Strides for Success

Tag: Horse Riding

  • Harnessing the Power of the Half Halt

    Harnessing the Power of the Half Halt

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    The half-halt should be one of the earliest things that riders learn to master when learning to ride their horse. It is a vital part of riding well and being able to perform accurate, balanced movements with your horse.

    However, while many riders understand the concept of the half-halt in theory, unfortunately, the carrying out of the actual movement leaves a lot of room for improvement.

    What is the Half Halt?

    The half-halt is essentially a rein check or a postponement. You are asking your horse for his undivided attention and letting him know that something is about to happen.

    When ridden correctly, the half-halt can be used to re-balance your horse, to ask him for his attention, prepare him for an upcoming movement, to ask for more self-carriage or collection, to steady or slow him down, to set up transitions and, in fact, should be sprinkled generously throughout your ride from start to finish.

    Harnessing the Power of the Half halt

    When and Why Should I Use It?

    There are so many different situations where the half-halt is required while riding that many riders may become confused as to where exactly to perform the movement. How often it should be applied is also a source of confusion. Along with what intensity or firmness.

    Each half halt, in essence, is similar regardless of the reason for using it. However, there are slight differences depending on many factors between the horse, rider, and present circumstances. 

    The more you ride and practice the half halt, the better you will become at using just the correct amount of pressure at the correct time. Regardless of the horse or circumstances.

    How Do I Ride a Half Halt?

    To perform the half halt, the rider uses three different aids, the seat, the legs, and the hands. Many riders struggle to use all three aids in such close conjunction with each other. And, often, this lack of co-ordination from the rider often results in a deterioration of the horse’s way of going.

    A true half halt, as we mentioned before, is a postponement of the forward energy.

    However, what is important to notice here is that the forward energy must remain and continue to be created by the rider, at the correct times, so the horse does not stop or break from what it is doing.

    There is a previous blog post & audio lesson HERE on using your seat while riding

    Its an ‘Invisible Aid’…

    The other point worth mentioning before we get into the nuts and bolts of the half halt is that it should be barely visible to others watching you ride. I say barely because if a person is well-trained in what to look for, they will of course see these little ‘rein checks’.  However, to the average spectator, it will look as though nothing is happening.  The horse is simply remaining in a balanced and consistent way of going.

    The half halt does require a certain amount of strength and development from the horse, as there is a transfer happening from the front end, more onto the back-end.  

    Strength & Training

    This results in the hindquarters coming underneath the horse and bearing more weight. Many riders forget to allow for this lack of training and development in young or green horses. They can become frustrated when the half halt does not result in the desired action happening underneath them.  Or as ‘big’ of a difference occurring. Horses must learn what the movement is, and over time, become capable of performing it correctly.

    Practice by firstly using the thought of the half halt as an opportunity to correct and ‘fix’, if necessary, your position while riding

    Setting Up the Movement

    Check that your basic position is free of any obvious errors and that your legs are underneath you.  It is important that your legs must remain underneath you throughout the half halt.  In order to maintain the forwardness of your horse’s movement and energy, your legs must be ‘on’ and applied first when asking for the half halt.

    Once you have engaged your horse with your legs, you will then use your seat and hands together to ‘resist’ or ‘slightly contain’ the energy and perform that ‘rein-check’ that we spoke of.  This will only happen for a split second. Then you will soften allowing your horse to move forward again. From here, use your legs once again to help create that forward energy.

    Remember, the half halt only lasts a split second; any longer and you are having a tug of war!

    Your Seat When Asking…

    One of the biggest challenges riders have is when they activate their seat and core in the half halt. Their lower legs tend to shoot out in front of them. This results in the rider’s feet being somewhere near or on the horse’s shoulders!

    Practice engaging your core in a ‘resisting’ motion for a split second. All the while making sure your legs are correctly underneath you.  Your legs are vital to keeping your horse moving forward and working correctly.

