lunging-- any suggestions????

[horsehelp]

I have been lunging penny lightly while she has been in.
1, To strectch her legs
2, to check for lameness

She has been in due to mild laminitis, She is no longer lame.

Is it ok to lunge her?

Also im having trouble while lunging. My OH is leading her round the circle while i lunge her as she keeps stopping and just coming towards me. After 5 mins i tell OH to let go and just walk beside her and she is fine, When he walks away when she trots she is fine but as soon as i bring back down to walk she comes to me again!?
How can i stop this,? Does she need OH to crarry on guiding her. I just dont want her depending on him now every time she is lunged
?

Any suggestions grateful

[chev]

The lunging should be ok as long as the ground is not too hard - lunging on hard ground can cause concussion in the feet which is one of the conditions that can lead to laminitis.

As for the turning in - try walking almost behind her and to one side - so you're effectively driving her forwards on a circle. Use the lunge whip just to keep her moving - you might not even need to do that. If she tries to turn in, move behind her (so you're driving her from beside her flank if you see what I mean) and don't worry about the circle as such - keep her moving around you and as she gets the idea that you want her to keep moving you'll be able to lessen the amount of driving you have to do, and come more into the centre of the circle.

Hope that made more sense than I think it did.

[chev]

Just another quick thought - lunging isn't the best way to check for lameness - it can mask lameness or even induce it sometimes. Best to trot her up in a straight line on level ground for that.