Editor's Note: In the July 2009 issue of Dressage Today, FEI competitor and trainer George Williams discusses ways to use the leg yield to improve your horse's training.
Here are some additional exercises to try with your horse:
Leg Yielding
Whenever there's a situation where you need to improve leg obedience, incorporate a leg yielding exercise into your work. Because you can ride the exercises in different places in the arena, you can become quite creative, coming up with new variations. I came up with these:
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- Exercise 1
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- Exercise 2
Exercise 1: At the trot, I track left in a shoulder-in down the long side slightly off the track. When approaching the end of the long side, I transition to walk and ride a large, sweeping turn on the forehand from my inside left leg until I end up on the near quarter line in a leg-yielding-from-my-left-leg position. Then I trot on again, going down the quarter line in this leg-yielding position. When I reach the end of the quarter line, I walk and ride another turn on the forehand from my left leg, reaching the wall in my original shoulder-in position, and trot on straight in a shoulder-in again.
Exercise 2: When my horse is slow to my outside leg in a half pass, falling to the side instead of carrying himself forward-sideways, I continue sideways on the same line but change the bend into a leg-yielding position for a few strides, trying to make the horse quicker to that leg. Then I go back to the half-pass position--again on the same line. It works because in a half pass the rider's outside leg encourages the horse's outside hind leg first forward and only then sideways.
By having so many approaches to improving leg obedience, you can keep the work quite interesting for your horse while working on the same principle.
Turn on the Forehand--Around the Corner
The horse performs a turn on the forehand describing a quarter volte inside the corner.
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- Turn on the Forehand--Around the Corner
I use this variation for most horses when teaching them the turn on the forehand. It helps them to understand that they need to move through their shoulders, keeping them loose and free. Because the turn is done with the horse facing the corner--a natural barrier--it reduces the risk of "trapping" the horse with the reins.
If you're tracking left, halt at the end of the long side with your shoulder at the corner letter--K, for example. Now, you're 6 meters out of the corner and facing into the corner. Ask your horse to yield from your right leg and ride a large turn on the forehand around the corner, with the front legs describing a quarter volte arc to the inside. When your turn is complete, you'll be standing parallel to the short side, again at a point 6 meters out of the corner. The diameter of the arc remains 6 meters throughout the turn. Imagine your horse is the spoke of a wheel, coming out of the corner.
I recommend using an opening left rein for this exercise to encourage freedom in the shoulders. Move your left hand sideways, away from your horse's neck, to help his shoulders move to the left. Repeat on the other hand.