    As I mentioned earlier, the half halt is a slight postponement of the energy, not a cancellation!

    When using your seat and core, make sure you are carrying your upper body, to allow the muscles around your pelvis to work correctly.  Try not to brace your lower back, in an attempt to lean back.  This will result in a jarring feeling and the beginning of the end with regards to the forward energy you have created!  Also, make sure you don’t crouch or curve your upper back. This movement generally correlates with an overuse of the hand and lack of seat and core in the half halt.

    Not A ‘One Time Only’ Event

    Also keep in mind that you may need to perform numerous half halts in order to achieve your desired outcome.  

    Keep each one short, quick and correct.  If you ‘hold’ the position or the half halt for too long, your horse will begin to lean against you. This is exactly the opposite of what you want to achieve in the first place.

    Take time to begin coordinating your different aids so that once ‘put together’, your half halt will appear seamless and fluid. It will work with your horse. Not against. This will help to both balance and steady.  It often helps to say something while you are performing the movement, as it will help you better establish the cause and effect that you are making happen underneath you.

    A simple ‘Steady’ said out loud can be enough to help this movement become a subconscious one for you in the long run.

    Timing the Half Halt

    As with all things relating to horse riding, the timing of the movement and aids are also important.  Once you have successfully managed to use your different aids together to achieve the desired result, begin noticing what is happening underneath you.

    As you become more adept at feeling which foot is falling when you will grow more confident in asking for the half halt at the correct time.

    This is usually when the horse’s back hoof has been placed on the ground.

    Harnessing The Power of the Half Halt

    Sprinkle Around the Arena

    Train your body to automatically begin using the half halt in particular areas of the arena or parts of your ride.  I initially suggest using corners, bends, or changes of direction as the initial trigger you use to remember to half halt.

    Soon, riding this movement without thinking about it during one particular aspect of your work will become second nature. This will allow you to free up your mind to begin working it into other areas.  Again, I suggest methodically and consistently until it again becomes something that just happens while you ride.

    Finally, mindfully develop your ‘feel’ as you use the half halt…  

    Different levels of intensity or different ways of riding the half halt will be necessary depending on the various factors that make up each situation, such as rider, horse, and circumstances surrounding that particular ride.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians:-

  • Developing Your Horses Self Carriage

    Developing Your Horses Self Carriage

    When you are riding, is your horse carrying himself, or are you in-fact carrying him? 

    Self carriage in horses can be explained as your horse carrying himself, without needing support from or relying on you, the rider, in order to continue and maintain the movement he is performing.

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    Your horses ability to carry himself comes from him being responsible for his own body, balanced physically and also mentally because he understands what is expected of him and is confident that he can do it.

    Developing Self Carriage in your horse

    As you ride, stop directing for a few strides; will your horse be confident, competent, balanced and able to maintain the correct amounts of impulsion and tension to ‘hold’ what he is doing, until you come back with further instructions?

    Unfortunately, for most riders the answer is no! In fact, most horses are ridden in such a way that they may never be truly able to achieve and maintain a degree of self carriage in higher levels of performance and work.

    Self carriage comes from your horse being encouraged to work by himself, confident in his own abilities and your consistent correction only when he gets things wrong.  Self carriage is really self motivation on your horses part and his knowing that when you ask for something it is his job to respond and then continue until asked to do differently.

    However this simply cannot happen if you, as the rider, are micro-managing every movement.

    The riders job is not to support the horse through every stride, but rather to influence the horses movements and balance, which will then, over time, allow the horse to develop the necessary strength to support himself, and achieve true self carriage.

    Another important aspect is the level of trust which must develop between both horse and rider and also, the horses confidence in himself and the same of the rider in herself.

    This is where developing ‘feel’ as a rider is important.  You must be able to feel that he is about to go wrong, or about to lose his balance, or about to stop what is being asked and then act on this before it happens.  Once you have given the aids to get your horse back on track, again, stop giving them and allow him to perform the movement.

