Leg Yield Left to Half Pass Left
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.
Counter Pattern, Leg Yield (head to wall) to Half Pass (head to wall)
From your 10m circle near K change your posting diagonal (this is a counter pattern!) and go large. As you go around the blue cone in the corner by F – change the bend to the right and continue down the long-side 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.
At B change the bend and your posting diagonal. 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 (right) stays in position behind the girth. The new inside leg (left) moves forward towards the girth. Our seat should also change with the new inside seat (left) advancing and becoming deeper. Softly change the rein as well so that the right rein becomes the outside rein and the left, 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 Left to Half Pass Left, from the centerline back to the track.
Now do a 10m half circle and turn up the center-line, straighten for a stride or two. Change the bend and your posting diagonal. Bend your horse slightly right and ask for leg yield left staying parallel to the long-side. About half way back to the track, try changing your posting diagonal and counter bending a little to the left, changing your seat and leg aids to Half Pass left. Try and ride all the way back to the track at the letter F in Half Pass. At first the Half Pass can have a rather shallow angle or bend, referred to as a “soft” Half Pass. Over time as your horse gets stronger it will develop into a true Half Pass with a steeper angle and more bend.
Once back to the track straighten and ride a 10m circle in the blue cone corner by F.
If you are able to complete this exercise on both reins then it is time to move on to the next stage, “Leg Yield In, Half Pass Back” exercise.
Read More Pages in this Dressage Training Article.
- Warming Up at the Trot, Riding 10 meter Circles
- Warming Up at the Trot, Shallow Loops on the Center Line
- Warming Up at the Trot, Shallow Loops down the Long Side
- Warming Up at the Trot, Ride 4 Shallow Loops Up the Center Line
- Warming Up at the Trot, Ride 2 Shallow Loops down the Long Side
- Warming Up at the Trot, Leg Yield Right to Half Pass Right
- Warming Up at the Trot, Leg Yield In, Half Pass Back