Warming Up at the Walk, Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right

Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right.

The Leg Yield is used to teach the horse to move sideways, away from leg pressure, and forward at the same time. A wonderful suppling and loosening exercise, one can also use it to transition into the true lateral movement of Half Pass. This exercise uses the natural boundary of the school wall to help develop both the Leg Yield and the Half Pass.

Counter Pattern, Leg Yield (head to wall) to Half Pass (head to wall).

Warming up walk part 1- Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right

From your 10m circle near F on the right rein go large and as you go around the purple cone in the corner by K – change the bend to the left and continue down the longside in a shoulder out / leg yield / head to wall like position.

Try to maintain a 30-35 degree angle, 45 is too much and less than 30 degrees really doesn’t do anything constructive.

In Leg Yield both legs are slightly behind the girth, the inside leg encouraging sideways movement and the outside leg both guarding the haunches and driving your horse forward, or in this case “through the wall”. The inside seat may be slightly deeper and your shoulders need to parallel your horses shoulders. The aid sequence is generally as follows ; the inside leg is active when the inside hind is in the air. A quick half halt on the outside rein should follow almost immediately catching the outside shoulder and the outside leg applies a forward aid. This will usually keep the shoulder upright and aid tin keeping the horse straighter.

At E change the bend to the right and continue in a haunches in / half pass head to wall like position. Since we are changing the bend, we are also swapping our inside and outside aids. The old inside leg (left) stays in position behind the girth. The new inside leg (right) moves forward towards the girth. Our seat should also change with the new inside seat (right) advancing and becoming deeper. Softly change the rein as well so that the left rein becomes the outside rein and the right, the inside rein.

Try not to get the angle too deep, think more like a shallow bend of the horse, make it easy for the horse to do.

Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right, from the centerline back to the track.

Now do a 10m half circle and turn up the centerline, straighten for a stride or two. Change the bend, bend slightly left and ask for leg yield right staying parallel to the longside. About half way back to the track, try counterbending a little and change your seat and leg aids to half pass right. Try and get all the way back to the track at the letter K.

This is how I first teach half pass and it makes it really simple for the horse to “get it”.

Once back to the track straighten and ride a 10m circle in the purple cone corner by K.

Now that you have ridden the Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right it is time to ride the same process to the left. If you find your horse moves off your right leg better than the left leg, you might wish to reverse the pattern and ride the easier side first.

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