Yeilding?

[Poko'sridr]

Hi,
Could someone explain to me how to get my horse to yeild? A friend tried to explain to me one time but I got really confused (even though it is a simple move). Any help would be appreciated.

[Medalia]

Well, by yeilding, do you mean Leg yeilding?

Well:

How to:
Well you go on the wall with your horse and when you get to a corner (@ M, F, H, OR K), take your outside leg and move it behind the girth and push steadily with it until your horse moves over. With your reins you must not pull the horse over with them. You want your horse to be straight. Like this: | oppose to this: / or this \. they must face forward in order to go properly.

Does that make any sense? :( :)

[Poko'sridr]

So, I take my outside leg (the one not by the wall) and apply pressure behind the girth? Wouldn't that make the horse go towards the wall--kind of like pushing him? I'll try it and see how it works...thanks

[Medalia]

No!! :( You take the outside one, by which I mean the one by the wall, you know, to the outside of the circle?

Push in with your outside leg.

[Tikki]

Hi

At the risk of starting a riot I disagree!

Yes, bring your outside leg behind the girth, but you ask the horse to move over from the inside to the outside with your inside leg. Your outside leg should be keeping the horse straight and forward. If you ride up the 3/4 line you could ask the horse to leg yield back out towards the track. If you ride the horse on a 15m circle you could ask him to leg yield out on to 20m circle. The horse should have his head/neck inclined slightly to the inside but his body should be straight. He moves over by crossing his inside legs over in front of his outside ones. It can be ridden at walk or trot. If you or the horse are new to leg yielding it is best to ask for one or two strides of leg yield then straight, then leg yield, then straight and so on.

Tikki

[Sarah]

hello!

I would say the same as Tikki! Keep the outside leg slightly back to stop the horse moving its bottom over then push down and into the horse with your inside leg, try to push the horse as it is picking up its inside back leg if possible.

Keep a good contact with the outside rein, and ask and release witht he inside rein - do watch that the horse doesn't over bend its neck to the inside and just walk diagonally rather than crossing its legs.

bye!

[Medalia]

did you read what I put? I didn't mean to push them out. I said push to the INSIDE. with the OUTSIDE leg, to encourage movement to the middle.

[Tikki]

Yeah, but the leg you push over with should be on the girth, the outside one behind to control the forward movement. You move over from the inside to the outside. If you want to leg yield AWAY from the wall, towards the centre of the school the leg closest to the wall would be pushing on the girth, the other behind and the horse's head slightly inclined towards the wall.

Tikki

[Heather]

It sounds to me as if you are confusing leg-yield with half pass, Medalia, which is a much more advanced movement altogether. In leg-yield to the left, for instance, the horse is slightly flexed to the right, but moving to the left, away from the rider's INSIDE leg, The inside leg should be used just a little back from the girth, and be pressed lighly against the horse as the belly swings away to the left, in this way you are using the leg at the optimum moment i.e., when the horse's hindleg is off the ground and coming under- it is as if you are scooping the horse's leg up and pushing it across with your own. In this way you will be working totally in sync with the horse. Also, be very careful to have your outside rein in support along the neck. This acts like a barrier to stop the horse drifting through his outsdie shoulder and diving back to the track with his forehand leading.

Heather

[Poko'sridr]

Thanks for all the wonderful advise. I ride western(live on a ranch) so all I want out of leg yeilding is to be able to step around something (ex:gopher hole, mesquite tree). I think I have it figured out. At least this is what is working with my horse and I. I use my leg to push him the way I want to go while I slightly pull the rein. It's working great--he's still not sure but with a little practice we'll both be good at it.
Thanks for all the advise!