Welcome to Debby Lush's Website

HORSE MAGAZINE - Q & A

As Dressage Expert for HORSE magazine, Debby has been answering readers' schooling questions on a monthly basis for more than 4 years. This website will be offering the unique facility of a personalised and confidential Q & A service, from answering simple small schooling and competing issues, to extensive advice on long term schooling programmes.

I am unable to offer this service at the present time due to insurance restrictions regarding liability. In other words - if you have an accident whilst trying something I have suggested, you would be able to sue me. Crazy world, isn't it? I am currently investigating the possibility of a legal disclaimer, and if that proves possible this service will become available. I would like to offer everything from short Q & As (example below) through to tailored work programmes for individual horses. Please visit again to see how the legal side is progressing.

The following is an example of a short question and answer:

Q. I am just starting to try riding leg yielding but I'm not sure of exactly what my aids should be. Can you detail for me exactly what I should be doing, and how my horse should be responding.

A. Let's take, for example, leg yield to the right. That's travelling towards the right, moving away from your left leg.
Your horse should be:

- Travelling forward/sideways, with his body almost straight and the tiniest bit of flexion (at the poll) to the left.

- His shoulders should be continuously very slight in the lead, i.e. slightly further towards the right than his haunches.

- His left legs should be crossing over in front of his right legs.

- His speed and rhythm and the quality of his strides should not alter.

- He should stay in the same outline and balance before, during and after the movement.

To achieve all this, your aids should be as follows:

- Start in walk. Once you have both yourself and your horse organised, then try in trot.

- Initially position him with his shoulders well ahead of his haunches to make it simpler for him to understand what you are asking.

- For this example, turn your body slightly into position left, allowing your weight to drop a little into your inside (left) seat bone and stirrup.

- With small vibrations on the left rein, encourage a minute left flexion. You may find it helpful in the earlier days to move your fist and forearm into an 'open rein' position. Do not take this rein across his neck to push him sideways - the point of the exercise is that he yields to your leg; this is why it is called leg-yielding, not rein-yielding!

- Close your outside (right) fist against his withers with the rein lying snug against his neck to prevent him from falling onto his right shoulder. You must also keep your elbow close to your body - any gap gives him room to escape outward with his shoulder.

- Use your left leg at the girth in rhythmic squeezes to press him away sideways. The speed of these squeezes should be in the same tempo as his pace before you began the leg yield. Ultimately you will want to co-ordinate your squeeze with the moment he lifts his left hind into the air - you can then displace it sideways more effectively. If he does not respond, do not move your leg further back - use it more strongly in the same place and the same speed and if necessary back it up with a tap of the whip.

- Keep your right leg back in outside leg position, but slightly off his side. If his hindquarters move sideways too fast, his belly will swing into this leg and be prevented from going into the lead. You may need to use an occasional outside leg aid to ask him to go more forward, but other than this your right leg hangs passively.

- If he is not going sideways enough, or you want to go more directly sideways (increase the angle) try to co-ordinate half halts (squeezes) on the right rein with the moment you press your left leg against his belly.

- Do check, either with the use of a mirror, or a helper on the ground, that you have your weight to the inside. It is quite easy to ride what appears to be a good leg yield with your weight to the wrong side. The visible result is little different, but the value in training terms is very different: with your weight to the outside, he is falling gently sideways to stay underneath you. With your weight to the inside he must step underneath you and carry you sideways, so building strength and improving his balance.