lunging tips

[Kathryne]

I am currently trying to teach my Standardbred mare to lunge. I have tried pretty much everything to get her to listen to my commands while on the line, but she refuses. I have tried walking her in small circles while on the lunge-line and gradually making them bigger, but as soon as she sees that she has to walk on her own without me beside her, she stops and heads right to me and refuses to go out on her own. Any tips?

[David]

Hey Kathryne,
I have been lunging horses all my life and I get great enjoyment from it. I however never start them walking. Start your horse at a trot just running in circles so that he is enjoying himself. Then, I assume that he knows the voice commands to walk, bring him to a walk and eventually a stop. All lunging is associated with body language, turning your own body to make a wide big outline when you require the horse to go forward and the turning side on to slow him down. My endurance horses have been lunged so often they just do what I ask them by my body movements. I promise you there is nothing so thrilling as getting a youngster to listen to you after a week or two on the lunge.

[David]

Kathryne, its me again. I forgot to mention the right angled triangle. Imagine yourself at the point of it and the right angle on the tail of the horse. This is where you should stand when you require the horse to go forward. Put the right angle on his nose, by moving your position in relation to the horse when you want him to slow down. Gee I hope you can make sense of that. Good luck.

[Anne]

Read your triangle tips with interest ...I'd like to start lunging my loan horse, but understand she hates it ... very good mannered otherwise, she tends to buck and resist in any way she can .... would it be wiser not to attempt to lunge her myself at this point, or can you offer me any tips to calm her down?

I don't want to make her worse, but I've found lunging very helpful if a horse is stiff, or I don't feel up to riding but want to exercise my horse. Also, I haven't been lunging for very long, and previous horses have been very co-operative ...

Your comments and advice would be very welcome ..

Anne

[Dori]

There is a section on lunging (longeing?) on each of the following websites. I have found much useful info there. Also, last month's issue of Horse Illustrated, for those in the U.S., has a very informative article.

http://horses.about.com/pets/horses/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.cowboy.mb.ca/rbard/questions/default.htm

http://horses.about.com/pets/horses/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/training.htm

[Laya]

NEVER let the horse get behind you. Stay behind the horse's shoulder to drive the horse forward. NEVER let the hors eturn towards you. Quickly move to get behind the horse. Lunging in side reins, never lead the horse with side reins attatched. Continue lunging after attatching the side reins and back up and make the horse go.

[David]

Anne,
I hate to say this but some horses just do not like being lunged. I have one at the moment and obviously has had a very bad experience in his younger days. He is so bad I just do not do it with him as he gets very upset. However I never worry about a horse bucking, he is probably just letting off steam. Keep him moving in a circle and I am sure he will settle down. Once he is ready to co operate then start asking him to do things, walk, trot etc. Can you borrow a proven horse to get your hand in again? You must be sure that you are doing the right things with him. Not easy sometimes. Most horses enjoy being lunged and it is an excellant way to get to know your horse and for him to know you. It is a great way to see the movement of your horse which saddly you cannot see when riding him.
Good luck, keep us posted
David

[CHRISTINE]

I have just started to lunge my four yr old section c mare, i know nothing about lunging so my instuctor friend has been helping me.Istand out on my triangle and my instuctor stands at my ponys head , she very lightly holds on to the cavesson while i ask her to walk, if she doesn't walk of her own accord my instuctor leads her untill she is walking then lets go but walks at the side of her(very quickly i might add)she also has to do the same in trot (poor instuctor but i'm a mature rider /lunger give me a break)anyway this has worked really well and she is now after two weeks lunging on her own in all but canter and understands every word(her favourite one is staaaaand)so give it a try ( and no my instuctor won't pretend to canter at the side of my ponynot even for a carrot)

Christine

[Anne]

Everyone's tips on lunging very useful ... many thanks :)

David ... it's interesting you should say that some horses just don't like being lunged ... I hope my mare is not one of them .. :(

Your suggestion about borrowing another horse a good idea ... it's so easy to inflict damage if you do the wrong thing, and that's exactly what I was worried about when I posted originally. I think I'll ask for some lunge lessons also? I had a number at my previous yard, and the horse I used to ride there was an experienced 12-year-old ... strong in canter, but also very co-operative and good natured.

My new loan mare is the same age and also very good natured and co-operative, so I'm not really sure what the problem is ... possibly she hasn't been lunged much in the past ... she was an eventer, and her owner doesn't seem the type to have abused her, and I think she's had her for some time. On the other hand, as you mentioned, she might be a horse who has had a bad experience in the past ...

Anyway, I will be careful not to take any chances, and talk to her owner when I get the chance, and in the meantime, ask for some lunge lessons.

Many thanks again ... will post progress ...

Anne :)

[David]

Hi Everyone, and especially Christine,
What you are doing with your friend is really great, do NOT lose her as a friend. Do you know how much your cavesson weighs? I have an old beautiful one which most of the time hangs in the tack room as the combined weight of it plus a lunge line is 1.4kgs. Imagine that on the nose of a baby, I stopped using it a few years ago and use a normal head collar attaching the line to the normal ring under the chin. You actually can see the horses head bending at the wrong angle with a heavy cavesson. Anyway enjoy your next week, I am off on my annual holiday, a week at the SA National Endurance Championships. 200 kms over three days in the cold of winter.

David