Lateral Work - Leg Yield
This is an exercise used to supple the horse throughout its entire body. The horse has to move both forwards and sideways at the same time, and remain parallel with the outside track. This is achieved by the horse crossing the front and hind legs over each other during the forwards stride.
It takes time to become proficient at leg yield, the rider needs to be able to give the horse clear aids for leg yield and be able to feel through their seat what the horse is doing underneath them in order to be able to correct the horse if they go unbalanced and feel to what extent the leg yield is progressing to.
The horse needs to build up suppleness, strength and elasticity in order to become proficient. With time they should be able to easily move across a 20 by 40 meter school from one top corner across to the corner in the opposite diagonal.
Aids For Leg Yield
- If riding Leg Yield to the left, start off by riding a turn off the right rein onto the quarter line, keep the horse straight for a good few strides along the quarter line before asking for leg yield, this helps to prevent the horse from falling out on the turn and ensures that both horse and rider are straight to start off with.
- Then with your right rein ask for slight bend to the right.
- Your left rein will maintain this bend and control the speed at which the horse is traveling.
- Move your right leg back behind the girth to ask the horses quarters to move across to the left.
- Keep your left leg on the girth as this will not only activate the horse but will also prevent the horse from falling out through their shoulder and dropping to the track.
- For leg yield to the right the aids are simply reversed, so it will be left rein asking for left bend, right rein controlling the speed and the amount of bend, left leg moving back behind the girth and right leg remaining on the girth.