lateral movements

[qwerty]

I have had a few private lessons recently and I was told we had done lateral work! :) I did turn on the forehand ( v.v. badly) and was told it was a total lateral movement. What other lateral movements are there?

[barnesp33]

Hi qwerty

The term lateral work refers to when the horse is moving forwards and sideways. Other lateral movements would include:

Leg yield
Turn on the haunches / demi pirouette
Shoulder-in
Travers
Renvers
Half pass
Full pass

P.

[qwerty]

What exactly are they?

[barnesp33]

Hi qwerty

This would probably turn into a very long post if I talked about all of them in depth in one go:)

Leg yield - This is one of the first lateral movements. It is used to supple the horse and to get a better response to the leg. The horse stays straight through the body and only looks slightly away from the direction of travel at the poll. The horse moves forwards and sideways, crossing the legs over. Normally ridden by riding along the three quarter line and then leg yielding over to the track, or vice versa. Can be ridden in walk, trot or canter

Demi pirouette - This is where the horse is asked to bring its shoulders around the hind quarters, the opposite of turn on the forehand. The horse has bend in the direction of travel and keeps the inside hindleg marking time and moves the shoulders around in a semi circle so you end up facing the way you have just come from. These can either be ridden in walk or canter, in canter they can go all the way around, or even twice round.

Shoulder-in - this is an exercise which helps increase engagement in the horse. The horse moves along the track with the hindlegs on the track and the front legs to the inner track with bend away from the direction of travel. Imagine you were going to start a circle and just as the front legs came off the track to start the turn - this is the positioning for the shoulder in and then the horse stays like this and moves along the track.

Looking from the front you should see three legs from the horse, the outside hindleg, the inside hindleg is behind the outside front leg and then the inside front leg. This is called three track work. Shoulder in can also be ridden on four tracks but I won't confuse you with that now:)

Does this make sense for now?

Regards
P.

[qwerty]

Thanks!:D

[Kerry's Partner!!]

I've been considerably confused about the difference between leg yield and shoulder in (and how turn on the haunches differs). Your explanation is so informative but succinct - thank you.

[fionahogg]

Travers (pronounced 'trav-air') is like the opposite of shoulder-in. I call it 'bum-in'. The horse is bent around the inside leg, and the hind-quarters move slightly inwards off the track, towards the centre of the school. As in shoulder in, the horse is on three tracks, but this time one track is made by the outside foreleg, on by the outside hind and the inside fore, and the last by the inside hind.

Half pass - the horse moves forwards and sideways, and is bent towards the direction of movement. It is normally ridden from the centre line to the track or vice-versa - it covers half the arena, and is hence called 'half pass'. The full pass is ridden from one side of the arena to the other.

Renvers…can't remember exactly what this is! Haven't got round to teaching Monty that yet!

These are not novice movements really. You won't be taught them on a riding school horse! (unless you are lucky and have found one with *proper* school masters!)

Hope this helps!

Fiona.