    There is a blog post and audio lesson on Improving Your Feel in the Saddle HERE.

    Self carriage requires the horse to be balanced, supple, have the required level of physical strength and his being capable of using this in a controlled and consistent way every time.

    Self Carriage

    Often we see horses in the paddock or field with wonderful self carriage, prancing around, 100% control of their body. They display athletic abilities and prowess that often, as the rider, we can only dream of emulating while in the saddle.

    The disconnect comes because under the saddle, the riders influence pays a huge part.  Rider are often asking their horse for completely different movements, unbeknownst to them, by moving around in the saddle. Unfortunately, if there is not a high level of understanding and awareness on the riders part as to how to control their body while riding, these questions may conflict each other, ruining any hope of obtaining true self carriage.

    It takes calmness of mind from both horse and rider to achieve true self carriage and also the knowledge that self carriage in a young, green or preliminary level horse looks and feels different to self carriage in a well schooled, experienced grand prix level horse.

    When schooling our horses, it is important to introduce new movements slowly and gradually. Remember that the level of balance, for new exercises, will be in direct proportion to the muscles strength and ability while being used that way.  When balance is lost, apply the correct aids quickly to correct your horse, and over time allow him to hold this balance longer and longer in the movement.

    Also remember that self carriage will require different use of the muscles depending on what movement is being performed. Extended trot will both look and feel very different to collected trot and so on.

    Developing self carriage, I feel, begins by the rider working on gaining full control of their aids and developing the ability follow when their horse responds correctly.

    If he responds immediately and correctly to what you are asking… stop asking!  Bring your aids back to neutral and allow him to do what you have asked of him.  If he begins to lose what you have asked or if he wanders (both mentally or physically) off track from what you are asking, then use your aids to correct him.  As soon as he responds and is back where you want, shift back to neutral again.

    Riders, whether consciously or not, often nag their horses continuously while riding.  This will work against your horse developing himself enough to achieve self carriage.  It is important to develop the skills to ask and then allow your horse to perform his movements.  A horse that can only work when his rider is controlling every little micro movement is, in all disciplines, not going to be a successful one and, in some cases may even become downright dangerous to ride.

    The first thing you can do to help your horse to achieve self carriage is carry yourself and make sure your position is correctly applied in order to support your horse and cause as little distraction and hindrance as possible.

    Ask your horse to halt.   Rather than worrying about the quality of the halt for now,  rather notice if is happy to stop where you ask and then wait for further instruction.  If he is jig jogging, side stepping, pulling, leaning, walking on, reversing, do a quick check of your position and what aids you are applying.

    Do the same when you ask him to walk on.  Notice how quickly he responds and if you have to ask more than once, back this up with your whip or spur.  Once he is indeed walking, just allow him to walk.

    One of the most difficult things to do as a rider is nothing!  Nothing is just being neutral and rather only applying aids when necessary.

    • Pay attention to what you are asking, are you nagging?
    • Are you being heavy?
    • Are you fidgeting or nudging, patting, tapping, and just micro managing your horses every move?

    If so, you need to control yourself and only ‘talk’ when you are required to do so!  Again, bring your horse back to halt and notice if he does as you ask and then awaits further instruction or if he is continuously moving and fighting.  If so, correct quickly and then return to neutral.  Repeat the exercise again until you are confident that your horse is responding in a timely and proportionate manner to each question you ask.

    We said at the beginning that self carriage becomes possible as your horse develops his balance and suppleness.  A way to do this is by working and developing his top-line.

    You can do this by working on a 20m circle in a long and low frame.  He must work from behind, pushing with his back end. Make sure you are not continuously correcting and ‘holding’ him in position, but rather guiding and correcting before it becomes necessary.

