Teaching Leg-Yields on a Young Horse
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Published 2024-07-10
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I love riding and working with young horses. It is a lot of fun to teach them new things and to see the progress they make. In this video, I am teaching Victor, a green 5 year old that I have in training, how to do a leg yield for the first time. Victor can be a little tight in the back and he is not symmetrical left and right so the leg yield will help to make him more supple and rideable.
Start with Leg-Yield on Serpentine Lines
To introduce the leg yield, start by riding a serpentine line. Since the serpentine is an exercise that Victor already knows I use this line to help him start to grasp the concept of moving sideways.
Warm-Up with Serpentines: Begin by warming up with serpentine lines, focusing on bending and turning.
Leg Yield on Serpentine: As you navigate the serpentine, use your inside leg to encourage the horse to move sideways out and away from your inside leg. So you are basically doing a leg-yield on a serpentine line
This method helps the horse understand the concept of moving laterally without rushing.
Transition to Traditional Leg Yields
Once Victor understands the concept of moving of my inside leg on the serpentine line, I transition to a more traditional approach of riding the leg-yield from the quarter line to the rail.
Quarter Line to Leg Yield: Ride up the quarter line and then ask for a few steps of leg yield. When teaching this to a new horse, only ask for a few steps at a time and remember to reward your horse.
Monitor Balance and Softness: Ensure the horse remains balanced and soft in the contact. If the horse becomes braced, soften them by going straight for a few steps or making a small circle before asking for leg yield again.
Final Tips
Training the leg yield requires patience and consistency. Here are some additional tips:
Identify the Easier Direction: Determine which direction the horse finds easier. This will help you know which side to start on so that you can build on successful leg yields at the start of each session. Victor, for example, tends to be stiffer to the right.
Work Both Sides: Practice leg yields in both directions to ensure even development. Pay attention to any tendencies to bulge through the shoulders and adjust your aids accordingly.
Regular Practice: Integrate leg yields into your regular training routine to reinforce the exercise.
Monitor Focus: Young horses often have short attention spans. It's ok to give them breaks or to do shorter sessions. The importance should be on using consistent aids and routine to help them develop discipline and focus.
Working with young horses can be incredibly rewarding. They tend to make quick progress but also require careful management due to their inexperience and energy. Enjoy the journey, and remember that each session is a step toward building a balanced and responsive horse.
For a detailed walkthrough and to see these tips in action, watch the full video. Don’t forget to check get your free PDF with five training patterns to help you train your horse to be more supple and on the aids.
Stay tuned for more videos every Wednesday, and happy training!
00:00 Intro
01:13 Warm-up with Serpentines
03:12 Leg Yield up the Quarterline
06:08 Refreshing the Trot
07:46 End of Video
All Comments (20)
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Check out my Free Patterns and Figures PDF: amelianewcombdressage.com/lead-gen-patterns-figure…
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I think it's especially helpful when Amelia rides greener horses -- their level and abilities are much more typical of horses the majority of her students ride. I wish she would do a video on getting your horse soft and round but using a greener horse rather than a more finished mount like she usually rides.
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Seeing you ride young or green horses is very helpful to me!
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This really worked for me in a friend’s OTTB that didn’t really know leg yield. Great exercise!!
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I am in the middle of doing this with my young horse! And now your video came out and I'M SO EXCITED ❤❤❤
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Watching you ride a green bean is so helpful! It helps to see what I'm experiencing and what you are doing to correct and support.
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I love the young horse training vids. This was super helpful.
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Thanks Amelia. Working with Loki on the same movement. Turned 6 in June. Teaching him he can yield both in shoulder fore and straight with symmetry in the leg and rein aids prior to the yield aids. I love the challenge. Loki not so much but he tries hard to please.
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Victor is gorgeous. Love this video. Thank you! ❤
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Thank you Amelia,my horse is 4 so I try to keep him with bend and going for start but it's nice to see how I get him to do other things.
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❤❤❤❤ this is wonderful for us ❤️ I will try tomorrow for sure. Thank you so so much for your suggestions so well explained always ❤
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Also if you can talk through the mechanics of leg yielding. Placement of leg, what you do with seat etc.
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I agree Amelia please can you do more videos where you ride young green horses like Mr Leo .Leo reminds me of my own horse who can brace his neck .Thanks for your wisdom Do you have any tips for teaching walk to canter my boy will often pick up wrong lead for left walk canter this was always more difficult for him with trot canter.Sitting slightly left makes him worse.
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YES!!!!!!
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This is really helpful! My gelding isn’t exactly a young horse but he has the attention span of one! Do you have any tips or videos regarding maintaining the stretch in the free walk or the stretch trot? Usually he’ll stretch for a few strides then he’ll pop his head up again.
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What type of leg wraps are you using?
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Can I see one your video on have ing convinced on win ride ing a horse thank you Nanette
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Any advice for a green horse that resents leg pressure? Pins ears or turns his head to bite? No ulcers, tack fits correctly, teeth have been done
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Can I ask you how do convinced in ride ing my horse 🐎 I toke a fall off my horse and I boke my hip and I don't have nif convinced in ride ing my horse can you tell me want to do to have convinced in ride ing my horse thank you Nanette
