# Teaching Piaffe and Passage



## MegaBeast (27 April 2009)

Has anyone taught their horse to piaffe/passage?  How did you do it?  My girl has offered me passage on a number of occasions when she's been excited and I've been on top, was a wonderful feeling and I'd like to exploit her seemingly natural ability in this direction and thinking it'd be quite fun. She is quite young and still learning collection/extension but would like to play with the basics of it if you get my drift!


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## georgiegirl (27 April 2009)

I was at a classcal demo today (see post below) and was quite shocked to find out 2 things....one piaffe is always taught before passage - for some reason I always thought it would be the other way round?!? And secondly they the classical riders tend to start introducing the idea of piaffe to thier 4 year olds!?! although, i must make very clear they say they do this over at least a 3/4 year period. One of the horses today had its first piaffe lesson and literally got 2/3 steps then finished all with Anja tapping the hind foot with a schooling whip. Is it worth seeing if there is someone like this in your area to help you get started?


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## mik (27 April 2009)

Personally think this is too young especially considering the collection balance and power needed, half step training is OK though. Depends which school you follow really, they teach it young here in spain.


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## KLMSportsHorses (27 April 2009)

How old is she? Just be careful when teaching it as there is alot of stress on the hocks and should only really (in my opinion) be done when they are very very established in the collected work and really between hand and leg and strong enough physically to do it. Who do you train with they will know how best to teach the horse as it is quite an individual thing, have you done much long-reining? Sometimes it is easier (esp if she is young) to do it from the ground to get muscles ready for when someone does it sitting on her. Basically it is alot of walk, trot and halt transitions gradually decreasing the amount of walk keeping the energy and rythmn and balance. As the hind limb lifts your legs goes on that side and as the other lifts your leg touches that side and so on. But as i say get your trainer to go through it with you as they will know how you ride and how the horse reacts and so can adjust the aids accordingly. And no matter how well she seems to cope just remember the stres that it puts on hocks only ask for a little to start, once ligaments etc over stretch they don't spring back! So just take it slowly. Hope this helps. K xxx


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## kerilli (27 April 2009)

my trainer teaches it in hand first (piaffe) and then helps from the ground with 'touchier' whip, i think. way above my level but i've watched him teaching others. he teaches piaffe first i think.
i've only ever had them offer it while very excited too... my old event mare did a great piaffe when ridden bareback to the field in a headcollar, she'd been retired for years and was obviously quite offended by being ridden again, but too polite to buck, so she'd express herself in piaffe... it felt great, i even have a picture! 
there are places with Iberian horses which do schoolmaster lessons, perhaps that might be an idea - to get a real feel for it yourself, and find someone there who is used to encouraging it.


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## georgiegirl (27 April 2009)

I agree! Im not ever going to be a rider doing these movements so who am I to comment but I was always under the impression these movements came after years of gymnastic work?


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## hairymolly (27 April 2009)

My five year old mare will piaffe/passage when she is excited, cant get her to do it on command though only when she feels like it.


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## Bossanova (28 April 2009)

Passage is the most incredible feeling in the world when it's done correctly- I adore it!
I'm lucky to ride my trainers GP stallion who has a superb piaffe and passsge. I also ride my sister's luso who's still learning but who has now got a decent piaffe/passage and transition between the two. This was him in the early days- I keep him quite forward and move him on/back because he has a tendancy to get stuck in it and use his front legs a bit too much for support (if you looked at it sideways on then they'd be too far under the body
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0AfUe7anU

It's not difficult to generate the first few small steps of piaffe but taking it further requires skill and generally a helper on the ground


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## MegaBeast (28 April 2009)

Thanks all, not thinking of doing much of it - she's going to be an eventer anyway!  I had heard from a dressage friend of mine that in Germany they introduce tiny amounts of advanced movements very early on as it's easier then for the horse to learn, apparently the muscle memory is more retentive and you should try and show them a bit of everything movement wise before they reach 7/8 as although they're not ready to do full blown movements if they have a bit of an idea it's easier for them to learn things gradually over the years.

I really enjoy pole work and had been thinking of using close together trot poles to get that feeling of elevation.


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## mattilda (28 April 2009)

My trainer does it from the ground with me on top. In walk with very collected strides, almost not moving forward she then touches his hind leg just above the hock with a schooling whip. When horse lifts hind leg in a "piaffe" way big praise and allow to walk forward. However, I believe normally horses are taught piaffe from the ground and in hand first.


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