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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.
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Exercises
- Leg yield from the quarter line to the track.
- Leg yield from the track to the quarter line and back to the track ( both left and right leg yield will need to be done)
- Leg yield from the center line to either the quarter line or outside track.
- Leg yield from the center line to the quarter line and back to the center line.
- Ride a twenty meter circle and Leg Yield into the center of the circle until you are riding a ten meter circle and then leg yield back out onto the twenty meter circle.
Common Faults
- Horse leading with their shoulders or quarters.
- Over bending to the inside and therefore encouraging the horse to push out with their shoulders and drop to the track is a common fault which can be easily corrected by riding a few steps of Leg Yield at a time followed by a few steps of forward movement. You only need a slight bend and if you can see all of the horses inside eye you have too much and you will need to take up more outside rein to control the amount of bend.
- Horse tilting their head is a sign of lack of engagement and tenseness in the horse.
- Rushing the leg yield and therefore losing balance and rhythm.
- Horse losing impulsion while in the Leg Yield is usually due to the horse trying to go more sideways than forwards, if this occurs then try asking for one or two steps of Leg Yield followed by one or two steps forwards and alternate as and when required until impulsion can be maintained throughout.
- Horses hindquarters trailing is usually a sign that the horses shoulder is falling to the track, if this occurs ensure that the horse is not anticipating the Leg Yield. Once you turn up the quarter line ensure to ride straight for a few strides to control the shoulder then ride a few steps of Leg Yield followed by a few steps going forwards in a straight line again followed again with some more Leg Yield. This will allow you to keep control of the shoulder throughout the Leg Yield.
- Horses hindquarters leading is usually due to the horse either anticipating the Leg Yield or being restricted during the Leg Yield itself, causing the hindquarters to overtake the front end.
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