The German school and the French school.
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The difference between the schools
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The two methods are two achieve the same goal and are looking for the same things.
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The horse must be straight forward with impulsion, engaging the hindquarters well,
with elevated movement, out of the forehand (in self carriage),
the poll being the highest point of the horse.
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The tool to achieve this goal is the half-halt-the pace of schooling to establish the foundation of the training is the walk. The trot and the counter or develop by the walk. The most important goal are obedience, attention, concentration and impulsion.
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The first goal is suppleness. To supple we use different movements.
The rain-back, the walk on the two tracks (half passes etc. head to the wall etc.),
the shoulder in (self-carriage and only at the walk to start!).
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The only difference between the two schools is the application of principles of the horse on the bit.
The half-halt
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The half-halt is the base of all horse training-it is used to slow and change gate, to halt.
and/or stay in place with action. It is the tool to school the horse.
The half-halt shifts the access of weight from front to back to obtain the horizontal balance.
Weight is then distributed equally on the four legs.
By shifting even more weight on to the hindquarters, you will sit the horse on to his haunches
and obtain total lightness of the forehead.
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Example:
to set the horse on his haunches for his piaffe canter pirouette or passage.
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