    Notice how balanced he feels and once he is reaching down for the contact, stretch your hands to him for 1 or 2 strides.  Notice if he can hold himself, in this self carriage, even if just for a second or two to begin with and then work on lengthening the time he can support himself.

    Happy Riding!

    FREE 30 Day Rider Fitness Challenge

     

  • Solid Foundations for Jumping

    Solid Foundations for Jumping

    Jumping, it has the ability to thrill and to strike fear into riders, sometimes all at once!   However, if approached in a systematic and patient manner, most of the fear will dissipate allowing both you and your horse to enjoy jumping; whether it be a pop every now and then, or a trip round a course of fences weekly at a local show.

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    Generally speaking, all horses can jump, however some horses have more jumping ability than others and it is important to work with your horses natural ability and focus on improving it using a specifically tailored program.

    We should also remember that some horses no matter how much time and effort is invested in their training, just don’t enjoy jumping and that must be respected as well.  Be sure that your horse enjoys the task as much as you do!
    Building a Solid Foundation for Jumping
    In order to produce a horse that is both safe and competent over fences his jumping schooling must be combined with basic flat work or dressage schooling to develop suppleness, balance, strength and agility.

    The stronger the horse, the better he can use himself and his natural ability.  Strength takes time to develop and pushing your horse before he is physically or mentally ready will potentially cause him to become tense or anxious about jumping which can show itself in a whole host of problems, from rushing to running out.

    The key to building a solid foundation is to develop confidence; both your horse’s and your own.   This confidence will ensure relaxation through your horse, which will soften the neck, back and body in general so it can be used correctly and fully both between and over fences. 

    Also in jumping, timing is everything however in order to time correctly, there needs to be a few key pieces in place first, namely; Rhythm, straightness, balance and impulsion.  If anyone of these parts are missing, the likelihood of a smooth, successful jump diminishes greatly.

    Firstly, lets begin by looking at you, the rider.  

    Before you begin jumping I strongly recommend that you have an independent seat.  A quick ‘challenge’ you can do to test this is having the ability to hold the 2 point seat for at least a couple of laps of your arena without falling over, your legs swinging or collapsing on your horses back.  This sounds easy enough, however 30 seconds in your body will know all about it…!

    I also suggest using this quick and simple exercise while out on hacks or trails; pick different markers such as trees, shadows of telephone poles, fence posts and pretend they are a jump.  Begin trying to judge where your horse would take off and being able to ‘slip’ into your jumping position when necessary.  You can initially do this in walk, then in trot and, if you have a grassy bridle path or somewhere else suitable, in canter also.

    You can then take it one step further by beginning to see if you can adjust the ‘take off point’ for your horse and use that accordingly.  I find doing this exercise really helps you ‘feel’ what a balanced jumping position is like, helps you quickly adjust your body in and out of the jumping position and also helps to begin training you to ‘see a stride’.

    Back in the arena a really useful and extremely versatile exercise can be ridden by placing a single pole on the center line at X and working over it in a similar fashion.  Test yourself initially in walk to see how straight you can make your approach and then, once successful, move onto trot and, later, canter.  See if you can judge the take off point and adjust your position to suit this accordingly.

    This exercise is always a good exercise to come back to when ‘tuning up’ both you and your horse.  You can also begin improving your ability to ‘see a stride’ by counting backwards the last three strides to your take off point, “3,2,1 Jump”, and when more experienced, “5,4,3,2,1 Jump”.

     

    Once mastered, the pole can be ‘popped’ from different angles, all the while making sure you remain riding on a straight line of your choice.  Imagine two long narrow triangles, their points touching at the pole to create a long angular figure of 8.  Ride each line, popping the pole each time at an angle and then balancing your horse around the ‘turn’ at the top of each triangle to come back on the opposite line.

    Again, begin at walk, choose your line or path and once mastered take up trot and then on to canter.

    Secondly, it is important as a rider to allow your horse to ‘figure things out’ for himself.

