Have you solved a problem, in an odd way?

[newforest]

I am hoping I am not the only one!

Take two lunge lines that when you longrein with, you notice that on doing a circle you shorten the inside rein a bit for bend. That's fine-i think, but on going large you don't let it out, you shorten the outside to match.
OK, you say to yourself that's not really a big deal, accept that after the session you are in fact too close to the horse. Now that IS a major big deal, I know someone who has three broken ribs and a shattered wrist when this happened and the horse kicked out last week.

Now fair enough I know my cob, but, she is still first and foremost a horse with a blind spot. I have been trotting to close when she stopped dead and I tripped and rammed into her backside, boy was I lucky! So to solve that I cut the lines to the correct (ish) length, now I know instantly when I shorten because I also have a you should have your hands here knot on both.

I used to do a lot of nh type stuff with a 12ft line and i cringe now at how close to the kick zone people are encouraged/trained to be.

 

[sjp1]

I agree. The squeeze game with tobes could be very hairy. I was always prepared to whack him away because he disliked groundwork so much, you never could tell when he would lash out.

 

[Cortrasna]

Well I am not sure it was odd as such, but quite drastic in some ways. When Solly came to me as a four year old you couldn't do a thing behind him or anything noisy on top of him without a full scale nervous breakdown.

I found out later from my farrier who came from the same village that the 'gentlemen of the road' who had owned him as a 2/3 year old, that he had slipped whilst being driven and fell to the ground, instead of getting him up, cutting the harness to free him etc. etc., they beat him with the driving whip until he managed to struggle to his feet again:stomp:

So we almost cured him (never completely I'm afraid) by tying flapping refuse sacks to his saddle whilst ridden and deliberately taking VERY rustley bags out with me whilst hacking to make as much noise above and behind him as possible when hacking. I also used to regularly take my noisy coat of him and tie it around his withers when riding....quite nerve racking in the early days of rehab and I couldn't do it now thats for sure!:redface:

Not really sure this was an odd way, but IMO the only way we could overcome the issues, but I am sure many more knowledgeable than I would have come up with some other method of helping him to move on from his early experiences.:unsure:

 

[newforest]

I guess sometimes we just have to do what works for us as well as them.

I knew I was shortening my reins so to stop that I cut them a bit.

I also hate seeing people long reining with a schooling dressage whip, if you can reach to flick the hock, the horse can reach to flick you in the face.

 

[notpoodle]

People longreining to prep for driving seem to be closer though to practice the fact the horse must not kick at the cart when the time comes.

I longrein with a driving whip - nice and light, longer than a schooling whip but not as heavy and cumbersome as a lunge whip.

in terms of customising stuff, yep, done plenty of that! made my own correction numnah once, made a bridle from all different bits and sizes, chopped off the binding from a foam numnah as it was cutting into Angel's back ...

 

[Gimp]

I usually stand slightly to the side when long reining

I used to long rein with a modified driving whip ( cheap lunge whip with the excess tail cut off!)

The whip can reach the horse, but its legs cannot reach me! I generally long rein in blinkers for driving work, so blindspots are an abundance. I use plenty of voice and keep a safe distance.. alougth I did trust my last boy, I would push his bum if he was refusing to walk forwards!

 

[newforest]

Yes people do stand in closer, but I would rather she kicked pulling a tyre than practice with my head.
I used to be too close until this lady got barrelled. Its just made me think.


What I find interesting is the bhs doesn't teach it? Unless they do now I will stand corrected, I was only taught to lunge with a caves son and one rein, that shouldn't twist and shouldn't touch the ground. I failed!