Long-lining...... opinions?

[domane]

What would you say is better....

(a) Long-lining daily for 15 mins

(b) Long-lining every other day for 30 mins

I know that the 15 mins is better for ME as I get exhausted :p .... but in terms of Cherry I'm really undecided....

Thanks :)

[Scarlett 001]

Hi Domane! I get tired rather quickly too! :)

My approach has been to do a bit of lungeing before the long reining. Maybe about 10, maybe 15 minutes (gentle warmup, plus work on transitions and such). That way Skeet is warmed up nicely for long reining, he gets a full workout, but I don't have to long rein to the point where I collapse. I probably still long rein for about 25-30 minutes, but some of that is at walk. Also, if you do a nice collected-style trot for 20m circle, you can actually walk briskly without jogging - or try some 10m circles, you can almost stand on the spot doing those. Obviously, you want to mix in some straight lines with all these circles, but they give you a chance to keep the horse in trot without having to jog the entire time or transition to a walk! :)

Note the nice breaks for 10m circles where I get to walk for a bit in this video:
http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=3C967381C8F8402B

[domane]

Aww Scarlett... I DO love that piece of film... you make it look so easy and your horse is gliding round so well behaved with a beautiful outline! Something for Cherry & I to aspire to, I reckon..... :)

[Tots N Dots]

Pickle had only been lunging and longlineing for a week on this film taken of him with Holiday, I think she makes it look so easy, I am worried about getting tangled in the lines :D
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c34/totsndots/Pickle%20Holidays/th_30-7longlines.jpg (http://s24.photobucket.com/albums/c34/totsndots/Pickle%20Holidays/?action=view&current=30-7longlines.flv)
I think you should just do what you feel comfortable with, it still needs to be enjoyable for you too :D

[Guest]

I think I'd be more inclined to do shorter sessions as it's quite tiring.

[lizzy]

I am long reining Adam up and down to his field which is about 10 minutes from the yard - which means a little road work, so we do have to concentrate on our steering, and also I am aiming to take him up and down the woods a couple of times a week where he can do some jumps

[Scarlett 001]

as it's quite tiring.

I assume you mean it's tiring for the human! ;) :) Skeeter can keep going, no problem - his mom is the one holding us back. I tell you, this has been the bestest thing for my cardio. I used to do only 15 minutes and then I'd be ready to faint, but after 3 months of 4x per week, I can go for much much longer than before.

Domane, one thought is to do a variation of what I do - do some lungeing for a bit, followed by a short long rein session. Then as your cardio gets better, transfer lungeing time to long reining time as possible. You'll be amazed how quickly your cardio and muscle strength improve (not only is this good for cardio, but I am jogging in the sand arena, so my balance and leg strength get more pushed than they would jogging on a track made for humans). The cardio for riding will feel like nothing after this! :)

Not sure about Cherry, but Skeeter takes a while to "warm up" and get a rhythm going with the long reining, so for him I don't think shorter sessions would be as effective.

[Scarlett 001]

Aww Scarlett... I DO love that piece of film... you make it look so easy and your horse is gliding round so well behaved with a beautiful outline! Something for Cherry & I to aspire to, I reckon..... :)

Tonight was long reining lesson night - and my instructor did indeed find some flaws tonight (in a nice way of course, and she did say "good work" and "good horse" plenty of times too)! :) Apparently, I am letting him be lazy on the right rein, so I need to reposition how I hold the lunging whip (so he can see it more), plus I am holding my arms too far back now! :eek: I used to have straight arms too far forward, and I guess I've been overcompensating. Also, I need to wait for him to move into the contact more.

I tell you, if you want to make progress long reining, then find someone to teach you - it has certainly helped me to progress - tough, but rewarding, work! We long reined for a good 1/2 hour, mainly trot work. With someone watching, I tend to get a better cardio workout than when on my own! :)

[teabiscuit]

i can only cope with it for 15 mins unless i long line along the track, like a hack but long lining.
long line schooling is so intensive i've had enough after 15 mins :o