    I know myself how tempting it is to interfere and ‘help’ but this will only lead to problems further down the line when your horse cannot get himself out of trouble.  At some point in your riding, you will inevitably get it ‘wrong’ and you need your horse to firstly realize this has happened and secondly to make a plan of his own to get you both out of trouble.

    This comes more naturally to some horses than others, however you can also begin to teach your horse this invaluable skill by not interfering.

    I personally think one of the most difficult things to do on a horse is nothing!  However, as riders we sometimes must do just this!

    In the arena, use simple grids to work on both you and your horse, separately and together, to grow your skills over bigger more demanding fences.  Make sure that you are guiding your horse all the way through the grid, however that you are also allowing him to see that adjustments must be made and to actually make the adjustments himself.  Often horses pull through fences only because the rider is pulling through the fences.  You need to disengage and allow your horse to jump the jump.

    Building a solid foundation for jumping

    This also means being balanced over the fence, not throwing your weight about and not depending on your horses neck, body, mane, reins etc for your balance and support, which we spoke about earlier.

    The hours spent practicing over the smaller fences will ensure you can both successfully negotiate a course of larger fences when the time is right.

    Lastly, you can begin to improve both you and your horses effectiveness and technique

    Once both of you are confident, you can then begin looking at improving your style and effectiveness and your horses technique and skills.  However, again, this can only really begin when the foundation has been properly cultivated and developed.

    You can do this using grids that ask more questions of your horse, such as bounces, shorter distances, longer distances, angles, bends, types of fences.  The list is endless and different elements will be more beneficial to improve specific parts of your horses technique.

    At the end of the day, you are looking for the best way to allow your horse to really reach his full potential in a happy safe manner.

    Horses should not be jumped every day.  Remember most of the time spent jumping a round of fences is actually spent on the flat, between fences.  Use this ratio when creating your training program for your horse.

    Also remember that if you can negotiate the smaller fences easily, the larger ones won’t prove a problem… However anyone can get from A to B over a small fence… Getting there correctly and with style is what counts.

    Invest your time training over the smaller fences and less complicated grids and return there regularly as often bad habits slip in when least expected and only every now and then, test your knowledge and skill over larger fences.

    Happy Jumping!
    Lorna

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  • Developing Your Riding Seat

    Developing Your Riding Seat

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    There’s always a desire among riders to develop their seat in the saddle. Most riders understand that developing this one aid is a key part of improving as a rider. But what does it really mean? And how can you start to do it?

    Developing your riding seat begins with understanding that your seat must be used to signal to your horse.  It is not there to interfere or disrupt his natural movement.  

    In order for you to utilize this aid successfully, it is imperative that you be relaxed first.  Relaxation is not floppiness, it is just an awareness of your body and how you are using it without any excess tension or resistance through your muscles.

    Control Without Excess Tension

    The problem and confusion over developing your riding seat often begin right at the start when we first learn to ride. We hear certain phrases repeated continuously. Phrases like “sit up straight, shoulders back, heels down, look up, bend elbows”.  The list goes on and on.

    However, all those commands, while each in their own way is correct and coming from a good place, can very often have the negative effect of making us stiff and resembling a poker!

    Developing your riding seat essentially the ability to control your core muscles, both when you need to use them and when they should remain passive or neutral.

    Many riders think that this is a foreign thing for them to do; using their core to influence something else. But cast your mind back to when you were small and enjoying the sensation of the wind in your hair as you swung back and forth on a simple swing. Yes, the ones with two ropes hanging from a branch or beam and a plank in the middle for you to sit on.

    Now, think how you were more than able, on your own steam and without touching the ground, to make each swing go higher than the last… You were essentially using your ‘driving seat’ to do that.  

    Likewise, think about when you wanted to get off the swing; you used your body to slow the momentum down and bring the swing to a halt; your resisting seat.

