Happy rider, Healthy horse⎮dressage rider, dressage exercises, horse trigger point therapy, horse acupressure

EP 21 // Fix Your Lateral Work: Improve Rhythm, Bend & Balance in Leg-Yield, Shoulder-In and Half-Pass

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Episode 21: Fix Your Lateral Work: Improve Rhythm, Bend & Balance in Leg-Yield, Shoulder-In and Half-Pass

This episode explores why lateral work often falls apart — from rhythm loss and over-bending to mixed signals that make the horse pop into canter. We break down leg-yield, shoulder-in and half-pass into simple, kind steps you can use on your very next ride. You’ll learn how to keep rhythm, maintain correct bend, and guide your horse without tension. The goal is clarity, softness and true cooperation, so both you and your horse feel more balanced, confident and connected.

• How to set up leg-yield for rhythm, clarity and even contact

• Why walk–trot transitions inside lateral work improve balance
• Shoulder-in on three tracks: what to feel, what to avoid
• How to slow down the tempo so the horse stays round and organised
• Half-pass made simple through shoulder control, not pushing quarters
• What to do when the quarters lead or the horse wants to canter
• How to “melt” shoulder-in into half-pass for better self-carriage
• The importance of simple, non-contradicting aids

Goal: Ride one lateral exercise with clearer aids and steady rhythm.

Steps:

  1. Choose one exercise: leg-yield, shoulder-in or half-pass.
  2. Focus on one aid at a time — inside flexion, then rhythm, then direction.
  3. Add a walk–trot transition only when the horse feels soft and balanced.
    4. Feel-checks:
    • Feel the rhythm stay identical before and after the sideways steps.
    • Feel the inside flexion stay soft without the neck collapsing.
    • Feel your own breathing stay calm through the entire line.

    “Simple aids create clear conversations — and clear conversations create better lateral work.” — Sarah

    • HRHH Facebook Community

    • 1:1 guidance or questions: [your email]
    • Dressage resources and free tools coming soon

    Try 1–2 steps on your next ride and tell us what you felt.

    Questions or 1:1 coaching: [your email]
    Join the HRHH community on Facebook.
    If this helped, please leave a 5-star written review.

    Lateral work explained in clear, simple steps to improve rhythm, bend and balance in leg-yield, shoulder-in and half-pass.

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    Happy rider, Healthy horse⎮dressage rider, dressage exercises, horse trigger point therapy, horse acupressureBy Sarah Martine - Veterinarian, dressage rider coach