Post by Calaminty Jane on Oct 7, 2009 12:03:40 GMT -5
Move it Over! Leg Yielding for Everyone
by Laura Wagner
Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009
Leg yielding is the first movement required by USDF which a rider asks his horse to move sideways. Across the disciplines learning to leg yield is a great tool to loosen your horse and improve your riding whether you are riding down the centerline, approaching a jump, riding a horsemanship pattern or heading down the trail. It is an invaluable exercise that teaches a rider how to move a horse's body and teaches a horse to connect from back to front. The leg yield can be ridden anywhere on a straight line or a circle and is a foundation for the lateral movements. Understanding how to ride this movement and efficiently move your horse's body will help you become a more effective rider.
Teaching Your Horse
If your horse does not know how to leg yield, a turn on the forehand is a great place to start. This exercise will "wake up" their hind end and teach them to think about those 2 legs behind the saddle (which is the ultimate goal right?) I like to teach the turn on the forehand on a rail so the horse cannot walk forward. Tracking to the left, as you come out of the short side of the ring, walk at a 45 degree angle to the long side and halt straight on that line. Ask your horse to move his haunches, one step at a time, away from your right leg until he is heading back to the previous corner parallel to the long side. Continue through the short side and repeat the exercise in the opposite direction until the horse understands the exercise without resistance.
The aids for a turn on the forehand away from your right leg are: (1) slide your right leg back and ask the horse to move away from your leg and (2) keep his neck straight in front of you with even pressure in both reins, to discourage him from moving forward. Only increase the pressure if he tries to step forward, keep feeling with your fingers so you do not create unnecessary tension and resistance. When you put your leg on, a slight flexion to the right is fine (flexion should be at the poll, not bend through his neck).
If your horse doesn't move away from your leg the light tap of a whip can reinforce your leg, keep the aids simple as not to confuse your horse. Make sure you are sitting square in the saddle, even weight on both seat bones and not collapsing through your ribcage or hips. As soon as he takes one step away from your leg, take the pressure off of him and reward him by letting him stand for a second. If all of the energy you created with your right leg sends him too far to the left, keep him straight with your left rein. Remember this is not a race, he has to remain on your aids and take one step at a time. Once he is relaxed, repeat the aid again and ask for another step, until his has completed the turn and is ready to walk off in the opposite direction.
Leg Yielding on a Circle
Once the horse understands to move away from your leg in the turn on the forehand, proceed on a 20 meter circle in the walk or trot. Keep the horse tracking straight around the circle (hind legs tracking straight into front foot prints) by making sure the horse is in between your leg and your hand. As you approach the open side of the circle ask him to move away from your inside leg (increasing the size of the circle). Then close your outside leg and rein and move him back to the track of the 20 meter circle. Concentrate on keeping his haunches behind his shoulders; don't let him run out through your outside aids.
If your horse does not move away from you leg, increase the bend and reinforce your leg with the whip. Remember you have more energy in the trot now and it is important to control his tempo with the outside aids and not let him get quicker. Once he has moved away from your leg, try again without increasing the bend. The purpose of this exercise is to increase the amount of weight the horse is carrying on his inside hind leg by getting him to cross it under his body and up under you in the saddle as he moves sideways.
Leg Yielding on a Line
Now that you can keep your horse between your aids and he understands to move sideways from the leg, it is time to give it a go on a straight line. This exercise should be done first at the walk then at the trot and if you get good and straight you can even leg yield at the canter.
Make sure your horse is marching forward in a good rhythm and proceed down the quarter line. Go straight for a couple of strides with your eyes up looking down at the end of the ring. Again this is your chance to check your position, be sure your hips and shoulders are parallel and you are not collapsing in either direction. You can slightly weight the stirrup in the direction you are going as long as you don't collapse or sit to the outside. A common mistake is to try to "shove" the horse over with your outside seat bone and this is not correct.
