Long Reining Help Needed Please!!

sjp1

sjp1

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2009
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Question in the title really!! Have had back lady out and poor Tobes has poorly shoulders. Amongst the raft of exercises we have to do is long reining over heavy poles!

The problem is, I have never long reined!!! And I am not sure Toby has either!! What do we do? And what do we need?
 
Hi, firstly dont do it alone. have u access to a round pen? if not dont worry just is a little easier thats all.
secondly if u have access to a large area thats not as huge as a manarge it would help.
its getting them used to lines if you have lunged off one thats a start.
the outside line is an issue if you have not done it before.
if your horse is naturally calm it would help.
Have you some side reins? you can use those also at the same time with a roller, then it becomes familiar but just adding that outside line.
Some of ours used a passoa lunged off one line, most horses i knew were ok with that, it gets them used to something round the back end.
these are only methods and i would not recommend doing any of this alone I have no idear what your horse is like.
I would really get an experienced person with you and listen to what they suggest as they are standing if frount of your horse i am not.
 
DONT PANIC...........its not that hard tbh.

Attach lunge lines to cavesson or bridle..........if Horse is wearing saddle run lines thro' the stirrups or use a roller and put thro' the rings. TBH you may find it easier to have somebody at his head the first few times until he gets used too it.

Then drive him on........'walk on' etc., from behind him almost as though you were riding and use the lunge lines as your reins:wink: Keep to straight lines until he gets used to it.

HAVE FUN:bounce:
 
I like to long rein from high up terrets, not with the rein around the back end, The movement of the back legs can smack them in the mouth. Also low reins do not imitate anything you are likely to do with the horse thereafter, riding or driving.

You might need help to start wtih to lead him to give him the idea of what's required of him. Most horses pick up on it really quickly though.

Some pics of us long reining. I stand to one side or the middle, that way you can watch him working better. Have fun and don;t worry about it too much.

27feb09-009028-6.jpg


IMG_8456.jpg


Then you can go on to two, side by side
23Dec08-007714.jpg


Then long rein while riding
Riding-tandem.jpg


and all tandem is is long reining while driving! ;)
tandem-6.jpg
 
A tip when long reining is MOVE YOUR FEET! you will need to run, stop suddenly, run to the side, put on a burst of speed, have your elbows like mega elastic, skip to the left and right. Watch the horse and move accordingly. Half the art of long reining is putting yourself in the right place with the correct contact. If you are not using blinkers be animated if you want the horse to me animated, use a lunge whip backwards in your hand (like a riding whip) so you need to raise your elbow and move it forwards to use it, then the horse will take the raising of the elbow as a cue to move forwards as the next raised elbow will have a tickle ion the backside.
 
I like the idear of what wally said about lining from the two turrets and not round the back end makes good sence even if you are not going to do driving.
 
I long rein NH style with a saddle and the lines running through the stirrups and a strap under the horse's belly tying them together to stop them flapping. I also use a halter rather than a bit. You do end up with the lines round their hindlegs but most horses seem pretty OK with that, and it's easy enough (and useful) to desensitise them to it if they're not. Horses are often long lined during the starting process so you might find yours already knows about it.

The biggest issue when you get started is line handling, the easiest thing to do is let the spare lines trail behind you on the floor, but you can also carry them in loops in each hand or in one hand.
 
I cannot see the point in long lines around the back end, or lower than where reins are going to be. Driving and riding will always have reins and contact coming up high.

The ridden horse is never going to have a line around the back end, neither is the driven horse, not one that is going to mess with the contact. Breeching is a totally different feel for the horse.

If you have a line around the back end the back end itself will be fouling the line from mouth to hand. Okay stand right behind if you like and have a clear line, but on a circle all it does is block the contact to the hand.

Lines on the floor are fine if you are long reining a known beast and you know what you are about and there is little chance of you getting a foot in the line. If you are new to long reining, try and keep stuff up off the floor for your own safety, treading on the line can give a horse a mighty smack in the mouth.
 
