Here are the key points to
remember when teaching “yielding”
EE
starting this lesson. If your horse is sensitive to this touch, you
may need to gently stroke him from his withers down to his
shoulder to get him accustomed to the contact. Apply the
cue using a cupped hand with a pulsating pressure, rather
than poking the horse with your knuckles or fingers.
Start the maneuver by extending your right hand and giving
a “cluck” to ask the horse to walk forward and straight.
If he is first learning this maneuver, very slightly bend his
head toward you as you apply the cue with your left hand.
Later, as he becomes more schooled in this maneuver, he
will be able to do it with little or no bend. Use your peripheral
vision to see if his right front and hind legs are crossing
over the left front and hind legs while he stays straight in his
topline. If he does not stay straight, bring him forward and
straighten him using the right hand on his halter, before
asking again.
When the horse moves laterally, lighten the pressure and
follow his movement as he moves diagonally toward the
fence. If he does not respond vibrate the pressure with the
right hand, to keep him moving forward with a slight bend,
and with the left hand to ask him to move his hindquarters
laterally. When he reaches the fence, finish the maneuver
by asking him for a few steps forward and straight alongside
the fence. Ask him to whoa and praise him.
Avoid the common problem of standing too far away
from the horse and not moving with him. In this position
the handler will lag behind her horse and pull him out of
the straight-line body position. Be precise where the cue is
applied. If it is given too far behind the target area or too
high on the flank, the horse will have the tendency to swing
his hindquarters out or resist, rather than move laterally.
Don’t look down at the horse’s feet, but use your peripheral
vision to monitor the horse’s topline to see if he is staying
straight at the same time you note if he is crossing his front
and hind legs properly.
Your Next Step…
The goal is to keep the horse forward and straight when
teaching yielding. His forehand (head, neck, front legs,
shoulders) should be straight with his body and hindquarters
working together to move laterally. Always start this
maneuver by walking forward and straight first, before asking
www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com 55
for any lateral movement!
Teaching this maneuver
is as much about learning
how to coordinate your actions
as a handler as it is teaching
your horse to move laterally
to your commands.
Until then, follow your dreams…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com