The Power of the Yield
11.04.11 TME
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Educated Equestrian
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Educated Equestrian
Yield: 1: To give up and cease resistance. 2: To give way to pressure or influence; submit to urging, persuasion, or entreaty.
“Yield” is a commonly used term in equitation. We can talk about leg yielding, or the yielding of the hindquarters. We throw the term around when we’re talking about ground manners, as in, a well-mannered horse will yield to the requests of the handler. Perhaps the most frequent expression I heard, as a young rider, was “Don’t let her get away with that!” In the interest of safety and control, riders understand they need to maintain the “chain of command” (with the human on top), and consistently insist the horse yield to their requests.
Have you ever considered, at what point should the rider yield?
This point of view is seldom discussed. In fact, a violent reaction frequently ensues with this suggestion. “What? Let the horse do whatever he wants?? Let him get away with disobedience? What is that teaching the horse?” Let’s take a closer look.
As riders and trainers, it is our responsibility to make just and fair requests of the horse. Just as I would not ask a nine year old child to produce a three page essay on the history of North Dakota, I would not ask a horse to produce an action, a movement, he cannot yet execute, because his physical strength or skills have not yet developed to that degree. I would not present him with a cue, and expect him to give the appropriate response, if I have not yet taught him the meaning of that cue. These are examples (and there are many more) of how riders can “set up” a situation with a horse, which almost certainly produce a horse’s failure to comply.
When one finds herself struggling to obtain obedience from her horse, it’s a good time to STOP, take a deep breath, and reflect on what the horse is trying to tell us. The educated equestrian understands being a good rider is not about giving orders. A great rider, a great leader, listens to those in his care, and knows when it is appropriate to make a request, and how to do so tactfully. He is attentive to when the subject is calm, relaxed, and compliant, and can identify when these attributes are lost to fear, panic, confusion or frustration. The great rider has spent enough time listening to his horse, is aware of his horse’s mental, emotional, and physical strengths and weaknesses, to understand how to balance moderately challenging requests with easy, confidence-boosting requests. The great rider understands that a horse is a basic herd animal, who would like nothing more than to go with you and your indications. Any resistance, on the horse’s part, is his way of telling you something is just not right. It is for the rider to notice this and come to the aid of the horse.
“Yield” is a commonly used term in equitation. We can talk about leg yielding, or the yielding of the hindquarters. We throw the term around when we’re talking about ground manners, as in, a well-mannered horse will yield to the requests of the handler. Perhaps the most frequent expression I heard, as a young rider, was “Don’t let her get away with that!” In the interest of safety and control, riders understand they need to maintain the “chain of command” (with the human on top), and consistently insist the horse yield to their requests.
Have you ever considered, at what point should the rider yield?
This point of view is seldom discussed. In fact, a violent reaction frequently ensues with this suggestion. “What? Let the horse do whatever he wants?? Let him get away with disobedience? What is that teaching the horse?” Let’s take a closer look.
As riders and trainers, it is our responsibility to make just and fair requests of the horse. Just as I would not ask a nine year old child to produce a three page essay on the history of North Dakota, I would not ask a horse to produce an action, a movement, he cannot yet execute, because his physical strength or skills have not yet developed to that degree. I would not present him with a cue, and expect him to give the appropriate response, if I have not yet taught him the meaning of that cue. These are examples (and there are many more) of how riders can “set up” a situation with a horse, which almost certainly produce a horse’s failure to comply.
When one finds herself struggling to obtain obedience from her horse, it’s a good time to STOP, take a deep breath, and reflect on what the horse is trying to tell us. The educated equestrian understands being a good rider is not about giving orders. A great rider, a great leader, listens to those in his care, and knows when it is appropriate to make a request, and how to do so tactfully. He is attentive to when the subject is calm, relaxed, and compliant, and can identify when these attributes are lost to fear, panic, confusion or frustration. The great rider has spent enough time listening to his horse, is aware of his horse’s mental, emotional, and physical strengths and weaknesses, to understand how to balance moderately challenging requests with easy, confidence-boosting requests. The great rider understands that a horse is a basic herd animal, who would like nothing more than to go with you and your indications. Any resistance, on the horse’s part, is his way of telling you something is just not right. It is for the rider to notice this and come to the aid of the horse.
"Once a person wishes to control another, he extends his energy beyond himself to others; he loses balance." Hua-Ching Ni
Balance is not only a physical component of a horse/rider team. There are intangible qualities of balance, such as knowing when you’ve asked too much of your partner, that need attention as well. Sometimes, we as riders, as partners, overstep, and we need to be aware when we’ve pushed too far, asked too much. To be a team, a truly harmonious team, there is an ebb and flow of power, of control, of communication. We are certainly entitled to ask our equine partner to comply with a just request. But the horse is also entitled to ask us for help, when he’s struggling with a lesson, or to tell us when our presentation is confusing. The ability of a rider to listen, and then to yield when necessary, is what can turn a good horse/rider unit into a great one. A human who yields does not teach the horse its “ok” to be disobedient; it teaches the horse we are trustworthy, and care about his concerns and worries. It teaches the horse we are not going to behave in a predatory manner, and that we desire to nurture him and assist him in resolving the things that are troubling him.
"It will be therefore in respect of the capabilities of my student and those of his horse, that I shall try to put them in rapport with each other, according to the rules of balance necessary for two bodies which, the one carried by the other, have to act together." Pellier
The horse/rider team is a relationship, like any other, and requires a balanced, back and forth dialogue. Incidentally, “yield” has another meaning as well: To bear or bring forth, as a natural product, as a result of cultivation. Like any other skill, it takes time and practice to identify and respond appropriately to the horse’s requests for us to yield. The experienced rider understands the fruit of this labor is precious indeed.
"It will be therefore in respect of the capabilities of my student and those of his horse, that I shall try to put them in rapport with each other, according to the rules of balance necessary for two bodies which, the one carried by the other, have to act together." Pellier
The horse/rider team is a relationship, like any other, and requires a balanced, back and forth dialogue. Incidentally, “yield” has another meaning as well: To bear or bring forth, as a natural product, as a result of cultivation. Like any other skill, it takes time and practice to identify and respond appropriately to the horse’s requests for us to yield. The experienced rider understands the fruit of this labor is precious indeed.
