How to Leg Yield (or Side Pass)
Your Horse
Leg yielding is a lateral movement in horse training. The horse moves sideways by crossing the legs under the belly.
No matter how hard she tried, Carol just couldn’t get her horse to move over.
She had to learn how to leg yield her horse in preparation for her First Level Dressage test. Yet not matter how hard she pushed and nudged her horse, the result was always disappointing. He barely moved sideways, or his forehand moved while his hindquarter dragged behind him. She even tried wearing spurs. Nothing worked. “My horse is just lazy”, Carol fumed to herself.
Hank had the same trouble when he tried to get his horse to do a side pass. “He’s just stubborn”, thought Hank.
As it turns out, leg yielding is very simple because it’s all about TIMING. You apply your leg AT THE RIGHT TIME, and the right time is when your horse is beginning to lift his inside hind leg from the ground.
She had to learn how to leg yield her horse in preparation for her First Level Dressage test. Yet not matter how hard she pushed and nudged her horse, the result was always disappointing. He barely moved sideways, or his forehand moved while his hindquarter dragged behind him. She even tried wearing spurs. Nothing worked. “My horse is just lazy”, Carol fumed to herself.
Hank had the same trouble when he tried to get his horse to do a side pass. “He’s just stubborn”, thought Hank.
As it turns out, leg yielding is very simple because it’s all about TIMING. You apply your leg AT THE RIGHT TIME, and the right time is when your horse is beginning to lift his inside hind leg from the ground.
|
To leg yield (or side pass) a horse, apply your leg when your horse begins to lift the inside hind leg. |
Here is an excellent and very brief video from Dressage Hub showing you what leg yielding looks like. Yes, this is a big, brilliant horse, but any horse can learn to leg yield--and should, as I'll explain in a minute.
|
When I was first introduced to leg yielding many moons ago, I remember thinking it was the dumbest thing ever. I asked my trainer, "Why would you want to teach a horse to cross his legs?" It made no sense to me, and even seemed dangerous. What if the horse managed to tangle his legs or step on himself?
My trainer's first response was, "Because this is where you are in your training." But, being the egg-head that I am, I persisted in asking for a better explanation, and she rose to the occasion handsomely.
“Leg yielding teaches you and your horse to pay attention to his hindquarters. It teaches you to think about something other than your hands, to focus your attention on your horse's haunches because THAT is his powerhouse."
Bingo!
So this is how it's done. (Note: "Outside" means the side that is facing the rail, and "inside" the side that is facing the center of the arena. In the video still above, her right side is "outside" and her left side is "inside".)
STEP 1 IN WALKING LEG YIELD OR SIDE-PASS
First, walk your horse and focus on getting a feel for when each hind foot is in the air (being lifted in order to take a step) and when it is on the ground. It really helps at first to have someone on the ground watching and telling you "right, left" as each leg lifts. When you are certain you can really feel when a hind foot is in the air and when it is on the ground, move on to the next step.
You can also “cheat” by watching the horse’s shoulders. When you see the outside shoulder move forward, your horse is lifting the inside hind leg.
STEP 2 IN WALKING LEG YIELD OR SIDE-PASS
Walk your horse down the centerline. Make sure the walk is energetic. When you feel the inside hind is lifting (or see the outside fore moving forward), press your inside leg on the horse's side, just behind the girth. Press just hard enough to cause him to move his inside hind leg gently under his body. You can only influence the leg when it is in the air. If his leg is on the ground, you won't be able to influence it, no matter how hard you push. Then, like Carol and Hank, you will get frustrated and accuse your horse of being stubborn or lazy.
When you press with your inside leg, you should feel your horse's hindquarters move toward the rail because you've pushed his inside hind leg under his body.
STEP THREE IN WALKING LEG YIELD OR SIDE PASS
Now this is very important: You need to keep the horse's body straight in leg yielding or side-passing. Otherwise, your horse will bend her neck and pop her shoulder rather than moving sideways. Her forehand will move over, but she will trail her haunches behind her like she’s dragging a wagon. Here is how to make sure your horse stays straight:
Gently squeeze your outside hand as you press with your inside leg to keep your horse’s neck straight, and keep your outside leg behind the girth to hold her haunches in place. When you feel the inside hind leg being lifted again, nudge her again with your inside leg and squeeze your outside hand gently. As you repeat these movements, your horse will leg yield toward the outside rail.
