GROUNDWORK PART 7

YIELD THE FOREQUARTERS WITH A DIRECT FEEL

Over the past few months, we’ve received an increasing number of questions about getting started with groundwork. Whilst we advise that an instructor helps you to get started, there are a few basics that you can teach at home that ultimately form the foundation of all groundwork activities. Over the following few issues, we will look at these basic building blocks of your groundwork toolbox and help you to build a solid foundation for your in-hand work.

In this issue, we look at the forehand yield.

YIELD THE FOREQUARTERS WITH A DIRECT FEEL

The aim of this exercise is to get to the point where the horse, bending in the direction of the turn, walks forwards around the inside hind foot (on the opposite side to you) – picking it up and putting it down in virtually the same spot. This manoeuvre is practised on the ground, stimulating the action of the rider’s aids so that the horse becomes familiar with the movement, learns to rebalance, and performs it with understanding when ridden.

HOW DO I DO THIS?

Stand beside your horse’s neck facing him.

Place one hand on his cheek and the other hand on his shoulder near his elbow.

Without asking him to move his feet, ask him to turn his nose away from you a little so he is looking in the direction you want his forehand to move.

Focus through his neck and project your energy where you want him to go.

Keep his neck bent away from you, and ask him to step over by applying light pressure on his shoulder.

When he takes even a single step to the side, step with him, release the pressure immediately, and praise him.

Start with just one step, and over time build up step by step to a complete turn.

POINTS TO NOTE

It is important to ensure your horse moves over in this exercise, not forwards or backwards. 

Ensure you do not lose the neck bend when the shoulders step across. You must step with your horse to keep his nose in the correct direction. 

Be sure to practice this equally from both sides.

BENEFITS

Through practising this exercise, your horse will become lighter and more manoeuvrable by using his hindquarters better and counteracting his natural inclination to push forward or out through his shoulder.

TOP TIPS

Begin with just one step at a time, releasing all pressure and rewarding even the slightest try your horse makes. Remember that your horse doesn’t know what you want but will learn very quickly if you release at the right moment and praise his efforts.

It can help for this exercise to visualize your horse as a gate, with his hindquarters being the hinge and the forequarters being the latch that opens for you to walk through. This often helps to focus your energy and direct where you need to move.

Where you direct your energy and focus will have a strong effect on the direction your horse moves in. Ensure you focus through the neck, not in front or behind the horse.

PROBLEM SOLVING

If your horse moves too much, stop and make sure you are clear about what you are asking for and break it down into individual steps. If he still moves his feet too much, you may need to keep turning with him until he stops, praise him for stopping, and ask just for neck flexion. Once he can offer neck flexion without moving his feet, you can ask him to move his feet for one step. Be patient and reward him for every slightest improvement.

If your horse does not move at all, keep your hand positioned on the shoulder and wait for even a slight shift of weight. Release and reward when he shifts his weight, and then ask for a bigger weight shift the next time before releasing and rewarding. Keep going with this until he can offer a full step.

If your horse goes backwards, he may be feeling a little defensive. Use the halter to reposition him at the starting point rather than allowing him to move his feet and just ask him to flex away from you as a first step. You can ask for movement once he is comfortable and soft in his body while giving you neck flexion.

If he moves around, but the hindquarters do not stay still, you probably do not have him bending away from you correctly, meaning he is ‘holding’ through his outside ribs. When he is more comfortable with the exercise, his body will relax, and his hindquarters will remain more steady.

If the shoulders stay still, but the hindquarters move, you have simply bent the neck around too far.