I have a young horse I need to teach leg yield what can I do?

Teaching a young horse to leg yield is one of the most valuable foundational investments you can make early in his training, because the leg yield introduces the concept of moving away from leg pressure — the single most important vocabulary item in the entire language of riding — in a context that is forward, uncomplicated, and physically well within the young horse's ability. Before you introduce the leg yield under saddle, confirm that the young horse understands the concept of moving away from pressure on the ground. A horse that yields his hindquarters away from hand pressure at the halter, moves his shoulder away from a hand on his side, and generally understands that pressure means move and release means correct has already learned the fundamental principle that leg yield builds on. Start the under-saddle teaching at the walk along the rail or fence. The fence is your most important teaching tool for the young horse because it provides a physical boundary that guides the front end and allows you to focus the horse's energy sideways. Position the horse at an angle to the fence — nose pointed toward the fence at roughly thirty to forty-five degrees — then apply your inside leg at the girth to ask the horse to move his body sideways away from the pressure toward the fence. The moment the horse takes even one step sideways in response to the leg, release everything and let him walk forward. Build the concept one or two steps at a time in the early sessions. Progress from the fence work to leg yielding off the rail once the horse understands the basic response. Ask for a few steps of leg yield away from the rail on a straight line, then allow the horse to drift back to the rail as the reward. This teaches the horse to move away from one leg while staying straight through the rest of his body. Introduce the leg yield on a diagonal line across the arena as the final stage — asking the horse to travel from one long side to the other in a sideways-forward movement. Ride it first at a shallow angle where the forward component is greater than the lateral, and gradually increase the angle as the horse's understanding and suppleness develop. By the time a young horse can leg yield consistently from quarterline to rail at the walk and trot with rhythm and relaxation, he has the foundation for every lateral exercise that follows in his training.