Lateral Movement

Trainers - Articles - Training by Topic - Books, Video, Clothes, Tack - Saddlery

Lateral Movement How-To

Welcome to your next issue of "Horse Class," your how-to source for equine tips, tricks and solid foundational training brought to you by horsemanship101.com and John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman.

Today we teach "leg yields." We build: Smooth diagonal movement, fluidity from walk to trot to lope, "politeness" and seemingly invisible cues for "leg yielding" and speed transitions. We fix: Horses that rudely leap through their transitions or drift left then right or ignore our cues altogether — and we deal definitively with horses that just trod along "going through the motions."

You'll find the article sampled below. To read it in its entirety or print it out, follow the links provided or visit Horsemanship101.com/Articles.

For smoother transitions and effortless "leg yielding," jump to the full version of this issue's article: "Leg Yielding — Without Your Legs!"

- - -

Pre-requisite articles recommended in this issue's article:

- "Steer the Tail" (Develop Hip Control)
- "The Clockwork Exercise" (For Shoulder Control)

Find Trainers Near You!

@ LocalHorseTrainers.com

Find independant trainers plus those certified by:

- John Lyons
- Pat Parelli
- Richard Shrake

Get maps and directions for every trainer on my sister site LocalHorseTrainers.com

*Tip: Bookmark the site, find it easier next time!

Trainers: Get listed here!

Leg Yielding Without the Legs

With this training session, let's get our horse moving laterally like a champ - but let's also teach him to travel ramrod straight when that's what we want and to quit darting left then right like a leaf falling from a tree. Let's get him listening for our next cue rather than ignoring us altogether and let's put buttons on him that give us smooth, effortless speed transitions and make us look pretty darn cool to boot.

First hop on your horse and test something out: When you ask him to walk or trot off, does he drift left or right instead of forward in a straight line? Really concentrate, maybe close your eyes and feel: Does he push or bow against one of your legs or the other? And if you pick out a tree in the distance, do you end up at the tree - or in your neighbor's yard? Straight lines aren't a natural thing for a horse; lazing from one side of the yard to the other is far more typical.

Next, when you ask for a speed transition, from a walk up or down to a trot, from a trot up or down to a canter, does he stiffen, throw his head and lumber ahead - or flow into it like water poured from a bottle?

Finally, when you ask for diagonal movement, does he drag a hip or move his shoulder only begrudgingly? Be honest. A well-trained horse should skate about like a crab on ice - moving at any angle, effortless.

Now, stop. Stop and re-read those last three paragraphs - don't gloss over this stuff because really thinking about it, diagnosing your situation by answering these questions objectively...

keep reading this article

Clockwork = Shoulder Control

Here's an excerpt from a past article called the "Clockwork Exercise." It's specifically recommended in this month's featured article ("Leg Yields," above) and so is included here for convenience:

"To get started, stand up. Look to the left. Keep your head in that position and sidestep to your right. Now, look to your right and sidestep to your right. It was easier to move to the right with your head to the left, wasn't it? Your horse finds the same thing. That's why you begin teaching your horse to move to the left by using the right, or "opposite," rein.

Picture a rope laying on the ground. Imagine your horse walking on this rope with both front and back feet, like a train on its tracks. Now...."

Read the entire article by following the link or by visiting Horsemanship101.com/Articles.

My articles are online and available 24/7.

Foaling Explained

Foaling Fundamentals DVD

- Mare Owners: Are You Prepared?
Foaling Fundamntals
DVD just $29.95

- - - - - - - - - - -

Foal Know-How

Bringing Up Baby with Foal Handling

Save $9.99 when you buy "Bringing Up Baby" (the book) with "Foal Handling" (DVD)

Also available:
Early Learning DVD

See all for "foals"

- - - - - - - - - - -

John Lyons Reins

John Lyons Reins

- Get the same reins we use in our clinics for $41.99
- Get the bit John recommends $38.99

- - - - - - - - - - -

Training by Topic
Find answers fast:

- rider confidence
- young horses
- trail riding
- bucking, rearing
- tying/pulling back

see 300 more topics

- - - - - - - - - - -

Does Your Horse Get Jiggy With Ya?

My Downloadable Book "Rein In Your Horse's Speed" can help you fix that.

Here's a sample from Day Two:
"Snaffle Bits: Their Use in Controlling Your Speed "

"The snaffle bit is the tool you'll use to do this training most effectively. The reason is simple: The very nature of a shanked or leverage bit causes the horse to stiffen his body from nose to tail. Think of a baseball bat. Rigid and unyielding, right? Shank bits cause our horse to stiffen their bodies in the same way -- making training as we've described very difficult because it causes the horse to line up all the bones in his body, one behind the other. He then uses his entire "skeletal structure" to brace against our requests. Why not make this training business a thousand times simpler by using a bit that encourages our horse to stay soft? Snaffle bits enable us to soften one part of the horse at a time; they get your horse to "unlock" and move more fluidly...."

5 days: Just $3.99

To read more, see this page