When we talk about passage, let’s strip away the mystique for a moment. It’s not magic, and it’s certainly not “fancy trot on stilts.” Passage is simply the trot in its most collected, elastic form — a moment of suspension in every step, the horse lifting and lowering with rhythm, grace, and that wonderful feeling of power you can breathe with. The secret? Not pushing harder, but creating and containing circular energy from the shoulders to the hind and back again so the horse feels like he’s moving on a spring.

What passage is:

  • The horse’s balance is in all four feet
  • The “wheelbase” is shortened, and the energy is flowing in a loop — shoulders sending it to the hind, hind sending it forward again — never leaking out the front door.
  • The poll is the highest point, the back is soft, the steps are cadenced, and you feel a light “up” in every stride.

The aids — you’re the conductor, not the drummer here:

  • Seat and core: Sit tall, but soft. Lift your core to invite the the whole horse up to the sky. It is a very simple aid and often is described as simply “bouncing in the rythm.” The seat contains and recycles that circular energy from the shoulders to the hind and back again — think “lift and loop” not “sit and push.”
  • Legs: Stay neutral and not clamped. CORRECT with two legs if necessary to ensure the horse is truly in front of the leg. A quiet nudge if the loop fades, nothing more.
  • Hands: Keep that wheelbase short and don’t let the energy escape. BALANCE BALANCE BALANCE. The horse spends a lot of time in the air, and it is imperative he lands and pushes off balance over all four feet. Be the elastic frame that the energy travels through. Feel it arrive from the hind, receive it in the hand, and send it straight back into the loop without blocking.
  • Mind: Breathe in time with the rhythm. Think more containing than creating. You’re shaping the energy, not manufacturing it.

How to develop it in the early stages of training:

  1. What We’re Aiming For

Passage is the most collected, elastic version of trot.

The horse is in balance on all four feet, with a shortened wheelbase, carrying himself, and moving with suspension. The key ingredient is circular energy from the shoulders to the hind and back again — never leaking out the front, never stuck at the back. The loop must flow. Think of it as: spring, loop, recycle.

  1. The Aids
  • Seat & Core – Sit tall, lift your core, and allow your seat to be the recycling point of the loop. You are containing the circle of energy, not pushing it out.
  • Leg – Quiet, supportive contact to keep the loop alive. No nagging. If the loop fades, remind, then relax.
  • Hand – Elastic, forward-thinking contact. You receive the energy from behind, let it travel through, and send it back into the loop without blocking.
  • Mind – Ride the feeling of energy looping through the horse’s body. Breathe to the rhythm.
  1. Building Blocks

We never just “do” passage — we grow it.

  • Rhythm First – Without rhythm, the loop dies. Ride in a forward, swinging trot where the circular energy from the shoulders to the hind and back again is clear and easy to feel.
  • Transitions Within Trot – Collect a little (shorten the wheelbase), then go forward again. Repeat until the horse can stay light in front and soft in the back.
  • Play With Cadence – In rising trot first, slow the steps slightly without losing the loop. Only when it’s easy in rising should you sit and ask for more lift.
  • Increase Collected Loop Checks – rebalance to shorten the wheelbase and re-engage the loop. Too much? You’ll feel the energy stop. Reset and start again.
  1. Common Pitfalls
  • Blocking the Loop – Happens when you hold with the hand instead of recycling the energy.
  • Over Riding the Hind – If you push too much, the horse runs through the loop instead of lifting within it.
  • Losing the Rhythm – Usually means the wheelbase has shortened too much without enough energy in the loop.
  1. The Golden Rules

Rule 1: Rhythm is your foundation. If you lose it – go forward, rebuild, then try again.

Rule 2: Contain and recycle — never hold. The loop must breathe.

  1. Rider Reminders
  • Let the back be the bridge, not a barrier.
  • Energy forward, then back again —the loop is alive when you feel the horse offer it to you.
  • Ride from nothing into something, not from something into everything.
  • Less is more — the horse must believe he can carry before he will.

Your Takeaway:

Passage isn’t a trick; it’s the natural outcome of balance in all four feet, a shortened wheelbase, and an uninterrupted circular energy from the shoulders to the hind and back again. If the loop is alive, the lift will come.