WATCH THE VIDEO AGAIN TO SEE THESE STEPS IN ACTION
Watch the video again. As the horse and rider come toward you in the opening walk leg yield sequence, the horse moves sideways from the centerline toward the right rail. Look carefully at the rider's legs and the horse's hind feet. You'll see that just as the horse's left hind leg begins to rise, the rider presses with her left leg, nudging the horse slightly behind the girth. Nudge, nudge, nudge, with each step. The horse's left hind moves under his belly with each step, and his entire body moves toward the right rail as a result.
When you can do this comfortably, switch to the other side. Start down the centerline and repeat all the steps, pressing your inside leg against the horse’s barrel when the inside leg is lifting, hold the outside rein steady to prevent the shoulder from popping out, and keep a firm outside leg to keep the haunches straight.
A COMMON MISTAKE TO AVOID!
Be careful to avoid leaning one way or the other as you do this. Your body should remain centered. It helps to weight your outside seat bone a little more heavily than the inside one. This encourages the horse to step under your weight. But don’t lean that way!
Some people claim you should do the opposite--weight the inside seat bone to push the horse in the direction you want him to go. This is like standing on the edge of a row boat: The boat will move away from your weight, but you will be out of balance and so will your horse. You will find yourself clutching the reins in an attempt to steady yourself. Besides, you really want to teach your horse to step out from under you rather than to step under you?
HOW TO LEG YIELD OR SIDE-PASS WHEN TROTTING
In sitting trot, the aids are exactly the same: Press when the inside hind is lifting, keep the horse straight with your outside rein and leg.
In rising trot, it is a little more difficult to control the outcome. You have two choices on how to do this.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOUR TIMING IS OFF
The video above also does a nice job of showing common errors. Just to clarify:
Haunches leading: The horse is going "butt first" toward the rail rather than his whole, straight body moving that way. When she says, "I close my outside aids", what she means is that she uses her outside (right) leg to hold the haunches a bit more firmly, thereby preventing the haunches from leading. She also makes sure that her outside (right) hand is holding the neck straight.
Too much neck bend: The horse is bent in his body. Wrong! The horse needs to be straight, with perhaps just a slight bend such that you see just a bit more of the horse's inside eye. To correct this, she softens her inside rein and uses her outside rein to straighten the horse's neck.
In the advanced movements, she is essentially doing a shoulder fore, first with the right shoulder and then with the left. This is a good exercise to prepare for the more advanced collective movements of shoulder-in and renvers.
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Shoulder-Fore: The First Step to Straightening Your Horse
How To Ride Renvers (Haunches-Out)
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins February 13, 2016; Updated June 2, 2024
Opening Photo Credit: ID 4976414 © Arthur Van Diest | Dreamstime.com
My trainer's first response was, "Because this is where you are in your training." But, being the egg-head that I am, I persisted in asking for a better explanation, and she rose to the occasion handsomely.
“Leg yielding teaches you and your horse to pay attention to his hindquarters. It teaches you to think about something other than your hands, to focus your attention on your horse's haunches because THAT is his powerhouse."
Bingo!
So this is how it's done. (Note: "Outside" means the side that is facing the rail, and "inside" the side that is facing the center of the arena. In the video still above, her right side is "outside" and her left side is "inside".)
STEP 1 IN WALKING LEG YIELD OR SIDE-PASS
First, walk your horse and focus on getting a feel for when each hind foot is in the air (being lifted in order to take a step) and when it is on the ground. It really helps at first to have someone on the ground watching and telling you "right, left" as each leg lifts. When you are certain you can really feel when a hind foot is in the air and when it is on the ground, move on to the next step.
You can also “cheat” by watching the horse’s shoulders. When you see the outside shoulder move forward, your horse is lifting the inside hind leg.
