From: patty@alpha.larc.nasa.gov (Patty Howell)
Subject: Re: half pass vs leg yield (was flying changes)
Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 14:01:31 GMT

In article <1992Oct12.171435.28339@morrow.stanford.edu> GC.GGG@forsythe.stanford.edu (Gwyn Gordon) writes:

...[stuff deleted]
>Yes, I get it. The whole 'bend' thing is what causes the
>misunderstanding. It's not a question of bend, it's a matter of
>where the horse's weight is, and whether they're engaged or not.
>It's easy to get the wrong idea from just talking about bending.

YES YES YES YES YES. Once you have the horse's balance in hand,
the bending comes much easier.

>> because it tended to put a horse on his forehand. (Newcastle wrote that
>> it *initially* tended to put a horse on his forehand, but that in time
>> the horse learned to do the movement in good self balance). Apparently,

>I wonder how long it took, and how he avoided the problem of horses
>learning to balance on HIM. Is there any note of this?

YES. I'll look up the name of the book he wrote tonight. Essentially,
Newcastle was a master of balance. He wrote that he always broke a horse
in a cavesson alone, and had no respect for those who relied on harsh
bits to achieve their goals. "The bit is of some use but little...art
avails much more, for I have ridden a horse with a neckerchief (?) alone,
as many people in this city of [? I don't remember, I think Antwerp]
have been witness to." Clearly, he did not have problems with horses
leaning on him. It is a point that de la Gueriniere never understood. 
Riding a horse with a cavesson was one of de la Gueriniere's "taboos"
because it tended to make horses heavy on their forehands (in the hands
of poor "hand riders" but de la Gueriniere never saw this point).
More and more I come to respect Newcastle. This is one reason why:

Newcastle wrote that the first exercise he taught a horse after its
"ground schooling" was complete (outdoor riding...reins acting through
horse to put him on his haunches and make him handy with his balance)
was the leg yield on the circle. I am coming to realize how *CRITICAL*
this exercise is. Another one is figure eight at the trot with counter
flexion (essentially shoulder-fore on a circle). There are two reasons
this exercise is critical.

	1. A leg yield is easiest for the green horse. On a circle or
	   serpentine, it is natural for them to swing their haunches
	   out anyway..take advantage of that to teach them to yield
	   sideways to the leg instead of forward. This exercise can
	   also be called a turn on the forehand in motion.

-->	2. It teaches the green *rider* the feel for the bend of the 
	   *WHOLE HORSE* instead of just the neck or the hindquarters.

Counter flexion in a figure eight gets their weight back and gets the
bend "locked in" and helps the horse understand the leg yield exercise
if they get "hung up" and not wanting to go forward.

If a horse is leaning on your hands during these exercises, he needs
to learn the critical lesson of letting the reins act through his 
body to place him on his haunches. Once he knows that, then when he
starts to get heavy, a little half halt or a check on the reins gets
him to carry himself from behind.

My my, I do tend to ramble on, don't I?

patty@alpha.larc.nasa.gov