The method I've described is widely used by a lot of different trainers and works very well, each to their own.

Lines round the back end and trailing on the floor aren't a problem if you've prepared the horse adequately, and being desensitised to stuff happening there is a good thing generally.
 
Sylvia Stanier's book on long reining is a good one to have. Only about 80 pages or so but with no waffle.

It explains the different benefits of each way to long rein and gives those who are unimaginative, like me, different exercises to try. There are a few different ways to long rein and it has a good explanation of each.

I really recommend it.
 
Ooh, Wally, I am impressed - shame you aren't closer, and then you could teach us.

So it looks like I will have to have a circingle - which I don't possess, I just thought we could do it off the halter with nothing else, but not looking like it.

I like the idea of your poles in a square. I have to have either sleepers or telegraph poles to encourage him to pick his feet up in an E. However, I don't have either, but what we do have is the round fencing stakes. I was thinking of sort of putting two flat and one on top, but looking at your square where you have them balanced on top of the other two, that might lift it sufficiently to encourage him to pick his feet up.

He is so stiff in his shoulders he has two great lumps of muscle either side of the bone which is meaning he is not extending his legs out. Bless him, no wonder we tripped so often.

Any other useful tips from you all gratefully received. Will have to get friend to be up front woman so he gets the idea, and isn't subjected to my uselessness.
 
Again so many idears for thought, i used the nh way and have used many tecniques this way, but still using the roller with the turrets on top enlightens me to try this.
i have known horses get into an awfull mess before now.
There was someone somewhere who i cant remeber who used this tecnique long lining using turrets on top he did not disclose his secret for many years and produced many top performing horses, he had a rather amazing roller that was specially made.
Also ive been lucky to see the Lippizanna horses of vienna quite close up and there long reining rather resembles what wally exercises.!
Folks can we call it riding from the floor please!
Im lucky enough to be soon riding a andalusian horse so i need as much gusto as possible!!!
 
Have now ordered a roller and a pair of long lines. Personally I like rope reins and rope lead ropes, so have ordered rope long lines. The roller seems to have two rings right at the top, so I guess each line goes through there?

They are 22ft long each. Tobes can kick out high and long when overexcited, so 22ft should keep me away from him. Also means, if I need them I can do NH ground work on a 22ft line so am thinking two birds with one stone!
 
Joyscarer said:
Sylvia Stanier's book on long reining is a good one to have. Only about 80 pages or so but with no waffle.

It explains the different benefits of each way to long rein and gives those who are unimaginative, like me, different exercises to try. There are a few different ways to long rein and it has a good explanation of each.

I really recommend it.
Click to expand...

Shall google that, I too am hugely unimagninative - if it isn't down in black and white, I certainly wouldn't be thinking of it!!!

Thank you!
 
I prefer rope or leather long reins, the finer the better. Using lunges tends to make for a very heavy, non forgiving contact.

Outside in windy conditions lunges can catch the wind and flap about too much for any degree of finesse.
 
I long rein a lot. I use driving reins. I really struggle with lunge ropes, they are just to thick.
Yann Im confused. mouth through stirrup fine Im with you, but Im confused about the belly strap. Why? I am looking for a good line from hand to their mouth/head. This will not happen. Can you explain possibly with a picture.
I do long rein on a head collar too. I do it on my old retired mare cause shes just to dam perfect,and if we long rein she thinks its a treat. I also conect to headcollars on babies(breakers). I use it with a second person at their heads doing the guiding clipped to the back of the head collar( we have a bridle on at this stage too. Once used to the reins I clip them onto the bridle, and keep the guider on the head collar. Then I go alone.
I love long reining. Get it right and you have a lovely confident forward going equine.
Dont do what I did though when I first was shown. I conected the long reins to the roller and wondered why I had no control and went round the yard rather fast with the other liveries rolling about laughing :)
 
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