I am completely inept...

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I realised in yesterdays lesson, after a year of having lessons with my instructor (who is brilliant) that when asking for leg yield I was putting 'on' the seatbone on the side that I wanted him to move in - I think I was thinking (or really, not thinking enough) that you put on the inside seatbone to get the bend when turning in that direction, so you must put on that seatbone when leg yielding too - idiot!! My instructor has been saying it correctly this whole time, and I have been nodding and doing the complete opposite!! Does make sense of some other training bits we weren't getting so easy though so every cloud, at least we can resolve those now.

Poor Dex, being about the most honest and willing horse I have ever come across, was still doing a lovely job of it - bless his little heart! Now to unravel that bit of training and do it correctly....

Instructor said it should make half pass pretty easy when we get there though, so you win some you lose some Anyone else as inept as me!?

 

[Wizpopagain]

Thing is, if it was working then maybe it made sense to your horse

 

[Kirstineridesagain]

I learned how to ride in Norway. I am starting to understand English riding language, but some of it still goes over my head. So you’re not as bad as me!

 

[lme]

As said above, he seems to understand what you want him to do so don't over think it. And yes it will make half pass easier. My poor horse needs to be able to interpret a shift in weight as as my legs don't really do what I want them to anymore. I very often think I'm using my leg, but its hanging there like a dead fish doing nothing.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Absolutely, don't feel bad!
I find it virtually impossible to isolate muscles and even think how to do certain things.

 

[Cloball]

I'm the same with shoulder in! D really gets seat aids though so I don't get it until I get the seat 'right' but my brain and seat don't co ordinate.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

When teaching leg yield I ask my clients to think of pushing/keeping their inside hip forwards as they ask . It not only helps to keep the inside leg in the correct position but it stops them twisting to the inside and/or weighting the outside seatbone .
Works very well for shoulder in also , when riders often have a tendency turn/twist to the inside .
Inside hip forward !

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

As said above, he seems to understand what you want him to do so don't over think it. And yes it will make half pass easier. My poor horse needs to be able to interpret a shift in weight as as my legs don't really do what I want them to anymore. I very often think I'm using my leg, but its hanging there like a dead fish doing nothing.

I feel you there! I have arthritic hips along with dysplasia on my right side thanks to a fall a few years back, so sometimes I cannot take my right hip 'off' due to inflexibility, he thankfully therefore a) does his best interpretation of what he believes I want and b) listens well to leg placement, that's what I think was still getting me the leg yield I was asking for as he's super sensitive to me putting my leg back and asking for an 'over'.

Absolutely, don't feel bad!
I find it virtually impossible to isolate muscles and even think how to do certain things.

Agreed, I struggle with weighting outside stirrup to stop falling in but then putting inside seat bone on - I do have a wonky body though due to the above which definitely doesn't help! Luckily I have no huge aspirations

When teaching leg yield I ask my clients to think of pushing/keeping their inside hip forwards as they ask . It not only helps to keep the inside leg in the correct position but it stops them twisting to the inside and/or weighting the outside seatbone .
Works very well for shoulder in also , when riders often have a tendency turn/twist to the inside .
Inside hip forward !

Interesting, thank you - I will give this thought process a go when I school next!

 

[kerrieberry2]

I mean, this is how I was taught to do it!!

 

[Alibear]

I've definitely been taught two ways and seen debates at clinics about it Weight on inside of the movement to pull across vs weight on outside of movement to push across.
I shall now put my tin hat on and run away, personally whatever works for you and you horse.

 

[poiuytrewq]

When teaching leg yield I ask my clients to think of pushing/keeping their inside hip forwards as they ask . It not only helps to keep the inside leg in the correct position but it stops them twisting to the inside and/or weighting the outside seatbone .
Works very well for shoulder in also , when riders often have a tendency turn/twist to the inside .
Inside hip forward !

Thank you!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I find it confusing too. It probably just is a bit confusing and maybe horse dependent? In my many lessons in walk because of fatigue I think I had my first experiential lesson in weight aids, which made me think of the horse stepping underneath to 'catch me' (i.e., weight left horse goes left, weight right horse goes right) so I think about that in leg yields. But then if the horse is falling in on a circle or corner I get a bit confused so now I'm back to 'huh?!'

 

[ThreeFurs]

I don't even know my own left and right feet. Dressage helps!

 

[little_critter]

I've definitely been taught two ways and seen debates at clinics about it Weight on inside of the movement to pull across vs weight on outside of movement to push across.
I shall now put my tin hat on and run away, personally whatever works for you and you horse.

Our homework at the moment is to improve our shoulder in.
We were having issues and I caught myself ‘chasing’ him over, my weight was in the inside seat bone and I was behind the movement. When I caught myself doing this and corrected it so I was stacked neatly on top of him and moving in unison with him many of our errors stopped.