Training in the Right Way: The Actual Purpose of Lateral Work

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Lateral work is perhaps one of the most useful groups of exercises in the development of the horse as these exercises are fundamental to developing both suppleness and eventually collection.

Dressage training is supposed to be the process of training ANY horse to be a better riding horse. The more the horse learns, in theory, the easier it is to communicate with and therefore complete more complex tasks with. Although competition dressage training often is more focused on training for the dressage test, that is not what the original intention (and original judging requirements) were for competitive dressage. Initially, it was designed to give riders and trainers a way to determine how their training measured up to the theoretical ideal of the training process. That said, it is critically important to understand the meanings and reasons for some of the terms we use to describe dressage training and what to look for when observing training and competition (and videos and photos), regardless of whether you intend to compete or just train your horse to be a better whatever you do with him. That, ultimately, is the main purpose of my articles. To provide education and knowledge for riders to understand and improve their eye and understanding of what dressage training is supposed to be. While there will always be some differences in practice and theory, good horse training is always recognizable to the educated eye. That said, it absolutely is necessary that we remember and understand that limited knowledge is limited judgment.

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While it is impossible to say that there is one group of exercises that are “the most” important to developing a quality riding horse, lateral work would be a solid contender for that title. In this installment, we are going to discuss the different types of lateral work, specifically how they are supposed to be performed and what their benefits are. There are some concepts that, if you have been keeping up with this column, you might recognize, and are helpful to keep in mind, as we move through this article:

The progression of creating suppleness with lateral work starts with circles. A horse must be able to consistently perform 20 meter circles in both directions prior to starting any lateral work. The suppleness developed from the ability to circle and bend on the circle in necessary to develop lateral movement (going sideways). As the horse learns the more complex lateral movements (along with the other exercises that correspond with his level of training), he will develop the ability to make smaller circles. For the sake of brevity and accessibility of this article, we are going to mostly skip over the introduction process and go on to discuss what each type of lateral movement is meant to accomplish.

The development of suppleness on the circle involves the same concept of pushing the diagonal pair “through” as is seen in all forms of lateral work. Note the diagonal pair the left hind and right front legs swinging through from the rider’s left leg. Emmaline Speis and Excentrico in posting trot on a 20m circle to the left. Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

There are four types of lateral exercises:

  • Leg Yield
  • Shoulder in
  • Haunches-in (Travers)/Renvers
  • Half-pass (and Pirouettes)

Types of lateral exercises and how the circle positioning relates to starting lateral work. All of these exercises have a line of travel, on which a diagonal pair (one hind-leg and the opposite front leg) travels. Diagram (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

It is necessary for the rider to understand that there is a progression of difficulty from leg yield to half-pass that is developed through practicing each lateral exercise, each of which has a different combination of bend and which diagonal pair is being pushed sideways. In other words, these exercises are not “basically the same just with different bends,” as I’ve heard some people say. Each exercise has a different effect on developing the horse’s balance, suppleness, and eventually the ability to perform in collection.

All forms of lateral work (when performed correctly) share two fundamental traits:

  • There is a diagonal pair of one front leg and one hind leg that move on the same line of travel, away from the rider’s leg aid, producing some form of sideways movement. This diagonal pair is where the terms “through” or “thoroughness” come from. The hind leg of the pair appears to push diagonally (THROUGH the horse’s body) and push the opposite front leg forward and sideways.
  • There is a range of angle that is productive to the training. Too much or too little renders the exercise unproductive. This is very similar to exercises a human does in the gym. Squats, for instance, must be performed a certain way to develop certain muscles. If you insist on performing them outside the range of height and angle that causes you to exert the muscles they are meant to develop, the exercise becomes unproductive at best and may injure you at worst.

Keeping those fundamental traits in mind, let’s look at the specific lateral exercises.

Leg yield:

Leg Yield is the “easiest” lateral exercise, as it has no bend and does not develop collection. Diagram (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

Leg yield is the “easiest” form or lateral work. It is considered “easy” because it has no perceptible bend and therefore no development of collection. Also, the aids of the rider are quite simple. There is one leg that asks for the sideways movement and the other leg and the hands of the rider are just “supportive aids” helping to direct the horse to remain mostly straight in the connection and traveling forward and sideways.

Because the leg yield is performed from the inside leg of the rider, the horse and the rider are aware of which way the bend is occurring, as the terms “inside” and “outside” always refer to the inside or outside of the bend. The primary function of the leg yield is to start to develop the horse’s ability to push the diagonal pair “through.” Leg yield can be performed on a diagonal line or on an angle following the wall of the arena. The angle that the diagonal pair travels on is the same in either case. The hallmarks of leg yield are the lack of perceptible bend and both the front and hind legs cross during the exercise.

Leg yield is one of two types of lateral exercises in which the front and hind legs are supposed to cross. Note the left hind leg and right front leg moving away from the rider’s left leg. Gwyneth and Black Velvet in leg yield to the right. Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

Shoulder-in:

Shoulder-in is the first lateral exercise that introduces bend, and therefore a degree of collection. Diagram (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

Shoulder-in is the first lateral movement that requires some collection. It is also the first form of lateral work that requires a bend. The bend being added to the concept of throughness that the horse was introduced to in the leg yield brings the hind leg of the diagonal pair under the horse’s ribcage, creating a fulcrum that helps the horse start to “lift” his shoulders.

The shoulder-in is generally performed on the long side of the arena but can be performed off the wall as well. In shoulder-in, the horse’s hind legs track STRAIGHT on the line of travel, and do not cross. The inside hind leg will step toward the midline of the horse, but this is because the shoulders have been displaced toward the inside of the track. This allows the inside hind leg and the outside front leg to line up and form the “line of travel” down the wall. The fronts legs also do not cross, even though the angle created causes the horse to travel sideways.