    How Your Seat Can Influence Your Horse

    This same approach applies when riding a horse, although admittedly used in far more subtle applications.  We can use our seat to drive our horse forward.   We can also use our seat to slow our horse down or gather our horse up a little.

    In fact, when we start being mindful about what we are doing and the effect it has on our horse, we realize that our seat is an important factor in going, turning, stopping, starting, transitions, not to mention the more intricate movements such as lateral and adjusting suspension and movement within a gait.

    Developing Your Riding Seat

    But just as being able to guide your horse along to perform what you wish of him, equally as important is the ability to shift your seat into ‘neutral’ and allowing our horse to actually do his job.  

    Often when people begin realizing how powerful their seat is in riding, they are quickly horrified as to how much ‘chatting’ they are doing without realizing it every time they are in the saddle!

    Becoming Mindful of Your Seat

    So, what do we need to do in order to begin tapping into our seat aid and using it when we ride?

    First and foremost, you must have or begin to condition your body to have, a strong core in order to correctly use your seat.  So many people are after this ‘independent seat’ but are not willing to put in the necessary effort and time that it takes to achieve it.  Learning to use your seat correctly is not something which we achieve overnight.

    It takes years of practice to develop the ‘feel’ and conditioning of your bodies in order to truly support you when you ride

    30 Day Rider Fitness Challenge

    It seems so strange, but so many riders just don’t carry themselves when on their horse… And those same riders get awfully upset when their horses refuse to carry themselves as well!

    You also must become almost obsessive about the cause and effect of every movement while in the saddle.  Being finicky and playing close attention initially to each movement and the reaction that it causes is the key to being able to perform what appears to be an effortless ride in the long term.

    Negative Effects of Excess Tension

    Earlier, I mentioned how essential it is to relax your body while riding.  One of the reasons is to prevent gripping!  I see so many riders in the saddle and they seem like they have the fear of God inside them that they might just fall off!

    Firstly, you will fall off if you stay riding long enough.  It is as enviable as the sun rising in the East each morning and setting in the West every evening.  Secondly, gripping will only work to get you there sooner, trust me!

    When you find yourself tensing and beginning to grip, catch yourself in the act and then rather relax.

    Think of a stone and a piece of jelly on a plate.  If you bounce the plate up and down, which bounce off first?  The stone of course!  Don’t be the stone.

    Confusion in Communication

    Gripping also works against you because it tells your horse a different story to what you are really perhaps trying to convey.  I have come across quite a few horses, particularly OTTBs, whose riders get a little nervous and begin to grip.

    The horse’s general reaction is always something that moves them farther from what the rider actually was trying to achieve and quite often ends with the horse showing his athletic ability with a few cartwheels for good measure.  This of course causes the rider to grip more, drive more and so the cycle goes on and on.

    Learn to relax both your mind and your body while riding. This will improve your ability to really develop your seat

    Your Position and Your Seat

    We can also look at the rider’s position when speaking about seat.  Make sure you are sitting in the lowest part of the saddle and not leaning back towards the cantle of the saddle. Leaning back will cause your legs to stick out in front of you with your toes tipping your horse’s shoulders or elbows.

    When a rider is continuously tipping back while in the saddle, the horse will begin to hollow his back all the time in order to get away from the uncomfortable pressure of the rider’s seat-bones.

    Equally as important is to guard against crouching over the pommel of the saddle.  People who ride like this are completely unbalanced and will never cultivate an independent seat.

    Also, you cannot ride a horse sitting on their neck; so don’t try it!

    30 Day Rider Fitness Challenge

    ‘Driving Seat’ Challenges

    Another position fault I see with riders, particularly when they try and use a driving seat is the ‘Quasimodo Position’.  They have tucked their pelvis so far forward that their back and, in particular, the area between the shoulder blades become curved into a C shape.

    In this position, the core is being ‘squashed’ making it impossible to carry the upper body, with the effect being that the rider becomes extremely heavy and cumbersome on the horse’s back.

