A View of Passage to Piaffe Transition

In previous months, I have reviewed some of the problems that can happen with the individual movements of piaffe (click here to read A View of Piaffe) and passage (click here to read A View of Passage), and this month I am looking at the transition between these two movements. This is a very advanced transition requiring great strength and balance from the horse and it must be ridden very tactfully. The pictures are from a YouTube video “Charlotte Fry and Everdale Dance their Way to Victory” in the FEI Dressage World Cup Mechelen in 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfTZu1Vo77g. The passage begins at 0.49 seconds.

The FEI Rules list some of the faults that can occur with this particular movement, indicating how complex the transition is, the importance of the preceding passage or piaffe.
 
PASSAGE-PIAFFE-PASSAGE TRANSITIONS:
Problem: - severe resistance, disobedience throughout
                   - both transitions into and out of piaffe fail 1, 2 or 3 (depending on severity)
                   - lack of obedience, e.g. one transition fails
                   - very irregular steps, breaking into canter or walk in 1 trans
                   - very undefined, too long (over distance of ~ 5+ metres)
                   - very crooked
 
Additional Considerations: Watch the passage-piaffe-passage transitions in connection with piaffe or passage:
• Generally speaking, one must see the passage - piaffe - passage transitions in connection with piaffe and passage: A badly sitting piaffe cannot suddenly lead to a highly collected, good transition. Therefore, as a rule, the mark for transition should not be significantly higher than the mark for piaffe and passage. Exception: The Horse shows after a correct passage a piaffe, which starts well, is then broken by a resistance and at the end is shown again in rhythm. In this case, the mark for the transition can be significantly higher than the mark for the piaffe.
 • If a piaffe is moving too much forwards or not showing enough steps, the transition is not clearly defined and cannot be more than max. one (1) point higher than the piaffe.
• Imprecise riding can lead to multiple deductions of points: e.g. a piaffe is clearly not shown at the marker prescribed (-> deduction of points), the transition is also not where it belongs (-> deduction) and the subsequent passage is clearly too short (-> deduction).
• If the Horse loses the last passage on the centre line, the mark for the halt has also to be affected as there is no transition passage – halt….
 
The passage shown here has no suspension. The horse is blocked through the backward pressure from the rider’s hands, compressing the horse’s neck. This disengages the horse’s haunches resulting in limited flexion of the hind leg joints. This causes the horse to bounce up and down, rather than have suspension in the trot steps, and there is a loss of the trot diagonal with the right hind leg reaching the ground before the left fore. (Picture 0.55)

The only way the rider can now make the transition to piaffe is to increase the pressure on the reins by pulling back, further compressing the horse’s forehand and blocking the horse from bringing its haunches under. Because the horse is unable to engage his haunches correctly to piaffe, he starts to start to swing them from side to side. (1 minute 3 seconds) See super imposed pictures 1.03

The piaffe is on the forehand with no flexing of the hindleg joints. The left hindleg is stepping out to the side and there is a breakdown of the diagonals (picture 1.07)

The following passage steps are compromised, and the horse is swinging its haunches from side to side with both hind feet crossing under its body rather than travelling straight (pictures 1:14 A and 1:16).

​Approaching the turn, the rider takes a further backwards movement with right rein. This means that the horse weights its inside shoulder and foreleg, leaning into the turn and swings its haunches out with its inside hind foot crossing towards its outside hind. (Picture 1:21)