Things You'll Need:
- Dressage whip
- Lunge line
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Step 1
Start training your horse to do a square halt from the ground. This is much easier than teaching it from his back, and will give you more control.
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Step 2
Lunge your horse in the roundpen for ten or fifteen minutes, just as you normally would. Then ask for a halt by applying pressure to the lunge line and saying "whoa".
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Step 3
Approach your horse with a dressage whip in hand and use the whip to correct his halt. For example, if the front right hoof is behind the front left hoof, you would tap the back of the right leg with the whip to encourage him to move it up even with the left.
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Step 4
Reach down and move the hoof manually if the horse doesn't respond to the tapping with a whip. Once all four hooves are square, pat the horse and send him out on the circle again.
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Step 5
Lunge for another two or three minutes, then ask him to do a square halt again. Follow the same procedure with the dressage whip, placing the hooves where you want them to be.
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Step 6
Continue the above steps until the horse does a square halt on his own. Praise him lavishly for this accomplishment, as it is a difficult technique to train.
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Step 7
Attempt a square halt while riding your horse in the arena. Ask for the halt as you normally would, then walk him forward until he halts squarely. When he does, praise him again.