    The last position problem that I want to mention today which is common when riders try to engage that ‘driving seat’ is an upward and forward thrust of the pelvis, coupled with an equally powerful thrust backward of the shoulders.  The result is again, a complete loss of any core engagement and an extremely arched and uncomfortable position for your spine to be in!

    When we look at what causes riders to do any of the above, it tends to circle back to two underlying reasons.  The first is a lack of time spent cultivating that all-important feel for the seat. And the second is a lack of strength and flexibility in the core of the body.

     

    Step by Step Training on This Topic

    This week in Daily Strides we are working on your seat. Specifically learning how to begin feeling it and then how to influence your horse with it.  The second lesson focuses specifically on asking our horse to move forward and how the seat is the first part of this ask.  Think about how you subtly adjust your body just before you stand up out of a chair.  This is a similar use of your core.  You will be riding exercises to help you use your ‘forward going’ seat correctly and also the correct application and use of the driving seat.

    In Wednesday’s lesson we knuckle down on how we can use our seat correctly while slowing down and stopping.  We are working on transitions between gaits themselves and using your seat to encourage a change within the gait itself.  This seat is often called a resisting seat. And if used correctly can be the difference between a connected and fluent transition; or a hollowed and choppy one!

    Finally, we put this all together on Thursday…  And for the brave few, I lay down a challenge that will open your eyes to the consequences of using your seat aids correctly. And the unfortunate issues that can arise when riders choose not to!

    The aim of this group of lessons is to help you to sit quieter in the saddle. This will lead to greater influence and better understanding of all the intricacies you are communicating to your horse as you ride.

    All this week’s lessons are available for you right now inside of Connection.  In fact, there are over 500 audio horse riding lessons on a huge variety of different topics in there. All ready for you to dive into with your horse.

    We will also help you set goals and create a plan to reach those goals – and equally as important.  You can find out more about Connection HERE >>

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources on This Topic

    30 Day Rider Fitness Challenge

  • Lateral Movement; Leg Yielding

    Lateral Movement; Leg Yielding

    Leg yielding is generally most riders’ first introduction to lateral movement.  Lateral moving, when we’re talking horses, means sideways.  It is a great movement to ride as it allows you to work your horse’s body in a different, yet equally beneficial way.

    Leg yielding, and lateral movements in general, are a test of our abilities as riders to move each individual limb independently at the same time.  

    Think of it like this; each part has it’s own equally important job which when applied together, give your horse the directions and support he needs to perform the movement.

    Leg Yielding and Shoulder In

    Become Clear on What You Want…

    To ask your horse to leg yield, you must first become clear in your mind as to what you want your horse to do and where you want him to do it.

    With regards to the ‘where’, I suggest coming in from the outside track to perhaps the quarter line. This is the line halfway between the center line and the outside track on the long side of the arena.

    This way you are using your horses natural tendency to want to return to the outside track to your favor.

    Setting up the Movement

    The next part is setting the movement up.  Your horse needs to be straight, meaning that his hips are following directly behind his shoulders.  This will remain a key part of correctly performing the leg yield.

    Ask for a slight flexion in the poll area (perhaps where you can just see the inside eyelid) but his body should remain straight.

    The final part of setting up the movement is the all-important half halt.  It will help to balance things, but also give your horse the heads up and that you are about to ask for something different.  Don’t limit your half-halt to just one.   In fact, usually, 3 or 4 or more will be necessary to give you the desired results.

    Make sure you keep your leg on throughout the half halt.

    Asking your horse to yield to your leg

    So the word ‘Yield’ means to give way to, in this case, pressure.  You must create pressure with your inside leg. This is the leg your horse must move away from.  Where you place your leg to ask will depend on your horse’s level of training.

    Younger or greener horses will require your lower leg to be slightly behind the girth, as they will often have the tendency to move over with their shoulders and leave their hindquarters trailing or following behind.

