Introducing pessoa lunge??

[Portia]

Hi, - Have just finished reading preceding posts on improving topline (degogue etc). Very interesting thread btw!

My 5 yo mare is rather lazy, downhill in her conformation (still bum-high, still growing?), and subsequently heavy on the forehand. We've spent the last year or so working on this (give or take a few months off with splints & unexplained lameness etc) and she's really coming along nicely, and trys hard in her work. I could see that it's still difficult for her, so we bought a pessoa lunge to allow her to work without the added weight and distraction of a rider. .

Disaster. She hates it - completely flipped out with it, displayed a hitherto unseen acrobatic skill :eek: (and i think thats how she injured herself last time around too).

So, some 2 months later, she's back in work and could still benefit. How do I re-introduce this? Is there some way to desensitize her - she hates the bum strap thing (which is of course one of the crucial points of the system!) . How do others get their horses used to the pessoa?

Thanks!

[cvb]

do you have to reintroduce it

My 5 yo mare is rather lazy, downhill in her conformation (still bum-high, still growing?), and subsequently heavy on the forehand. We've spent the last year or so working on this (give or take a few months off with splints & unexplained lameness etc) and she's really coming along nicely, and trys hard in her work. I could see that it's still difficult for her, so we bought a pessoa lunge to allow her to work without the added weight and distraction of a rider. .

So - I think your aim is to help your unbalanced and possibly still-growing horse develop balance and self-carriage ? and work as correctly as possible on the lunge ?

Have you looked at something simpler like a bungee rein ? (elastic chambon) You'll have seen my post on the de gogue thread... ;)

The reason I prefer something like this than the more complex devices (pessoa, abbit davies etc) is that

- they are dead simple to use so I can fit and use it quickly and easily
- the horse gives the release
- they only come into action when the horse goes hollow/up etc
- I believe they are less constraining, and therefore less likely to cause the horse to panic/flip

You do still need to use them properly. If you let the horse just slob around with no "back end", then you're liable to end up with it on the forehand etc etc. But I suspect the same would be true for the pessoa - its not going to "create" impulsion for you, just shape what is there.

As you will see, I would mainly use devices like this as remedial help.

[Portia]

So - I think your aim is to help your unbalanced and possibly still-growing horse develop balance and self-carriage ? and work as correctly as possible on the lunge ?

yes, exactly. Haven't lunged her again for that matter, suppose am anticipating she'll remember last episode :o . To some extent suspect I'm not sufficiently experienced with lunging, had been toying with an alternative, but having watched her work on the ground she needs to get more impulsion from her back end, and needs to get her back legs underneath her to lift up the front!! But is there any real advantage to the pessoa over say a lungee bungee, if the mare's going to have a hissy fit each time?!

[cvb]

ah - but there is much less reason for the mare to have a hissyfit with the bungee rein. Its only working on head and neck not round their bum.

if you really feel you HAVE to use the pessoa, I would want to do some preparation with lines round her bum, putting some pressure on them etc as it is quite common for horses to feel claustrophobic when "tied down".

My own mare used to freak when lines went round her hind legs - but now (most of the time) happily long reins and does parelli etc. But its something I have to approach the right way, to keep her confidence that I am not about to tie her up and do something nasty :rolleyes: (in parelli terms, I do "friendly" game with the long lines and with the whip I use to ask for shoulder-in etc. if not she jumps about a foot if the whip touches her :rolleyes: )

BTW this same mare has never ever had a problem with the bungee rein, so she obviosuly does not feel constrained by it yet it does ask her to yield to the bit and soften :D

[Stella2]

The Pessoa is fantastic at developing correct musles and balance. It does not force a horse into a position, but pushes it on from behind if it doesn't adopt it - much more efficiently than most riders could and with the advantage for a young horse than these lessons can be learned without the weight of a rider on its back.

My mare objected to it the first 3 times I put it on, she settled after some acrobatics but remained suspicious throughout those sessions :rolleyes: After that she accepted it happily and it has done wonders for her balance and muscle development. I haven't actually used it that much! I used to put it on and scratch her bottom for a while. Quite amusing as she looked cross and then happy, then cross again :rolleyes: when I moved her on, I made sure there was plenty of space and kept asking her forward. She realised it wasn't going to eat her within 2 circles, but then had a smaller freak when I changed the rein and interestingly when I took the contact off her mouth to warm down

It is important to begin with a good warm up with no contact on the mouth, have a good warm down without contact at the end and only use it (with the contact) for 5 minutes on each rein, increasing the time very slowly. I have only recently moved to 6 minutes each rein and I've had it for a couple of months (probably used it 8 - 10 times).

Good luck with it :)

[Konch]

Im on the 3rd time using pessoa tonight.

1st time she freaked when it was all connected up and tried to rear, so I unclipped the lines to her bit/chest and tied them up to the roller so she was left with just the back furry bum chaser and walked round the school. Finished session.
2nd time - started with just the furry bum chaser and lunged in walk & trot, after zooming round a few times she settled. So we fitted the lines and walked her round the school. Finished session
tonight - as above and maybe walk on lunge with all connected up.

My girl is 14, a TB and set in her ways, anything new she doesnt like at first but then give it a few more and she'll happily accept :D

Good luck, just be patient.

[Portia]

Thanks everyone for your replies, very helpful to listen to others thoughts. It does seem a good system, have seen the positive effects on self-carriage and balance within a month on a friends youngster.

For myself, i think i may go with cvb's suggestion and start her back off with a simpler less contraining lunge before i go on to the pessoa again, and only then introduce it gradually.

Besides, I need to get my confidence with the lunge back too! Had never seen her behave that way before - she wasnt playing up, she was frightened. Incidentally, is there a book to recommend on lunging? I've been taught, and told am working her correctly, but would like a little more info around the topic (do NOT want her injured again)

[Stella2]

Im on the 3rd time using pessoa tonight.

1st time she freaked when it was all connected up and tried to rear, so I unclipped the lines to her bit/chest and tied them up to the roller so she was left with just the back furry bum chaser and walked round the school. Finished session.
2nd time - started with just the furry bum chaser and lunged in walk & trot, after zooming round a few times she settled. So we fitted the lines and walked her round the school. Finished session
tonight - as above and maybe walk on lunge with all connected up.

My girl is 14, a TB and set in her ways, anything new she doesnt like at first but then give it a few more and she'll happily accept :D

Good luck, just be patient.

I may have misunderstood, but you should always do a warm-up with the kit on, but not attached to the bit before you attach it and its not a good idea to keep them in walk for more than a brief time when attached to the bit because it restricts their neck.

[Konch]

ooh didn't know that about not too much walk, will change that then. It does make sense about the stretching although she walked round with her nose practically on the floor!
Yes we warm up without the connection but i needed to get the size and length sorted the first time and she freaked.

[Stella2]

It gets easier :) There is a bit of trial and error (like riding a movement initially I suppose). Mine trots beautifully on the lowest setting, but find it too hard to balance in canter. The next setting up is great for her canter, but when I used for for trot also (5 minutes each rein), she was stiff for two days after :eek: So we trot on the low setting, pop it up for a canter, then bring it down again - all in the space of 6 minutes each rein :rolleyes:

[Konch]

We've not mastered canter on a lunge yet, i hate seeing horses careering round with no purpose so we stick to walk, halt, trot transissions. Im hoping that by using the pessoa we will get nicely balanced paces and off her forehand & using her backend more rather than dragging it. There seems to be a fine line between rushing and dawdling along that we keep missing!