The Benefits of Walk Leg-Yields
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- Опубліковано 23 чер 2024
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#dressage #lateralwork #horsetraining
We often forget to practice the walk - but it is a very important gait, not only because you get a score for your walk in the show, but also because the walk is the best way to warm up your horse and it helps to keep your horse sound and fit!
There are so many great exercises that you can do at the walk, and walk leg-yields are one of my favorites! Walk leg-yields are a great exercise to work on suppleness and getting your horse responsive to both legs.
Before you begin working on your leg-yields, it’s important to make sure that you have an active walk. Starting on a loose rein, get your horse walking forward; it should feel like they are walking on their tippy toes, and you shouldn’t have to keep nagging them to stay active. Once you have an active walk, shorten your reins just enough you have a nice contact, but don’t lose the activity in the walk. Now you are ready to start practicing your leg-yields!
· Start out by walking up the quarterline and then leg-yielding your horse to the rail. Remember that the aids for the leg-yield are inside leg to move the inside hind over, outside rein to control the outside shoulder, and inside rein for flexion.
· Keep your horse parallel to the long side, with the shoulders leading slightly.
· Reward your horse. Make sure to give your horse breaks as you are working on the leg-yield. It can be tricky for your horse to coordinate the sideways movement. If you feel like they are getting frustrated or confused go up to the trot or walk on a long rein. And of course, reward and pet them when they do the right thing!
· Don’t nag your horse. Your leg aid should be “on, off, on, off” in time with your horse’s gait. If your horse isn’t moving off your leg, give them a little bump, bump, and then take your leg off.
· Leg-yield zig-zags. Once your horse has gotten the hang of the leg-yield from the quarterline to the rail, you can try leg-yielding in a zig-zag pattern from the quarterline to the rail, and back to the quarterline, etc. This really challenges your horse to listen to both of your legs.
Watch the video where I demonstrate all of this with Kensington. I hope these tips help you and your horse! Give this exercise a try horse this week and let me know how it goes!
Slight disclaimer: Since the walk doesn’t have impulsion if your horse isn’t consistent in the contact, then this exercise might not be for you. Feel free to give this exercise a try, but if your horse begins to back off the contact or get tense and nervous, ride forward and perhaps teach the leg yield at the trot.
Happy Riding!
Amelia
00:00 Intro - How the Leg-Yield can Help You
01:23 Leg-Yields from the Centerline
04:34 Leg-Yield Zig-Zags
07:03 Keeping Your Horse Active
09:08 Outro - Розваги
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the energy tip makes a lot of sense! it's something i struggle with when riding my boss's old guy. we do a TON of walking leg yields so curious to see if trying to push him on even more helps give us that extra bit of impulsion we need to get the actual crossover. we don't always manage. that said if we're having a good day we'll sometimes start at the rail, leg yield to quarter line, then go straight for a few strides, the back to the rail. we play around with it a lot because it really gets him more into the contact and helps loosen him up.
Lateral work in the warmup is so important. Great video. Thanks Amelia.
Looking as elegant as ever Amelia darllling!!!!
Awesome ❤ thank u Amelia
Really helpful. Thanks a lot Amelia!!
You're so welcome!
another great vid, thank you Amelia!
You're so welcome!
I have been using lateral work at walk to supple my horse before going to trot and also so I have more time to coordinate my aids. We are both improving but I see now I need a more active walk so she more quickly moves off my leg. Amelia, your videos are always so helpful. I need to learn to use my heel as you demonstrated to tap, tap, tap to get her attention. It is amazing how difficult that heel movement can be for me while still maintaining my position and posture in the saddle! Something for me to work on so thank you for that!
This was a great idea to put into my warmup! I'm always looking for more ideas to keep my routine and rides fresh! Thank you!
You're so welcome!
This is one of those times where when I watched your video, light bulbs were flashing and all of a sudden leg yields at the walk made so much more sense. The amount of energy going in has been the missing piece. I was struggling with leg yields both on my green horse, and on a school master. I was also asking for too much flexion, but having enough energy would have helped the horses and me. I’m bummed that I had to move, and won’t be able to practice on either of them. I hope to find a nice dressage barn up in Northern California.
Awesome ❤
Very helpful video. I like doing this in walk as I can pay attention to where my body needs to be. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
I like how you describe the machine gun technique to wake the horse up. My horse tends to be asleep in the hind end and drags her feet. I tend to use a similar technique to get her to “ wake up”. I use voice commands and if necessary a squeeze to move her up in gait I zero use the tap tap tap kick for moving forward…it’s a wake up call to get house horse to engage with you more and pay attention to your cues..it’s not a cue in and of itself, and I usually only have to do this once..Knock knock, is anybody home? 😁😉
Thank you so much for an excellent training video. The outside rein must make the difference. I wondered why my stocky Thoroughbred wouldn't leg yield. Didn't listen to the leg but I wasn't leading him with the outside rein. Congratulations on reaching 175k! 🎉
Great work!
Amiela, could you please do a video to teach a horse to to an extended trot and really stretch out their legs, instead of just going faster and shorter strides. Whenever I ask my horse to do an extension he just goes faster without really stretching his legs
Hey there! Check out this video: amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/how-to-develop-expression-in-the-trot/
Excellent review for me. I have a question, the active leg should be at the girth or behind the girth, as in where your outside leg would be at canter depart? I’ve been told both ways so I’m confused a bit. Looks like your leg is behind the girth. Thank you for these videos!
Great question!
Inside leg at girth (this is the leg you push them over with), outside leg behind.
It is a good exercise for horse. But, it is a little difficult for short back and short neck horses.
Great tips as always, Amelia. I'd just like to coordinate the very beginning of the movement, asking the shoulder to move. Moving to the right I think I should use the left rein and leg but how does this merge into left leg back to get the hind quarters to follow? Am I getting confused? With experienced horses it just seems to flow as one movement but I mostly ride a horse that doesn't know leg yield and I'm trying to teach her by breaking it down.
Hey there! Great questions. Your inside leg is what is telling the legs to move over and the outside rein is guiding the shoulder
He’s behind the vertical
Thank you for your comment - of course the goal is always that our horses are using their bodies correctly. This horse can evade through curling and while I am making a training video and focusing on a specific exercise, sometimes there are moments that I don't fix the issue enough.
How would u try on the horse doesnt know...or horse should know how to do before I can do it?
You can also try showing them from the ground first!
You say right leg, left rein but what are you doing with your left rein? Is it like a squeeze or steady hold? Especially with flexion on right rein.
Use the outside rein to guide the movement!
And where is the weight in your seatbones please?
Slightly more on the inside seat bone. Check out this goal setting webinar I just did: amelianewcombdressage.com/2024-goal-setting-webinar-replay/
❤🙏🎄🦄🎄