Whether needing to slightly correct a horse in a rail class; to finding yourself in a tight spot out on the trail; to being able to open and close a gate from the back of your horse; yielding to leg pressure is really not a luxury. Its a necessity! In almost every type of riding, there are some circumstances when you'll find being able to move your horse's back end around with your legs is imperative.

When a horse comes in to be trained, we begin teaching him to yield to pressure while being groomed. After brushing one side, we'll take our hand and push on his ribs as lightly as possible to get him to move his hip a step away from that pressure. Only one step to start. Just so that he'll move. Then we praise him, and continue with the grooming. Repeat the process on the other side.

Once the horse is under saddle, I'll stop the horse, and with my leg, ask him to just move over a step or two with his back end and then walk off. Practice both sides equally. I'm looking for quiet. I want him to stop, take that STEP-STOP and then WALK OFF. Sit up straight, and try to get the cue lighter as you practice. The lighter the cue, the better response. When you push with heel or spur, as soon as you feel the horse respond...release the pressure immediately! And then ask again.

I'll Practice this in both directions until the horse can do a 1/4 circle, then a 1/2 circle, then a full circle.

Practice this in short intervals several times during each training session. In 3 or 4 weeks, your horse should be able to properly turn on the forehead. His performance on his side pass should be noticeably improved. Now he's ready for some more advanced training, such as actually opening and closing gates.  

Remember: Persistence, Patience, and Praise

Make each goal specific - and be persistent. Have patience with your partner and always praise him so he understands when he does well.

Saying that your horse is too young, too old, won't back, hates the trailer, can't canter is simply making excuses. Stop making excuses - use the tools of specific goals, persistence, patience and praise. Let's begin to make your horse become a better partner.

When I teach a horse to sidepass, the very first thing I have to do is make him move his legs. I need to be able to use my rein to move his front legs left or right - and he must understand that I want him to move his back end left and right with pressure from my legs. I teach that by teaching a horse to turn on the forehand and turn on his hocks. The two cues are still separate - front and back, front and back.. Get him to move his front end with the rein and the back end with leg
pressure - also left and right. You do that by adding a little leg pressure. The horse will move away from it. Reward him by letting go releasing the pressure of your leg.

Once he has "broke into those two pieces" -- front cue for front feet movement, back cue for back end movement - always separate (hence "broke into two pieces". It will help YOU to think of it in that way.) I face him to the fence and ask him to move his front, and then his back, in the same direction. I don't want to pull on his mouth to get him to do this.

Ask for only two or three steps at a time. When he has mastered this in each direction, I will move my foot cue forward to a centered position , and then ask the horse with a single leg cue, using my rein only to hold his head steady.

This should be practiced slowly and patiently and the horse should be praised when he does anything correctly. I never practice the sidepass more than a few minutes at a time - I do something else, then come back to it.
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Remember: Persistence, Patience, and Praise