Leg Yield/Shoulder-Fore – A Great Way To Your Horse’s Back

leg yield
Leg yield. Photo Credit: J. Boesveld

We know why we want a supple back. 

Think of the back as the gateway to all things good in horse riding. A supple back allows energy through the horse's top line. It releases tension, loosens muscles - allows instead of blocks. The up-and-down action of the back creates space for the hind legs to reach underneath the body, which will in turn promote better balance - whether on a turn or straight line.

But most importantly, the supple back allows the horse to carry you, the rider, in a more healthy fashion. Which is something we should all be interested in.

Consider the opposite: the clenched, unmoving back. Tightness. Rigidity. Blockage. Hind legs out behind the horse's center of gravity. Lack of balance. Bracing neck and on the forehand.

That image should be motivation enough to make you want to put in the effort it might take to learn how to get the horse to "work through the back." 

While there is definitely much more to the supple back, the exercise below can help you get started at a basic level. These two movements combine to give you a sort of road map, if you will, to begin to find your horse's back.

1. Start with the leg yield.

Do it on a circle, in trot.

Use your inside leg at the girth, and stay evenly balanced in the saddle. Leg yield outward so that the circle becomes a little bit larger, bit by bit. The idea is to get the horse to lift through the rib cage (in response to your leg), lift the inside shoulder and shift weight to the outside. The horse's legs may or may not cross over each other - in this exercise, the cross-over is not required. Just a shift to the outside is fine, especially at the beginning.

You might notice that it is somewhat easier to get a bend to the inside if you can get the leg yield going well. The horse will already be reaching underneath the body deeper with the inside hind leg, and will be able to  maintain better balance into the bend. Without too much fuss happening from your hands, you should feel the bend begin mostly thanks to your leg aid.

So now, your horse is stepping outward and the inside bend is developing.

Enjoy this for a few strides. Lighten your contact at this point, lighten your seat, and allow more energy through the horse's body while still stepping out and bending.

You're looking for a bouncier feeling, a swingier back... basically, more freedom of movement and energy.

Once you feel you have a nice bend and some easy steps outward, you might find that your outside rein "fills up" on its own, and suddenly, you have this wonderful neck rein on the outside rein, which will naturally lead you right into #2.

shoulder-fore
Shoulder-fore.

2. Shoulder-Fore

Now that you've activated the hind end, you can see if the front end can become lighter and straighter.

The shoulder-fore is a basic but excellent way to line up the horse's front end so that it leads slightly to the inside (and works on the bend again). Click here for the shoulder-fore aids.

Using your outside neck rein, bring your horse's shoulders just a little ahead of the hind leg tracks. In other words, the horse's front leg tracks should fall slightly to the inside of the hind leg tracks.

You're still on the circle, you just did the leg yield out, developed a bit of a bend, and now, using the outside neck rein and outside leg behind the girth, you bring the shoulders back in towards the middle of the circle - just a little. 

If the leg yield was going to create a bulging outside shoulder, this shoulder-fore will quickly avoid the problem altogether. You'll notice that the outside shoulder straightens up a little and the front end lightens a little. 

The straightening action will align the horse's spine and once again, you'll feel the trampoline-y feeling of the back that is active, round and engaged. 



When You Get Good

Try it on one side first, then the other.

Then, switch sides - go right, then left, then right. Go off the circle and make it fun by finding new turns and circles in different places in the arena. Use serpentines, tear drops, S-changes... get creative!

Common Problems

When you first start with the leg yield, many horses will misunderstand the leg aid to mean speed up. If your horse quickens the legs instead of steps out, half-halt the speed, and regain your initial tempo. Then try again. It may take many repetitions for a horse to learn to step sideways away from a leg aid. Be patient, clear and reward often.

Another common problem is that the horse will continue to lean into your leg as you apply the leg aid. Many horses naturally lean into pressure. If your horse leans into your leg, come to a walk. Apply your leg aid again, and get the horse to leg yield at the walk. When the horse is responding, go back to trot.

While finding your horse's swinging back might be a difficult challenge, the feeling of floating energy that comes with suppleness is something you'll never want to go without ever again after you've found it for the first time. The bonus is that if you can listen carefully enough, you will realize that your horse will appreciates it too! 

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the Horse Listening Practice Sessions. 

This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.

Click here to read more and to be among the first to benefit from our Introductory pricing! Limited time only!

Horse Listening

I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!

Horse Listening Book 2
Click to learn more.

Stop printing off the articles! Your favorite training articles are compiled in this beautifully bound paperback book. Have everything at your fingertips - this book can be taken to the barn as a quick refresher or leisurely read at home.

From Horse Listening Book 2: Forward And Round To Training Success:
"Regardless of discipline, what would be the most significant effect a rider would want to have on her horse?
We all want our horses to improve in their athletic development, skill acquisition and connectedness. Much of our rider development and training efforts go into working toward our show or personal goals....
But the best riders aspire to do one essential thing each and every day, regardless of goals and lesson plans: they work hard to improve their horse’s way of going.
Because proper balance and weight carriage is essential to a horse’s longevity. Each and every minute of each and every ride has the potential to contribute to your horse’s health and well-being.
Or not."
Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.
The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:
☑️ happier in his body
☑️happier in his "work"
☑️better balanced all-around

How You Can See A Horse’s Active Back – And What To Do When It Happens

active back
Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

"Could you post a couple of pictures of how the back/topline should look like when horses get more conditioned?"

