Canter Leg Yield

muddy_grey

muddy_grey

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Possibly a really dumb questions so be warned.

Someone made a comment when I was riding today that you can only leg yield in canter in the direction away from the leading leg, regardless of the direction of bend. Towards the leading leg is half pass even if the horse is bent away from the direction of movement. Hope that makes sense.

This seems crazy, but she made me feel really bad for leg yielding from the track inwards in canter and I just want to check I am not committing a dressage sin! It was only the second time I have asked for leg yield in canter and she performed it happily (I only asked for about 3 steps). She has always been a been funny about the track so I taught leg yield inwards before outwards in walk and trot so I thought I would continue this way. She can maintain outside bend in canter and didn't seem to find it hard, but the lady has worried me.

Hopefully not too stupid a question. Thanks
 
Erm, well I have always been taught you can leg yield in canter in both directions... by respected trainers/judges... so I will be interested in any responses from proper dressage riders. Gosh - I was leg yielding in both directions in canter last night, the horse was positively skipping by the end ;)

FWIW - whatever the answer, no I don't think you have committed a dressage sin, some horses find half pass easier than leg-yield. In fact one trainer I know teaches it first to her youngsters. You need to do what suits you and your horse. And therefore if it improved her way of going, she coped with it well, and you build up the strength and complexity slowly you should be fine. The issues only come when you push too far too soon, but as far as I am aware most horses haven't read the dressage textbooks and haven't got a clue what order they should/shouldn't be doing work in. For instance, we're starting walk pirouettes - does that mean I am pushing mine too far? No. It means I am starting to get her used to the aids which she will need for the more complex work later on, and building up her suppleness and strength at the same time. Some people get a bit bogged down in the theory of how things develop, rather than riding based on experience and feel. Another example, my mare offers clean flying changes. She's only 6 and a late starter. Some would be horrified by it and indeed one trainer I had used to tell horses off if they did it before they learnt the counter canter. But I won't take that approach with mine as I will need them later in her training, so we settle her, and start again and practice and repeat until she has done what I need her to.

Good luck and you are doing just fine.
 
Thanks for the reply. I don't know why I let her get in my head, but she seemed outraged by it. I am new to the yard and have never seen her ride so I think in my head she is a GP rider ;)

Don't get me started on flying changes they are L's idea of a game. She once did about 5 clean 1 times out hacking as she felt the lead horse was going too slow, person behind was cracking up. Oh she is only 4. She does them in the field a lot too or she did when she could be bothered to canter, new yard is super chilled.
 
Leg yield - moving laterally with the head pointed away from the direction of travel.

Half pass - moving laterally with the head pointed towards the direction of travel.

You can only half pass one way. You can leg yield two ways - true and counter.

So on the left rein, you can come down the centre line and move away from your inside/left leg (with inside bend) over to the right. Or on the same left rein you can come down the centre line and move off your outside/right leg (with outside bend) over to the left (I usually do this out the corner so there is more room, unless you intend to carry on in counter canter etc).

So you can merrily correct the person who made the comment ;)
 
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muddy_grey said:
Thanks for the reply. I don't know why I let her get in my head, but she seemed outraged by it. I am new to the yard and have never seen her ride so I think in my head she is a GP rider ;)
Click to expand...

Not a GP rider by the sounds of it, just one of the multitude of un-informed experts out there that need to give an opinion regardless of whether or not you have asked for it. Every yard has one - be grateful you have identified the new yard's early on ;) :)
 
Both ways, As told by BHS fellow :p

Mostly because there is no way F can half pass in canter but he can leg yield both ways. The leading leg doesn't dictate the bend otherwise counter canter wouldn't exist :p.
 
I would like to give a few comments here please:

Firstly the components for leg yield are that the horse is straight through the body and neck and only has a slight lateral flexion (purely where the head joins the neck) away from direction of travel. Walk and trot are symmetrical, meaning their movement is the same from both sides so leg yield in walk and trot are fine. Canter however needs a slight bias around the inside leg as we can canter left or right and hence is asymmetrical and therefore you can never really truly leg yield in canter. The old dead guys sometimes called it 'plie' instead.

As for confusing leg yield and half pass there is a massive difference between the two. Leg yield is straight, half pass has bend through the whole body. One dis-engages the horse although gains responsiveness to the leg and suppleness (leg yield) and the other gains suppleness, engagement and strength (half pass).

So taking my anorak off I believe that the rider should be able to put the horse where they want, when they want and how they want. This means head and neck down or up, left or right, flexion left or right, shoulders / quarters left or right - in all three gears. Whether we call this leg yield, 'plie' or simply gymnastic suppling in canter in the real world who really minds!

So go for it and leg yield in canter both ways but be specific as to whether you have just flexion (at the throatlash area) or bend through the whole body. Its the old caveat - its not so much about what you do but how you do it.
Boring hat on: As she is 4 then please don't do too much at this stage
 
Don't worry Simon no one would ever think she has done too much, we are a bit behind if anything, but there's no rush! I really need things to keep her occupied in the school when there are other horses there as she is quite nervous of others. Much better if her brain is occupied.
 
i don`t leg yield as it can put the horse falling on the shoulder, so I find this interesting, and never thought about what simon says about making the horse straighter, not too much bend and maybe not the same loss of power, balance, that can happen with too much bend away from the direction of movement, will try it.
 
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