06/18/2026
One thing I see a lot when coaching half pass is riders becoming so focused on the movement itself that they forget to check whether the horse is truly around your inside leg.
That's why I often use this exercise.
Ride half pass from the track to the centreline, then leg yield back to the track.
(Keep your inside leg down by the girth when legyielding back to the track)
Simple, but incredibly effective.
I like it because it helps answer an important question:
Is my horse really listening and bending around my inside leg?
The half pass encourages bend, balance and engagement, while the leg yield back out helps confirm that the horse is genuinely responsive to the aids and not becoming fixed in the movement.
What I often find is that horses become easier to position, more supple through their body and more consistent in the contact once riders start thinking about the quality of the aids rather than just reaching the marker.
Sometimes the best exercises aren't the complicated ones. They're the ones that expose the basics.
Give this a try and let me know what you notice. I'd love to hear whether the half pass or the leg yield felt more challenging for your horse.