 

Haunches-in (and renvers):

Haunches-in is the first lateral movement that engages the outside hindleg to push through the inside front leg. This exercise creates a greater degree of collection than the shoulder-in. Diagram (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

Haunches-in (travers) and renvers are essentially the same exercise in terms of the aids and expectations of performance. The difference is that they are mirror images of each other. Travers is when the head and chest of the horse travel forward down the wall, as if they are traveling straight while the hindlegs of the horse are pushed toward the middle of the arena by the rider’s outside leg. Renvers is the same shape but the haunches are on the track and the shoulders of the horse are following an imaginary line parallel to the track.

In either case, this positioning promotes both suppleness in the hindquarters and collection by pushing the diagonal pair (outside hind leg toward inside front leg) directly toward the bit. This causes the horse to step the outside hind leg forward and sideways toward the midline and increases the articulation of that hind leg. Like shoulder-in, neither the front, nor the hind legs cross in this exercise.

 

Half-pass (and pirouette):

Half Pass is the last lateral exercise to introduce because of the complexity of the aids and the fact that it is performed off the wall of the arena. Half-pass requires a greater degree of collection than haunches-in, and employs aspects of all the previous lateral exercises. Diagram (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

 Half-pass is a lateral movement which means that it has components of being a suppling exercise. However, it is very much an exercise to produce collection. In other words, half-pass is the more advanced lateral exercise and should not be performed your horse has become proficient in the other forms of lateral work already mentioned. Half-pass essentially takes all the requirements of the other lateral movements and combines them into one movement. It also requires the rider to use both hands and both legs to direct the horse forward and sideways—with a bend—while both front and hind legs cross (less so in the canter than the trot or walk), on the diagonal line (without the help of a wall to line up with).

The half-pass is arguably not supposed to be ridden parallel to the walls. The shoulders should lead slightly (using shoulder-in aids) and the haunches should be kept up behind the shoulders (using haunches-in aids) in such a way that the outside hind leg appears to push the inside front leg forward and sideways on the diagonal line of travel. When you use essentially the same aids on a curved line in the walk or canter, you are performing a pirouette. The curved line makes the exercise much more difficult and, essentially, a collecting exercise. Pirouettes are only introduced after half-pass (same thing but on a straight line) which is only introduced after the other exercise previously mentioned.

Liz Caron and Gotigo Interagro in half pass to the left while competing at Fourth Level. You can clearly see the horse reaching forward and sideways to his midline with his right hindleg, while reaching the same amount forward and sideways with his left front leg, and bending left as he travels on a diagonal line.  Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

The pirouette is a close relative of the half-pass. Here Gwyneth and Dio are schooling a canter pirouette to the left. The forward-sideways movement to the left from the right hind leg is very similar to half-pass. The collection that is developed in the half-pass and pirouette is clear in this moment. as the hind legs of the horse are under his weight and articulating. Also, his croup is lower than his shoulders . Photo (c) Gwyneth McPherson.

The difficulty in using lateral movements to develop suppleness (and therefore putting the horse on the aids) and ultimately collection, is that if you do not keep the diagonal pair lined up or cause the horse to cross his legs when he should not, you lose the purpose of the exercise. As with all dressage training, there is a range that is correct rather than a set pinpoint, so some variation is necessary depending on the horse and situation. For example, having the front leg of the diagonal pair slightly left or right of the hind leg can create different results that are still useful. However, putting a horse in shoulder in or haunches in angle on the wall, but not controlling the bend, or allowing the legs to cross are just leg yield, and will not produce the degree of collection that shoulder-in and haunches in create, as well as not creating the suppleness those exercises help make.

All of which is to say that it is extremely important that you remain aware of what effect your aids are having and what exercise you are actually producing. Again, if you’re trying to create collection using shoulder-in but allow it to become leg yield, you won’t be successful creating collection since leg yield has no collection.

This is yet another area where having knowledgeable eyes on the ground is an invaluable asset as sometimes what we feel is happening is incongruous with what actually is. Additionally, having such an instructor can help you learn how to effectively utilize and manipulate the acceptable variations within each exercise to your and your horse’s training benefit.

Remember: Limited knowledge is limited judgment.

Gwyneth and Flair in competition at Grand Prix. (c) flatlandsfoto.

Gwyneth McPherson has over 35 years experience competing, training, and teaching dressage.  She began her education in in the late 1970s, riding in her backyard on an 11 hh pony. Her first instructor introduced her to Lendon Gray (1980 and 1988 Olympian). who mentored Gwyneth for a decade during which she achieved her first National Championship in 1984, and her Team and Individual Young Rider Gold Medals in1987.

In 1990 Gwyneth began training with Carol Lavell (1992 Olympian) who further developed Gwyneth as an FEI rider and competitor. Gwyneth achieved a Team Bronze in 1991 and a Team Silver in 1992 in the North American Young Riders Championships, and trained her stallion G’Dur to do all the Grand Prix movements while riding with Carol.

In 2008, while Head Trainer at Pineland Farms, Gwyneth began training with Michael Poulin (Olympian 1992). Michael was trained by Franz Rochowansky (Chief Rider for the Spanish Riding School 1937-1955). Michael has shared much of Rochowansky’s knowledge and wisdom with Gwyneth, completing her education as a Grand Prix rider, trainer, and competitor.

Gwyneth’s teaching and training business, Forward Thinking Dressage,is based in Williston, FL. In addition to teaching riders and training, Gwyneth also loves sharing her knowledge of the sport and art of dressage as well as discussing relevant topics pertaining to the training itself and the current competitive landscape.