STEP 2 IN WALKING LEG YIELD OR SIDE-PASS
Walk your horse down the centerline. Make sure the walk is energetic. When you feel the inside hind is lifting (or see the outside fore moving forward), press your inside leg on the horse's side, just behind the girth. Press just hard enough to cause him to move his inside hind leg gently under his body. You can only influence the leg when it is in the air. If his leg is on the ground, you won't be able to influence it, no matter how hard you push. Then, like Carol and Hank, you will get frustrated and accuse your horse of being stubborn or lazy.
When you press with your inside leg, you should feel your horse's hindquarters move toward the rail because you've pushed his inside hind leg under his body.
STEP THREE IN WALKING LEG YIELD OR SIDE PASS
Now this is very important: You need to keep the horse's body straight in leg yielding or side-passing. Otherwise, your horse will bend her neck and pop her shoulder rather than moving sideways. Her forehand will move over, but she will trail her haunches behind her like she’s dragging a wagon. Here is how to make sure your horse stays straight:
Gently squeeze your outside hand as you press with your inside leg to keep your horse’s neck straight, and keep your outside leg behind the girth to hold her haunches in place. When you feel the inside hind leg being lifted again, nudge her again with your inside leg and squeeze your outside hand gently. As you repeat these movements, your horse will leg yield toward the outside rail.
WATCH THE VIDEO AGAIN TO SEE THESE STEPS IN ACTION
Watch the video again. As the horse and rider come toward you in the opening walk leg yield sequence, the horse moves sideways from the centerline toward the right rail. Look carefully at the rider's legs and the horse's hind feet. You'll see that just as the horse's left hind leg begins to rise, the rider presses with her left leg, nudging the horse slightly behind the girth. Nudge, nudge, nudge, with each step. The horse's left hind moves under his belly with each step, and his entire body moves toward the right rail as a result.
When you can do this comfortably, switch to the other side. Start down the centerline and repeat all the steps, pressing your inside leg against the horse’s barrel when the inside leg is lifting, hold the outside rein steady to prevent the shoulder from popping out, and keep a firm outside leg to keep the haunches straight.
A COMMON MISTAKE TO AVOID!
Be careful to avoid leaning one way or the other as you do this. Your body should remain centered. It helps to weight your outside seat bone a little more heavily than the inside one. This encourages the horse to step under your weight. But don’t lean that way!
Some people claim you should do the opposite--weight the inside seat bone to push the horse in the direction you want him to go. This is like standing on the edge of a row boat: The boat will move away from your weight, but you will be out of balance and so will your horse. You will find yourself clutching the reins in an attempt to steady yourself. Besides, you really want to teach your horse to step out from under you rather than to step under you?
HOW TO LEG YIELD OR SIDE-PASS WHEN TROTTING
In sitting trot, the aids are exactly the same: Press when the inside hind is lifting, keep the horse straight with your outside rein and leg.
In rising trot, it is a little more difficult to control the outcome. You have two choices on how to do this.
- Rise as you normally do (on the "correct" diagonal), and apply your inside leg.
- Rise on the "wrong" diagonal and apply your leg when you are sitting in the saddle.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOUR TIMING IS OFF
The video above also does a nice job of showing common errors. Just to clarify:
Haunches leading: The horse is going "butt first" toward the rail rather than his whole, straight body moving that way. When she says, "I close my outside aids", what she means is that she uses her outside (right) leg to hold the haunches a bit more firmly, thereby preventing the haunches from leading. She also makes sure that her outside (right) hand is holding the neck straight.
Too much neck bend: The horse is bent in his body. Wrong! The horse needs to be straight, with perhaps just a slight bend such that you see just a bit more of the horse's inside eye. To correct this, she softens her inside rein and uses her outside rein to straighten the horse's neck.
In the advanced movements, she is essentially doing a shoulder fore, first with the right shoulder and then with the left. This is a good exercise to prepare for the more advanced collective movements of shoulder-in and renvers.
As long as you’re here, check these out!
Shoulder-Fore: The First Step to Straightening Your Horse
How To Ride Renvers (Haunches-Out)
Equestrian Products That Make Your Riding and Horse Care Easier and Better!
Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins February 13, 2016; Updated June 2, 2024
Opening Photo Credit: ID 4976414 © Arthur Van Diest | Dreamstime.com
