A Good Grounding
Part 7: Yield the Forequarters, Turn on the Hind
The object of this lesson is to have your horse move his shoulders away from you, stepping with his near front foot over and in front of his far front foot, making a complete circle around his far hind foot. As with Yield the Hindquarters, just sidestepping or shuffling his feet doesn't count. You want that near front foot to cross in front of the other front foot.
Stand at your horse's shoulder, facing forward. Holding your stick level, in both hands, place the point of the stick just behind your horse's jaw. Look back over your shoulder at his far hind hip. Apply gentle pressure with your stick as you walk forward and around in a circle. You are, in effect, pushing your horse away from you in a circle. If steady pressure doesn't do the job, try driving pressure: apply a pulsing pressure with the stick to get those first few steps. Eventually you want to be able to walk forward and around with little or no pressure on the stick, and finally without using the stick at all. Remember to watch his front feet to be sure he is stepping over and in front of his far front foot.