    Remember, in order to perform the movement correctly, your horse’s hips and shoulders must remain straight… Not one trailing diagonally across the arena after the other.

    Your outside leg will help to maintain consistent impulsion and also act as a ‘blocker’ should either your horse’s hips or shoulders get ahead of the other.  Your outside leg will also help to ‘end’ the leg yielding movement when you have reached your desired destination and asking your horse to go straight forward again.

    Asking for Flexion

     Begin with flexion.  Use your inside hand to ask for the slight flexion in your horse’s poll area. This must remain soft and all the while aware that you’re not asking for too much bend.

    Your outside hand, as always, holds everything together. It also helps to prevent too much bend in the head and neck of your horse.

    Also, your outside hand can also be ‘opened’ slightly away from your horse’s neck which may encourage your horse to move over into the rein.

    Remain Light and Soft…

    One of the biggest mistakes I see riders doing when first attempting this movement is an over-enthusiastic ‘shoving’ movement with their hips and seat…  This will not help!   In fact, sitting tall and quietly is vital to your horse being able to move in this manner.

    Your ‘pushing’ motion with your hips will only unbalance your horse and cause him to be unable to successfully yield to your leg.

    I have written (and recorded Daily Strides Podcast Episodes) in far more detail on this topic HERE and HERE. I will also link to more resources to help with this below.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Additional Resources on this Topic

  • The Trot to Canter Transition

    The Trot to Canter Transition

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA296-The-Trot-To-Canter-Transition.mp3″ title=”The Trot to Canter Transition” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”A better trot to canter transition with your horse” hashtag=”horseriding #transitions” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Do you manage to perform a ‘clean’ trot to canter transition every time?  This transition is often one of the most difficult to maintain balance and rhythm.  And this is true for both horse and rider.

    The potential for your horse to run into the canter, instead of actually ‘striking’ the canter when asked is quite high.

    In this episode of the Daily Strides Podcast, we cover an exercise that will help you become more clear with giving your horse the aids to canter.  It will also help to place your horse into a situation where he can transition from trot to canter more easily.

    Trot to Canter Transition

    Perfect this Transition?

    I want you to begin by riding a 20-meter circle, paying close attention to the quality of your trot.  Make sure you have a nice, active working trot; your horse moving forward from your leg.

    As you are trotting, notice how responsive your horse is to your aids…

    Are you having to ask two or three times for a specific movement or response? Use the initial trot on the circle to secure your horse’s undivided attention.  And to develop his willingness to do as you ask.

    Riding a Smaller Circle

    Once you have the trot moving forward as you want it, begin gradually leg yielding on to a smaller circle.  I say slowly, as I would like you to do this over a few rotations of the circle.  Continue to decrease the size until you are eventually riding an approximately 12m circle.

    Again, spend some time here re-balancing and establishing an active trot.  Pay close attention to your position.  Don’t lean or tip forward onto your horses neck. I also want you to be mindful of your aids.  Are your legs where they should be?  Are you asking the right questions?

    Trot to Canter Transition

    After 3 to 4 circuits of the smaller circle, you can begin leg yielding back out to your original bigger circle.  This is where you will ask for the trot to canter transition.  It is an ideal place to ask as firstly your horse is naturally flexed correctly.  And secondly, you are using a strong inside leg, riding into your outside rein, which you will use to balance the actual transition and the canter itself.

    As you near the ‘outside’ circle again, I want you to have a quick check of your position and after half halting your horse, you can ask for the canter.

    If your horse ‘runs’, bring him back, re-balance the trot, and then try again.  If your horse transitions into the canter, but then breaks back to trot after only two or three strides, you know that your inside leg is not being used effectively.

    You can continue this exercise a few times, paying attention to what you are asking, how you are asking and how your horse responds.  From there, you can try the trot to canter transition on the circle alone and see how you get on.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources To Help Equestrians:-