This was a question posed to me by one of our Horse Listening readers (thanks, Stephanie). It's a good question and I thought I'd answer it here with more detail. When we are learning to ride, it is important for us to learn to develop our "eye" as well as our "feel" of good movement. I decided to answer the question here because there are surely many people who might be interested in the answer.

An active back is fairly easy to identify. Take a look at the horse's back behind the saddle. There are muscles on either side of the spine. If the back is "swinging," and there is a good forward movement (impulsion), you should be able to see the muscles bulging on both sides of the spine. While you watch, you should be able to see the muscle rippling underneath the skin as the horse moves.

In the above picture, you can see that Cyrus is using his back nicely. I chose this picture because the sunlight allows you to see the gleam of the muscles. That line down the middle of his back is the dip of the spine, where there is no muscling.

The other clue is the deep stride length of the inside hind leg. When his back is active like this, I feel a "swing" in his trot movement and he is invariably round in his body outline and softer in the contact.

A final thing to look for is the lift of the tail. His lightly arched tail indicates first the hind end engagement, but also a fairly relaxed back. In movement, the tail will swing lightly left and right during the trot steps. Ideally, the tail is lifted in the middle of the hind end. If the tail points steadily left or right, the horse is working to counter an imbalance or lack of straightness issue.

You should be able to see the topline muscles working in all the gaits. Whether in walk, trot or canter, the horse can reach underneath the body with the hind legs and in the rhyhtm of the movement, rise and drop his back. The back will likely "swing" in the stride - left, right, up and down depending on the gait - and there is a general sense of release, "throughness" (of energy) and roundeness in the overall outline of the horse.

There are other signs that go along with the increase muscle use of the topline. You might see some mild foaming of saliva in the corners of his mouth. You might get a snort as he releases tension through his body. The ears are soft and sometimes flop in the rhythm of the movement. The gaits feel bouncier with more air time. The horse may become more forward or enthusiastic in his work.

In general, he feels better to ride and looks better to an observer on the ground.

What to do when the horse uses his back.

When your horse offers his back, it is up to you to ride in a way that encourages him to continue the swing and impulsion.

1. Go with the movement.

Riders often resist when they feel a surge of unexpected energy or movement. Be ready for it and go with the flow (quite literally)! Swing more through your own back. Allow energy through both your lower back and between your shoulder blade area. Be sure that the horse feels your commitment to the movement.



2. Allow with your seat.

You might notice more up and down movement when the horse begins to swing. Rather than bracing against it, give through your lower back and keep your seat moving in tandem with the horse. If your horse swings up to your seat and feels an abrupt push-down coming from you, he will invariably mirror your movement with a dropped back. In time, he might learn to ride with a hollowed back simply because of your reaction.

3. Keep using your aids.

Make sure you keep using your aids - it is often easier to "shut off" your communication when you need to work harder to stay with the horse.  Scoop with your seat to encourage the energy forward and through the horse's body. Use your turn aids on a turn, and regularly work on straightening in the movement. Remember to include half-halts when necessary to rebalance the horse and help him stay off the forehand. In all cases, be an active participant in the creation and then the maintenance of the movement.

4. Reward Your Horse

There is nothing better than the rider that gives immediate "yes" answers to the horse's efforts. You can pat the horse, but also harmonize through intentional aids that release, follow or become quiet while the horse is still in movement. "Become one" using quick aids that guide and release and watch as your horse gains in confidence.

Well, there you have it. First of all, watch as many horses as you can while they are being ridden. See if you can spot engaged movement and an active, swinging back. Then see if you can improve your horse's back while you ride. Try some of the above suggestions and see what works best for your horse. Different horses and different situations might require variations of the above ideas. See if someone can watch you and give you feedback on what they see. 

How do you know that your horse is swinging and using an active back? Let us know in the comments below. 

Want to advertise your business on Horse Listening? Click here for more info.

horse logos 1

Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published!  Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list. Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Available as an eBook or paperback.

9 Amazing Effects From Lifting the Horse's Back While Riding:3D book 2 What exactly is the result of a lifted back? What does it look and feel like?

Why Would You Bother to “Scoop” Your Seat Bones? Learning to use your seat effectively should take a lifetime to develop, so we will begin with just one basic aspect: how to move the seat bones.

Why An Active Stretch is Nothing Like A Neck-Down: The problem with the passive stretch is that it is merely a posture.

On Slobber, Snorts and Sheath Sounds - 3 Ways to Your Horse's Back: Although we often talk about the hind legs being the “engine” of good movement, it is the back of the horse that is the key to all things great in riding.

Move to Stay Still on Horseback: It is true what they say – that horseback riders do nothing while the horse does all the work.