The Travers and Renvers: Mastering the Advanced Lateral Movements

# The Travers and Renvers: Mastering the Advanced Lateral Movements

If the shoulder-in is the foundation of lateral work — and it is — then the travers and renvers are the walls you build on top of it. These two movements are less commonly taught in recreational riding programs, but they are essential elements of classical dressage and Working Equitation training, and they develop qualities in both horse and rider that no other exercises can replicate.

Understanding what these movements are, how they differ from each other, and why they are trained in a specific sequence is the key to using them effectively.

What Is the Travers?

The travers — also called haunches-in — is a lateral movement in which the horse travels along the track with its forehand on the track and its hindquarters displaced to the inside. The horse is bent uniformly from poll to tail in the direction of travel, and the inside hind leg crosses in front of and over the outside hind leg with each stride.

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In travers, the horse moves on four tracks: the outside foreleg, the inside foreleg, the outside hind leg, and the inside hind leg each trace a separate line. The angle of the horse's body to the track is typically 30 to 35 degrees — slightly more than in shoulder-in.

The travers is ridden in the same direction as the bend. If you are tracking left, the horse is bent left, the haunches are displaced to the left (inside), and the horse is looking in the direction it is traveling.

What Is the Renvers?

The renvers — also called haunches-out or counter-haunches-in — is the mirror image of the travers. In renvers, the horse's hindquarters remain on the track while the forehand is displaced to the inside. The horse is bent in the direction of travel, but that direction is now away from the wall — the horse is bent toward the outside of the arena.

The renvers is a more demanding exercise than the travers because the horse does not have the wall to support the outside shoulder. The rider must maintain the positioning entirely through their aids, which requires a more refined and independent seat.

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How Travers and Renvers Differ from Shoulder-In

The key distinction between these movements and the shoulder-in is the relationship between the bend and the direction of travel.

| Movement | Bend Direction | Direction of Travel | Tracks |

|---|---|---|---|

| Shoulder-in | Away from direction of travel | Forward along track | 3 tracks |

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| Travers | Same as direction of travel | Forward along track | 4 tracks |

| Renvers | Same as direction of travel | Forward along track | 4 tracks |

| Half-pass | Same as direction of travel | Diagonal (sideways) | 4 tracks |

In shoulder-in, the horse is bent away from the direction it is moving — the horse looks to the inside while traveling forward along the track. In travers, the horse is bent toward the direction it is moving — it looks in the direction it is traveling, with the haunches displaced inward.

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This distinction matters because the two movements develop different qualities. Shoulder-in primarily develops the horse's ability to step under with the inside hind leg while maintaining straightness through the body. Travers develops the horse's ability to engage the inside hind leg in a crossing, collecting action — the foundation of the half-pass and, ultimately, the pirouette.

Why the Sequence Matters

The classical training sequence — shoulder-in before travers before half-pass — is not arbitrary. Each movement prepares the horse for the next by developing specific qualities in a logical order.

Shoulder-in teaches the horse to accept the inside leg, step under with the inside hind, and maintain a consistent bend. Without a confirmed shoulder-in, the horse will not have the suppleness and responsiveness to perform travers correctly.

Travers teaches the horse to carry weight on the inside hind leg while crossing with it — a more demanding engagement than shoulder-in requires. Without a confirmed travers, the horse will not have the collection and engagement to perform a correct half-pass.

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Attempting to skip steps in this sequence produces movements that look superficially correct but lack the quality and engagement that make them valuable as training exercises.

The Aids for Travers

The aids for travers are straightforward in theory and require considerable refinement in practice.

The horse should already be in a correct shoulder-fore position as you approach the corner. As you come out of the corner, instead of straightening the horse, you maintain the bend and use the outside leg behind the girth to push the haunches to the inside. The inside leg remains at the girth to maintain the bend and impulsion. The inside rein maintains the flexion; the outside rein controls the degree of bend and prevents the horse from falling through the outside shoulder.

The most common error is using too much inside rein, which collapses the neck to the inside and loses the true bend through the body. The bend in travers must come from the entire horse, not just the neck.

The Aids for Renvers

Renvers is typically introduced after travers is confirmed. The movement begins from the long side: the horse's forehand is brought off the track to the inside while the hindquarters remain on the track. The bend is toward the outside of the arena — the horse is looking away from the wall.

The aids are essentially the reverse of travers: the inside leg (now the leg toward the wall) maintains the bend and impulsion, while the outside leg (now the leg toward the inside of the arena) controls the haunches. The outside rein is critical for maintaining the position and preventing the horse from drifting.

Because renvers lacks the support of the wall, it is an excellent diagnostic tool. Any weakness in the horse's straightness, suppleness, or responsiveness to the leg will be immediately apparent.

Common Training Errors

Losing impulsion. Lateral work requires more energy than straight work, not less. Riders who focus so intently on the positioning that they forget to maintain the forward energy produce movements that are technically positioned but dead — the horse is placed rather than moving through the movement.

Overbending the neck. The bend in travers and renvers must come from the entire horse, not just the neck. A horse that is overbent in the neck while the body remains straight is not performing a lateral movement — it is simply crooked.

Incorrect angle. Too little angle produces a movement that lacks engagement; too much angle produces a movement in which the horse is struggling to maintain balance and rhythm. The correct angle is one at which the horse can maintain a consistent rhythm and clear crossing of the legs.

Rushing transitions in and out. The transitions into and out of travers and renvers are part of the exercise. A horse that falls out of the movement or rushes back to the track has not truly confirmed the movement.

The Connection to Working Equitation

In Working Equitation, travers and renvers are not explicitly required as named movements, but the qualities they develop — engagement of the inside hind, collection, responsiveness to the outside leg — are present in every advanced obstacle. The horse that can perform confirmed travers and renvers will navigate the slalom, the reinback, and the corridor of poles with a quality of movement that is immediately apparent to any experienced judge.

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At Hussar Stables in Palmdale, CA, travers and renvers are introduced at Level 6 of the curriculum, after the shoulder-in is confirmed and the horse is beginning to show collection. If you are working at this level and want guidance on these movements, our instructors are experienced in both classical dressage and Working Equitation training.

[Book a lesson](/book) at Hussar Stables and take your lateral work to the next level.