Pictures - Help please with harnessing power & straightness in leg yield

[Trish C]

Apologies for cross posting as this is also in Picture Gallery, but I know a lot of you don't always venture in there. However, I'd really like some advice!

Engaging behind and pushing off/reaching out has really clicked with Monty this week. The last few days he has been absolutely powering off my leg and the feeling when he really uses himself behind is just incredible, when he wants to be, he is insanely powerful!

But I'm not balancing him as well as I should be with that power. Collected trot is coming along ok, but is maybe a bit over-collected and lacking a bit of impulsion. We've been working on changing the pace of the trot and that's really helped his back end, but balance is still an issue. Help please?

Also, leg yielding is starting to click. Everything still has to be very exaggerated in terms of aids, but he now moves away from my leg, is starting to cross over and is keeping his inside flexion quite nicely (for a horse that a few weeks ago didn't have inside flexion ) but the straightness is still lacking a little. He's not just wandering over to the outside track but is just a little behind with his bum! More help please?!

Pics of what I mean here:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=471954

 

[Trish C]

Shamless *bump*. And a pretty please for help!

 

[Farma]

Hi! I can see that your attempts to move sideways are hindered by your weight falling to the outside (it is quite noticeable if you look at your stirrup lengths in each ly pic). He cannot stay straight if you dont stay straight. I think this is something that everybody does when starting ly!
In the pics your position and seat look good but not independent and your elbows should be bent absorbing weight into it and then down into your seatbones, instead you are tipped forward very slightly with an arch to your back.
I would suggest taking your feet out of stirrups and let them hang by his sides and then leg yield in and out of circles to start with so you dont have to worry quite so much about the straightness and then get a helper or instructor to watch from in front of you to make sure you give the right signals.
I think you have def done the right thing by taking pics you can see straight away how to fix things, hope that helps x

 

[Trish C]

Thanks Farma. I know I'm putting more weight to the outside - my instructor suggested doing that just to start with to encourage him to move over a little bit, as he was just not getting the inside leg aid (he does move over very well on the ground from pressure there, wooden-headed animal ) so I'll remove that now that he's getting the picture with the leg aid, and see if that helps the straightness, thanks

With my old (well schooled ) horses my aid was leg on the girth for leg-yielding, but with him that gets nowhere so am using the leg quite far back. (Very far back really, it's part of the 'exaggerate it so he gets it' tactic ) Would you leave it at the 'leg back' aid, or try and work him to get it with the leg on the girth?

The arch to my back isn't something I can help too much unforunately owing to medical stuff, other than it gradually improving with time & physio, but I will definitely try and sort my stoopid elbows out. LOVE working without stirrups so will try that on the circle as well, thanks again!

Unfortunately owing to getting Mr Fantastic Back Man out to fix him, I can't afford lessons for another little while, so really appreciate all help from here!