With a slight flexion away from the direction you are going, slide your outside leg back and open your outside rein slightly away from his neck to "show him" the way and ask him to move to the rail. If your horse is just learning, in the beginning you can let him leg yield as you turn on the line. This is not the ultimate goal but to help your horse build confidence and understand the exercise. Once he does, take it a step farther and ask him to go straight on the quarter line and then proceed with the leg yield.
Continued:
As you are leg yielding, make sure the horse's body remains parallel to the rail. The leg yield is a straight movement. He should simply be moving forward and sideways at the same time, maintaining the same rhythm.
Troubleshooting
If the horse is going more on a diagonal line and leading with his shoulders, slow the shoulders down with the outside rein. Think of trying to get his haunches over to the rail before his shoulders.
If the horse is leading with his haunches, lighten your sideways driving leg and open the outside rein to lead his shoulders back in front of his hips and arriving at the rail with his shoulders slightly leading the movement.
If the horse is getting over bent, a great correction is to make him leg yield a step or two back in the other direction to straighten him and once again get him between your legs and hands, then proceed with the original plan.
If the horse is speeding up instead of moving sideways, practice transitions in the leg yield. Pick a line at the walk, ask him to leg yield, maintain the leg yield and ask him to trot off for a couple of strides, then bring him back to the walk, all while maintaining the line of the leg yield.
If the horse is "gravitating" to the rail or having a hard time consistently maintaining the leg yield, ride a "staircase" to keep him between your aids. Start straight on the quarter line, leg yield two steps then go straight for two step, then leg yield for two steps and so on.
Once you are competent in this movement you can practice deliberately riding with his haunches leading for a few strides and then straightening, or turning a diagonal line into a leg yield. I like these exercises for rider awareness of how they are influencing the horse and how to fix problems as they arise in the ring.
The leg yield is a great exercise for both horses and riders to gain body awareness. Patience in your training is the most important virtue. Take your time and practice often. Break the exercises down in your mind so that you consistently proceed step-by-step and follow a plan.
______________________
Laura Wagner is a full-service professional in Aiken, South Carolina. Laura and her students compete in dressage shows from Intro through FEI with a goal to create safe riders and happy horses.
by Laura Wagner
Posted: Monday, October 5, 2009
Leg yielding is the first movement required by USDF which a rider asks his horse to move sideways. Across the disciplines learning to leg yield is a great tool to loosen your horse and improve your riding whether you are riding down the centerline, approaching a jump, riding a horsemanship pattern or heading down the trail. It is an invaluable exercise that teaches a rider how to move a horse's body and teaches a horse to connect from back to front. The leg yield can be ridden anywhere on a straight line or a circle and is a foundation for the lateral movements. Understanding how to ride this movement and efficiently move your horse's body will help you become a more effective rider.
Teaching Your Horse
If your horse does not know how to leg yield, a turn on the forehand is a great place to start. This exercise will "wake up" their hind end and teach them to think about those 2 legs behind the saddle (which is the ultimate goal right?) I like to teach the turn on the forehand on a rail so the horse cannot walk forward. Tracking to the left, as you come out of the short side of the ring, walk at a 45 degree angle to the long side and halt straight on that line. Ask your horse to move his haunches, one step at a time, away from your right leg until he is heading back to the previous corner parallel to the long side. Continue through the short side and repeat the exercise in the opposite direction until the horse understands the exercise without resistance.
The aids for a turn on the forehand away from your right leg are: (1) slide your right leg back and ask the horse to move away from your leg and (2) keep his neck straight in front of you with even pressure in both reins, to discourage him from moving forward. Only increase the pressure if he tries to step forward, keep feeling with your fingers so you do not create unnecessary tension and resistance. When you put your leg on, a slight flexion to the right is fine (flexion should be at the poll, not bend through his neck).
If your horse doesn't move away from your leg the light tap of a whip can reinforce your leg, keep the aids simple as not to confuse your horse. Make sure you are sitting square in the saddle, even weight on both seat bones and not collapsing through your ribcage or hips. As soon as he takes one step away from your leg, take the pressure off of him and reward him by letting him stand for a second. If all of the energy you created with your right leg sends him too far to the left, keep him straight with your left rein. Remember this is not a race, he has to remain on your aids and take one step at a time. Once he is relaxed, repeat the aid again and ask for another step, until his has completed the turn and is ready to walk off in the opposite direction.
