Leg Yielding

[makebelieve]

We were working on this today for the first time in my lesson. Could someone explain it's purpose, and what exactly the rider does? It wasn't too bad, although it could have been better if this wasn't one of the first times my horse had done it, either.

Thanks!

[Bay Mare]

It helps with getting the horse to move from your leg and to get them using their back ends better. It also gives a bit of 'interest' to schooling.

Are you asking for the aids or what it does for us?

Aids wise it depends on the teacher! I've been taught two ways (which was very confusing).

I'll tell it as if you're on the right rein

Start by turning down the 3/4 line
Make sure that your horse is going straight before you start to leg yield otherwise you will be a disadvantage before you even start
Also make sure that the horse is going forwards well in an active walk or trot as the leg yield is a forwards and sidewards movement (a lot of people think that it's just a sidewards movement, you need to keep the forwards motion to get the exercise properly)
To do the leg yield you flex slightly to the inside (right), put your inside (right) leg just behind the girth and the outside (left) leg on the girth. Nudge with the inside (right) leg to get the horse to move over to the barrier, the outside leg stays on the girth to keep the impulsion. You should also keep your weight in your inside stirrup and make sure not to slump or twist in the saddle
You also move your hands slightly over to the outside (left) but NOT so that the right hand crosses over the neck, this just allows the horse to move out from the outside shoulder without being blocked

Now just to complicate things ..... I was also taught it with the inside (right) leg ON the girth and the outside (left) leg just behind or on the girth. When I asked why there are two different ways I was told that the first way was for the younger or less schooled horse as it is different from just putting the legs on (to increase impulsion) so isn't as confusing for the horse!

For the rider it helps you to co-ordinate your aids better and gives you an introduction to lateral work!

I hope that makes sense ..... it's difficult doing it when you're not on a horse!!!

[Bay Mare]

Also meant to say .... doing it from the 3/4 line is the way that it's usually taught initially. You can also do it from the centre line back to the track, from the barrier to the centre line .... you name it! It's easier to do towards the track, though, as the horse usually has a natural inclination to go back to the track.

Also ..... I was also taught that the horse shouldn't be bent too much so when you're doing it the shoulders shouldn't be leading but nor should the quarters (which can be easier said than done :) ).

[kelsey]

I learned it on a circle at first - spiral in to a smaller circle, then leg yield back out. I was taught the inside leg just behind the girth (to move over) - outside leg further back (to guard) method. This keeps the hindquarters from swinging out. I was also taught to weight the outside seat bone ie in the direction of the movement.

I think that you need to be able to feel your horse underneath you so that you know the correct aids to apply to make any necessary corrections. You also don't want to apply constant pressure with the leg that is asking for the movement - you need to time it so that you are asking as the hind leg on that side is just about to lift off the ground. Otherwise you won't get the correct crossing-over of the legs.

I have also been taught that posting on the "wrong" diagonal makes this much easier, as you can then coordinate your aids better ie you use your leg and seat at the same time (as you sit).

(Apparently there is no "wrong" diagonal in dressage!)

[Bay Mare]

:eek: Crikey, don't let my old teacher hear you say that!!!! We were fined a creme egg for every time we got a wrong diagonal ..... one girl had to bring in a box of EIGHTEEN one week (and, yes, it was predominantly a dressage yard). Mind you, I suppose that in the higher levels of dressage you do sitting trot anyway :)

I tend to use sitting trot when I'm doing any lateral work as it's much easier to feel what's going on and to influence the horse.

It just shows how many different methods there are though :)

[kelsey]

My coach is a long-time student of a very well know classical trainer (trained at the SRS and a student of Kottas) and she learned this from him. I have learned to change diagonals all the time, depending on what I am doing. It has actually made me far more balanced in the saddle.

We also do a very long warm up (30 minutes on average) with only rising trot and canter, no sitting trot, followed by 15 to 20 minutes of "work" to introduce new things slowly. Basically, we run through the entire training scale in each session, so if we don't achieve rhythm, looseness and contact first, we skip the "work" part and just do the warm up. (Oddly enough, the horses seem to progress much more quickly than they did when they were ridden in a "frame" for two to three times as long.)

This spiralling leg yield is one of the warm up exercises, so its done in rising trot.

[carrimclaren]

Hmm, i tried to learn how to leg yield on wednesday and it went pear shaped. I know how to do the techinal things in my mind and when watching someone else, but put me on the horse and my brain functions completely different. I just can't get my brain and my body to co-ordinate together. Give me a month and i'll probably have got it :rolleyes:

[cvb]

at least one more option - leg yield across the diagonal. Got taught this in Sweden.

If on left rein,

turn across the diagonal - and as before do a stride or so "straight" first. Then apply aids to leg yield to right. (This is effectively a "change of rein" as you have been on "left rein" up til now, but are now riding as if on right rein...)

If you feel the quality going, ride a small circle to right and go again.

Also

Ride 10m circle at quarter marker, now ride as if going across diagonal but in leg yield. At X, 10m circle the other way, from X leg yield either across the rest of the diagonal or back to the other quarter marker on the long side you started on. Finish with another 10m circle.

So on left rein it would be

left 10m circle, leg yield on diagonal to right, 10m circle right, then

either leg yield right, 10m circle right
or leg yield left, 10m circle right.

(confused ??? its easier to do than describe !)