidance on the movements and details that judges reward the most.

Ready to secure easy marks in your next test? Explore Carl Hester’s Improve Your Dressage Scores training program in the Ridely app today.