Tension and problems with leg yielding to the right, anyone with tips?

[darkbay]

Yes, I think it never hurts to check saddle fit etc. Especially if this is a younger horse that might be building muscle and changing shape, I have definitely noticed that young horses, as they build fitness, come out a bit tighter on one side occasionally.

[DQ_Foxhunter]

@no.stirrups

Persistent one-sided training problems are, IME, not usually training problems at all but physical problems. Check chiro, teeth, do a flexion test of the hind legs, and check saddle fit to start.

Yes the one sided problems can be all of this…but it could also be your one sided problem.
iIf she has not already have your trainer get behind you (or in front of you) as you leg yield to see any potential alignment problems you might have.

[retiredhorse]

@DQ Foxhunter

Yes the one sided problems can be all of this…but it could also be your one sided problem.
iIf she has not already have your trainer get behind you (or in front of you) as you leg yield to see any potential alignment problems you might have.

Yes, I was going to say that one-sidedness can be a rider thing too. Alignment, and also strength/balance/timing. Might also consider having trainer get on the horse and see if horse moves over any better for her.

@TSWJB

I guess I get impatient especially since its so easy for my older horse who had a hind suspensory and is not flexible in his hind end. He has no where near the reach or the flexibility that my young horse has and he just moves right over straight!

I’m guessing this is because older horse has been trained how to leg yield!

I will say on the ground he isn’t the best at moving over from pressure from my hand. If I push really hard he gets a bit frantic, until I pet him and ask again gently and reassure him I am not mad at him. Then he crosses beautifully over. But when he is frantic, he just swings his hindquarters away without crossing.

Why not start with gentle pressure first? And praise when he moves over. Same under saddle.

[TSWJB]

I am definitely right handed! and both of my horses are weaker on their left hind. and my trainer says I am always trying to cross over the neck with my right hand to the left. so it could be me. I am focusing on keeping an even pressure in both hands and both legs. thanks for all the ideas!

[Brown_Derby]

The rider may be creating tension by being dead-set on doing the exercise, come heck or highwater, and without (your trainer’s) eyes on the ground. Ease up, he is not understanding.

If he is sound and simply weak, you can post on the inside diagonal; counter canter; spiral in, etc., with your trainer’s approval.

Hands crossing the neck! Clutching my pearls. Girl, you got work to do!

[outerbanks77]

@TSWJB

So turn on the forehand is easy as pie turning to the left with the right leg crossing over. Turn on the forehand to the left is more difficult. That would be the left leg crossing over. This is all a left leg issue. And that was the reason I wanted to work on leg yielding left. On the ground if you push him he will cross beautifully with the right leg pushing his right side, he gets a bit stuck pushing him to the left with his left leg.

It might not be that cut and dried. When you think about it, if the left leg is in the air, crossing over, the right leg has to be supporting. So it can be an issue of getting the right leg to carry the weight better or stay on the ground a little bit longer to give him the time and space to get the left leg crossed over.

Also, from the description of your aids, it sounds like you’re sitting precisely on the leg you want to lift up and cross. I find it more productive to weight in the direction of the lateral movement, and encourage the horse to step under my weight (still not collapsing the torso). Your sideways driving aid should occur as the crossing hind leg is leaving the ground.

My mare finds yielding off of the right leg quite difficult, and tends to fall on her left shoulder. We’re working through it by addressing the LY in walk, and actually producing a little more of a SF position in the direction of travel, and then applying the lateral aid. That keeps her RH from escaping out from behind her body, which rocks the weight onto her LF. As she gets better at maintaining the weight distribution, we’ll go back to the usual flexion for a LY (away from the direction of travel) in walk, and do the SF thing in trot, and then try to put it all back together.