how to teach walk pirouette?

[whitby which]

Took my son to a pony club show-jumping lesson today, and the instructor started as usual with some flatwork exercises. This week, one of them was walk pirouette in the corners, as she was wanting to improve their turns in jump-offs.

However, this sort of thing is completely new to my son, and probably new to his pony too (he's only been riding him a few months). They both got rather confused and agitated about it. :help:

Hopefully we will be able to get a lesson after school with his normal instructor in the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, has anyone any hints to help? Thank you!

 

[Jay.o]

By walk piroettes are you referring to turn on the forehand/haunches?

 

[Claire1605]

If I remember rightly to do a walk pirouette we used to do a half pirouette I think in which you basically end up facing the opposite direction you were going in.

It all comes from the outside rein and outside leg aids I believe. Use the inside leg to control speed and stop the horse falling in.

 

[whitby which]

It all comes from the outside rein and outside leg aids I believe. Use the inside leg to control speed and stop the horse falling in.

Thats what the instructor was saying, without the inside leg bit, but it seemed quite vague. She just kept going on about outside leg and rein.
Jay.O - she was asking them to walk to the corner, and 'pirouette' a couple of steps round it. She meant, I think, turn on the haunches, though she didn't actually say that.

I can successfully do this on a horse, but explaining it in simple steps to my son, who now feels he 'can't do it', is rather different.

 

[Skib]

We do demi pirouettes in walk.

When I first did them, I had to make notes after a lesson on how to do them. But do you have poles? e.g. off your jumps?

For a child you could easily make it a game walking in and out of poles.
Our RI lays out four poles, parallel to each other on the ground, like one might have for trotting over? With the ends not far from the school fence.
The exercise is to walk your horse up between the first two poles, turn at the end and walk back between the next two poles, turn at the end (it will be in the other direction this time) and walk back again between the next two poles.

A child will see that to turn the horse sharply enough, it needs a turn on the haunches done without moving farther forward?
One always rides forward into a demi pirouette - it is not done from a stand still. The front half of the horse is blocked from going forwards and its head and neck remain straight with no bend (think rider's back and hands) so, because it cant go forward, instead, the front half of the horse pirouettes round its back legs. It is then facing back where it came from and ready to walk down the next pole.
You immobilise the back end of the horse by putting your outside hip back a little and your outside leg behind the girth. Your inside leg stays on the girth. We use the reins by holding our hands quite close together but moving them ever so lightly to the inside. Leave the shoulders of the horse free to circle round.

I have no idea how a real trainer would teach a pony to do this, but if it were my child I would lead him and the pony round the end of the pole a few times.
In our school I am convinced that the horses know all these games and if you ride them up and down the poles they know absolutely how to turn and go back in the other direction.
It was much harder being grown up and being asked to change reins using a demi pirouette. I ended up with a 563 Word document on demi pirouette. And like your son, I worried a great deal.

But the walking up and down poles game is fun.

The demi pirouette is very good warm up as it brings the hind legs of the horse well under its body - and a boy may thus be able to get a very active walk up and down the poles - with nice impulsion whereas I as an old lady do not.

 

[eml]

A walk pirouette is essentially a turn on the haunches without any halt. If teaching children start by riding smaller and smaller circles as the aids are essentially the same then encourage them to use the outside rein against the neck while riding a tiny circle.Tell your son it is only a circle so small that the ponies hind legs stay on the same spot..this essentially removes the mystery.

Much more fun to let them try 1/4 turns in canter..they won't get it technically correct but will get the feel of pivoting the pony around the quarters and have a lot more fun. RS ponies can do it so a good SJ pony should easily!!!

 

[whitby which]

Thank you so much:smile:

I totally agree about making it fun - not many teenage boys are naturally inclined to do dressage - mine isn't at least, but he donesn't mind it if he doesn't feel bored or useless:wink:
I had to read it a few times, but I think I have now got what you mean - I was confused because I have done similar pole exercises to do turn on the forehand, but now I get what you mean about facing the edge of the school, so the horse can't go forwards, so has to pirouette.

just need the flat bit where we school to dry out enough to go and play !