Leg Yielding on a Circle
Once the horse understands to move away from your leg in the turn on the forehand, proceed on a 20 meter circle in the walk or trot. Keep the horse tracking straight around the circle (hind legs tracking straight into front foot prints) by making sure the horse is in between your leg and your hand. As you approach the open side of the circle ask him to move away from your inside leg (increasing the size of the circle). Then close your outside leg and rein and move him back to the track of the 20 meter circle. Concentrate on keeping his haunches behind his shoulders; don't let him run out through your outside aids.
If your horse does not move away from you leg, increase the bend and reinforce your leg with the whip. Remember you have more energy in the trot now and it is important to control his tempo with the outside aids and not let him get quicker. Once he has moved away from your leg, try again without increasing the bend. The purpose of this exercise is to increase the amount of weight the horse is carrying on his inside hind leg by getting him to cross it under his body and up under you in the saddle as he moves sideways.
Leg Yielding on a Line
Now that you can keep your horse between your aids and he understands to move sideways from the leg, it is time to give it a go on a straight line. This exercise should be done first at the walk then at the trot and if you get good and straight you can even leg yield at the canter.
Make sure your horse is marching forward in a good rhythm and proceed down the quarter line. Go straight for a couple of strides with your eyes up looking down at the end of the ring. Again this is your chance to check your position, be sure your hips and shoulders are parallel and you are not collapsing in either direction. You can slightly weight the stirrup in the direction you are going as long as you don't collapse or sit to the outside. A common mistake is to try to "shove" the horse over with your outside seat bone and this is not correct.
With a slight flexion away from the direction you are going, slide your outside leg back and open your outside rein slightly away from his neck to "show him" the way and ask him to move to the rail. If your horse is just learning, in the beginning you can let him leg yield as you turn on the line. This is not the ultimate goal but to help your horse build confidence and understand the exercise. Once he does, take it a step farther and ask him to go straight on the quarter line and then proceed with the leg yield.
Continued:
As you are leg yielding, make sure the horse's body remains parallel to the rail. The leg yield is a straight movement. He should simply be moving forward and sideways at the same time, maintaining the same rhythm.
Troubleshooting
If the horse is going more on a diagonal line and leading with his shoulders, slow the shoulders down with the outside rein. Think of trying to get his haunches over to the rail before his shoulders.
If the horse is leading with his haunches, lighten your sideways driving leg and open the outside rein to lead his shoulders back in front of his hips and arriving at the rail with his shoulders slightly leading the movement.
If the horse is getting over bent, a great correction is to make him leg yield a step or two back in the other direction to straighten him and once again get him between your legs and hands, then proceed with the original plan.
If the horse is speeding up instead of moving sideways, practice transitions in the leg yield. Pick a line at the walk, ask him to leg yield, maintain the leg yield and ask him to trot off for a couple of strides, then bring him back to the walk, all while maintaining the line of the leg yield.
If the horse is "gravitating" to the rail or having a hard time consistently maintaining the leg yield, ride a "staircase" to keep him between your aids. Start straight on the quarter line, leg yield two steps then go straight for two step, then leg yield for two steps and so on.
Once you are competent in this movement you can practice deliberately riding with his haunches leading for a few strides and then straightening, or turning a diagonal line into a leg yield. I like these exercises for rider awareness of how they are influencing the horse and how to fix problems as they arise in the ring.
The leg yield is a great exercise for both horses and riders to gain body awareness. Patience in your training is the most important virtue. Take your time and practice often. Break the exercises down in your mind so that you consistently proceed step-by-step and follow a plan.
______________________
Laura Wagner is a full-service professional in Aiken, South Carolina. Laura and her students compete in dressage shows from Intro through FEI with a goal to create safe riders and happy horses.