Oh, the leg yield. Seemingly so simple, it's included in the First Level dressage tests all over North America. Many people take it for granted, and I used to be one of these people until the last few weeks. After spending several weeks trying to teach certain horses to bend to the inside AND keep the outside rein AND respect my leg, I am now a true believer.
The point of the leg yield is not, as one might think, to just go sideways. Yes, that is the final result, but it's not really the point. The point is that, in doing a leg yield correctly, you have achieved some of the most important goals in your riding.
A proper leg yield needs several things to happen cooperatively. The horse needs to move away (and therefore respect) your leg, use their inside hind to step under himself and into your outside rein, softly bend to the inside, giving on the inside rein, and accept the outside aids as guidance.
In my (very humble) opinion, as soon as a horse understands basic forward and steering aids, it is never too early to start teaching the leg yield. Not only does it strengthen the horse, but it softens them to your aids. If a horse respects your leg enough to move away when you softly ask them to go over, you can bet he will also respect your leg when you ask him to go more forward, or even push him further into your hand. Likewise, if the horse understands how to bend around your leg, you can bet your circles and corners will be much nicer.
The impact of working the leg yield is practically exponential. So get practicing :)
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