Uses and Disadvantages of The Leg-yield
The leg-yield is one of the first lateral exercises to be introduced to a horse, teaching him a simple yet valuable lesson: to move sideways away from leg pressure. This basic is later built upon in the shoulder-in and haunches-in.
Many top trainers do not believe that the leg-yield is a particularly useful exercise after this concept has been taught, falling short when compared to such exercises as the shoulder-in. However, the leg-yield is asked for in early dressage tests.
The second great use of the leg-yield is in the rider's training, as it is a fairly basic move yet it can begin to teach the rider how to use the riding aids independently and bring the horse properly into the outside rein and leg.
Over-use of the leg-yield can have a negative effect on a horse's training, causing them to lose the all-important forwardness, and may cause short, broken gaits. The Spanish Riding School uses this exercise sparingly, only at the walk when first teaching the horse to move away from the leg, because the horse will be bent in the opposite direction when he learns the more difficult half-pass and so it is believed to be counter-productive to spend much time on the leg-yield.
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