Yielding Left
We’ve been discussing tips for teaching your horse three
in-hand maneuvers that are extremely important for
the horse’s future from beginning work under saddle
to advanced training. They are the forehand turn, turn
on the haunches, and yielding. By teaching the horse
these maneuvers on the ground, he will already be familiar
with them when asked to do them under saddle.
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Continued...
Working In-Hand-
You will learn how to use your sight on the ground to evaluate
the horse’s response to your commands and keep his
body straight position during the maneuver. You will be
able to apply these skills when you execute these maneuvers
under saddle.
Now I will give tips for teaching your horse “yielding to the
left”.
For those readers who are just joining this series, I’ll repeat
some important tips to prepare you to teach this lesson. As
with all of in-hand lessons, outfit your horse with a properly
fitting halter, with a longe line attached, and leg protection.
For this lesson attach the longe line on the halter’s
side ring on the side you are leading.
Like other in-hand lessons, I recommend introducing it in
a smaller secure area like an enclosed paddock or round
pen. I’ll describe this lesson as if teaching it in a small paddock.
Once your horse is solid in this lesson, you will be able
to execute it anywhere.
When starting this lesson, practice it in the same spot each
time. By doing this, the horse will be familiar with what you
will be asking him to do. Once he is consistent, add additional
spots until he can perform it anywhere within the
training location you are using.
I consider my good friend and Olympic dressage rider Jane
Savoie one of today’s top female equestrians. Through this
series I’ve been introducing each maneuver with a definition
from her wonderful books Cross Train Your Horse and
More Cross Training. I want readers to appreciate how
important each of these maneuvers are to their horse’s
training, no matter what discipline they ride.
Jane describes yielding as a: “ …lateral movement in
which the horse’s inside front leg and inside hind leg pass,
and cross in front of, his hind legs. His spine is straight and
he is slightly flexed at his poll in the opposite direction from
the way he is moving”.
In other words, with the horse staying straight the forehand
and hindquarters work together so he can move laterally.
This maneuver builds on the lesson learned in the forehand
turn, that is, moving away from pressure.
I recommend using a simple pattern to properly position
your horse for yielding. Find a section of straight fence line
that ends in a left hand corner or bend. Stand so that you
TRAINING & Showing
are leading your horse from his left side with him positioned
between you and a fence. You will be “tracking” or moving
to the horse’s left.
Walk him straight along the fence line and turn him through
the left hand corner. Continue turning away from the
fence, making a ½-circle to the left, until you are positioned
in the middle of the paddock and facing in the opposite
direction than you started. Ask him to whoa, making sure
he is straight and square. Change longe line or lead and
your position to the horse’s right side. You will be working
from the right side for yielding left following a diagonal line
back toward the fence. Stand close to your horse, facing
him, between the middle of his neck to his shoulder. Hold
the excess longe line in your left hand
Extend your right hand to lightly grasp the halter’s side ring,
at the horse’s jaw, with just enough contact to guide the
head. Do not hang on the halter or steer his head from underneath
it! During the maneuver, use this hand to encourage
him to move forward and very slightly bend his head
toward you (away from the direction he will be traveling).
Extend your left hand to apply the aid or “cue” for this
maneuver to move the hindquarters laterally. The “target
area” for this cue the same location we used in the turn
on the forehand: the lower half of the horse’s barrel within
a zone approximately 10 inches behind his heartgirth. This
is where your lower leg contacts the horse’s lower barrel
when your foot is in the stirrup.
Be consistent where you apply this cue! The cue is not
given up high on the flank, up on his sides, or back on his
hip. Look at your horse and find the target area before
In-Hand Lesson: Yielding- Left
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