Losing forward during lateral work

From: Melanie

My horse (12 yr old Appaloosa gelding) is currently coming back from an injury (suspensory ligament--left front) (and I should mention he has bone spavin and high ringbone in hind legs, but with the help of cortisone injections and accupuncture, he is currently sound--most of the time) and we are almost back to being ready for First level, and last week, for the first time I asked for leg yield at the trot--yuk--lost all forward impulsion. He had been doing fairly well before, but losing the forward is always a problem with his lateral. He can do the lateral fairly well--as in he understands what to do, but loses the forward. We have been doing it no problem in the walk. What types of things should I be watching in me and him to improve these. We've been working on our shoulder-in also and strangely these are better than leg yield now, where it used to be the other way around--tho they still need to improve to the left.

Thanks,

Melanie and Quest

Leg-yielding, like turn on the forehand, is a useful exercise to teach the horse to move away from the rider's leg, but both of these exercises tend to put a horse's balance onto its forehand to some degree. So you will have to be very careful to keep your horse's back relaxed and his hind legs under him! He has probably lost muscle tone, and it will take him a little time to get it back, so be patient.

He might benefit from passive stretching exercises, to help lengthen his muscles and restore the full range of motion in his joints. Here again, be careful -- I recommend the Nancy Spencer "Basic Equine Stretching" video and "Barn Companion" wall chart. You'll get detailed instructions on how to stretch your horse safely and effectively.

Now, back to the lateral work! In lateral work, as you've noticed, FORWARD MOTION is a prerequisite. If your horse isn't going forward, he'll be able to move sideways only carefully and slowly, like a crab, because unless he is reaching forward with his hind legs and THEN crossing them over, he is likely to hit himself -- and he knows it! The exercise to cure this is very simple: come down your center line, straighten the horse, send him forward, and then ask for a few steps of leg-yield. The instant you feel any hesitation, or any lessening of the forward movement, send him forward IMMEDIATELY and ENERGETICALLY, in a straight line. Then ask for another few steps of leg-yield, and be ready to go forward again instantly. Even when he's gotten good at this -- and it won't take long -- continue to alternate energetic forward work with equally energetic (we hope!) leg-yielding. If you can keep him thinking "Forward!" as he's going sideways, you'll be where you want to go.

Shoulder-in can be used the same way, although on a series of circles rather than straight lines. Do a twenty-meter circle at one end of the ring, and stay on the circle until you are touching the rail on the long side. Then take that first step into the new circle, but don't circle -- ask for several steps of shoulder-in, and then (again, be sensitive to any change in the bend or loss of forward movement) go into a new circle, etc. You'll move a few steps farther down the wall each time you do shoulder-in, and the exercise will let you monitor (and fix!) your bend and your tempo each time you circle. It will also encourage your horse to think "Forward!" as you will pick up an energetic circle whenever his energy starts to dissipate.

Give him frequent chances to stretch -- this exercise is also lovely in that it allows you to do an extra circle every few minutes and let the horse chew the reins out of your hand on the circle. It's a great way to give the horse a break AND be certain that he is soft and relaxed throughout his body.

As for yourself, sit straight, look where you are going, and be aware of your body and legs as you go from straight forward to leg-yield and back to straight forward again. Sometimes riders get so preoccupied with pushing the horse away from the leg that they forget to keep it moving forward, or they forget to keep their hands following the horse (if you're doing this at a walk), or -- very common -- they want the horse to move to the right, and use a LOT of left leg to push it over, but in doing so, collapse their own weight over their left hip. This confuses the horse, since the LEG AID is saying "move to the right" but the WEIGHT AID is saying "come back to the left, get UNDER me!". This alternating exercise is good for your position and body awareness.

- Jessica

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