why lunge???

[perkypinky]

im sorry i know this has been done before and i have tried to find the thread but cant!:o
Finally, on monday evening we managed some nice lunge work after the initial hoolying around bucking and motorbiking! He eventually settled down and seemed to enjoy doing something different. I also enjoyed it:) - the few times that i had done it before with him i have to say i was slightly scared by his antics! he would pretend to spook and use it as an excuse to whiz round bucking. (although I very proud of how he looked - all flashy and cresty with his chin tucked into his chest!!)
I use side riens - quite loose at the moment until he get used to them.
can you tell me - what does lunging achieve? why do we do it?:confused:

[joey_olop]

I lunge my boy when I havent go the time to ride-gets him excercised in 15mins which would probably have taken an hour to achieve if I had rode :)

[chickyd444]

i use lunging for the same purpose as Joey_olop said, ive built a lunge pen now and dont need a lungle line :D - all i do is stand in the middle and call commends LOL

[Rabo]

Lungeing on a single rein is an easy way to exercise your horse when you a short on time. You can lunge in a field or open space if you have no arena and it is useful to see how your horse is moving from the ground - when you are on top, you can feel, but you can't see.
Using side reins helps the horse with contact and to improve his straightness and you can take this further by changing the position of the side reins as he moves towards collection.
You can also lunge with two reins and long-rein. You can train your horse using these techniques so that your horse can do more difficult movements without the encumberance of a rider and when he is established with these things - practise when mounted.
Using lungeing is a skill that you can take much further than most people generally do. www.balanceinmotion.co.uk

[peerielee]

im sorry i know this has been done before and i have tried to find the thread but cant!:o
Finally, on monday evening we managed some nice lunge work after the initial hoolying around bucking and motorbiking! He eventually settled down and seemed to enjoy doing something different. I also enjoyed it:) - the few times that i had done it before with him i have to say i was slightly scared by his antics! he would pretend to spook and use it as an excuse to whiz round bucking. (although I very proud of how he looked - all flashy and cresty with his chin tucked into his chest!!)
I use side riens - quite loose at the moment until he get used to them.
can you tell me - what does lunging achieve? why do we do it?:confused:
Lunging is an excellent aid for many reasons. Firstly yes it is good to give your horse a quick 20 min lunge if you dont have time to ride. It is also good to see your horses 'true' paces from the ground, and without the influence of a rider. It should work both sides of the horse evenly and encourage your horse to bend through his body correctly - with the help of side reins.

[JamesJackson]

As well as exercising, the basis of all schooling is started on the lunge. First enforcing the respect of space, you can work on transitions (from, to and within paces), lateral work (leg yield-type things) for suppling and stuff like that.

[Torny]

All valid points :D

However, lunging can often be made the circle of boredom for horses. Ok, it can be a quick 20minute run around to just keep them fit, but to be lunging is a quality training technique when used well and efficiently.


Lunging allows you;

To access the horse yourself, through your own eyes.
To access the horse without hinderance of a rider
To access muscle tone and movement
To access the quality of gaits
To access any progress in training
To enhance the horses gaits
To fitten, strengthen, tone and supple
Good preparation for the horse to take a rider
To bond with your horse
Building aids to later use when riding
Work with all gaits and their variations
(E.g Working trot, collected trot, extended trot)
Include some lateral movement and circle size variation


Personally I like to incorperate 'in-hand' work with lunging. Warming up on the lunge first, then bringing the horse close to perform lateral movements then sending them out again to loosen. It also keeps the work varied and interesting. A horse that throws in a bit of a kick and squeal in my mares case, is showing she is feeling good and 'expressing'. She settles back into the routine but with more elevation and enthusiasm in her movement. She is not restricted by side reins or other gadgets, yet has developed good topline and carriage.

Hope this helps :D I get carried away with this sort of thing, that I end of working my horse fromthe ground more than riding! haha.