Lunging 101

[OliviaR]

Hi Guys,

I need some noddy help with lunging.  It's something that Tilly and I have never really got the hang on.

When I restarted her my instructor and I agreed she really didn't know what it was all about, but I think she must have had some negative experience of it, because it was the only thing she really protested about.  Whenever she was asked to really move forward she would spin in and try to take out the person lunging with her front legs.  As I'm a great believer in discretion is the better part of valour we gave up on lunging and just did all the work via long lines.

So a couple of years later I went back to lunging and she's never repeated her dangerous behaviour we've never got the hang of it properly.  We've mastered what I call "NH" lunging - so in a rope halter, with the focus being on building a relationship, and getting our body language working together.

But in a bridle and roller/saddle it's a different matter.  As soon as she gets side reins on she drops right behind the contact with her nose on her chest, even with them very loose she sucks right back.  We've tried solid ones, ones with rubber rings and ones with elastic.

I swapped to what I call a lungee bungee (length of elastic which runs from saddle through a bit ring, over the top of the head through the opposite bit ring and back to the saddle) and she worked reasonably well in that.  She didn't fight or resist it and would take the contact fairly well.

However a bit of me isn't happy with them - I think because they are quite so stretchy they are fairly comfy to lean on.  (But on the flip side they are so stretchy I'm not sure how much support they would give her so maybe I'm worrying over nothing.)

I know that I can continue to use long lining with her, but I would like to get lunging licked.  Two main reasons really - I think horses should have as wide an education as possible, and mainly because at some point I would like lunge lessons and obviously I've got to get Tilly sorted before I can try that.

So what do you all suggest.  How can I move this forward for Tilly and I?

Olivia

[shoveltrash]

hi Olivia i just noticed this topic!

have you tried different bits?  i just started lungeing my youngster, and changing the bit made a tremendous difference.  he was all over the place with loose fitting side reins, but now is reaching forward for the contact and is more steady.

[visconde]

I never lunge off of the bit-personally I think there's never a way of doing it that doesnt disrupt the horses bit/mouth. I use a cavesson underneath a bridle and when V was greener I would use side reins very occasionally only on the cavesson rings.

I agree to maybe try a different bit, a cavesson + bridle, ditch the side reins altogether and maybe try sliding/vienna reins?

[Candypony]

I'm another that never lunges off the bit - I always take the noseband off the bridle and then fit a cavesson (light leather one that cost me an absolute fortune!!) over the top.  That way if I want to ride straight after lunging I can just take the cavesson off and the bridle's already on and ready to go (I only use a loose cavesson noseband anyway so riding without one at all never hurts).

As for lunging - I had a horse that would rear, spin and break cavessons on a regular basis.  We took things right back to basics for lunging - using the wall of the school and a short length of rein we did "distance" work - basically control of walk, halt and back along the wall with you roughly on the quarter line.  Then occasionally sending the horse around you in a circle... and building up slowly to full lunging.

As for the side reins, she also used to drop behind the contact and I found that the pessoa was great for helping with this. Correctly fitted and used for short periods only. Also as she's become better on the contact in ridden work, she's now better on the lunge... I think sometimes with a sensitive horse you can fit side reins too low on the roller/saddle.  Experiment with raising them a little - closer to wear low hands would be?

Don't know if any of that helps - or even makes sense??? Still half asleep... 

[Claire]

i had a huge problem lunging molly, particularly right rein (left was ok) when I first got her, and it was years before I sorted it ... what finally helped was having max see her, rope circling and long reining, and now, she'll lunge right without too much fuss (sometimes even offers it, which is pretty impressive if you'd seen where we started).

[jenb]

Why do you need to use side reins at all?  I just lunge Gazdag in a headcollar, lunge line and boots at the moment.  We go all over the arena, change the rein on the move, do straight lines, big circles, small circles, changes of gait, change speed within the gait etc.  What does your horse do if you lunge with no gadget on her?  Does she go very hollow, and if so, have you done any in hand work with her?

[Lammy]

Front feet pawing at your head is not always an enjoyable past time    If we have horses that want to turn in we try to have two people so one can send the horse forward, but of course this is not always possible so we keep the horse walking on a straight line if the horse brings its head towards you I direct it back with my fingers behind the jawline just below the neck vertebrae, have a go yourself just below your ear you will find you are quite sensitive there, of course don't go in like a bull in a china shop as each horses sensitivity differs  once this is established I walk the horse on a circle doing the same thing pressing the horse away if its nose or head comes towards me once the nose is remaining forwards as you walk round let the lunge line out a little, if the horse goes to come in go towards it just enough to press behind the jaw again, have in your mind you are showing the horse what you want so you are building an understanding.  Carry on building on this moving further and further away, with some horses if you hold your hand up towards the jaw after you have been pressing in that area is enough that the horse will remain out.

We use various combinations for different horses depending on the situation.

We never lunge off of the bit and only use a portuguese cavesson.  Mainly we use side reins with an elastic insert but they also have a webbing loop which the elastic is sown into so there is a little give but if the horse tries to lean they find they don't get anywhere as the webbing comes into play.  If we want to get the horses hocks under a little more we use the pessoa or if we want to give the horse a change from side reins.  Rope circling we have used a couple of times on horses that just want to lean on you with their shoulder.  When we started to work one of our horses she would not go into the contact of side reins or the pessoa and would have a break in her neck at the third vertebrae and sit behind the bit she wasnt as bad when being lunged with 2 long lines but I used the De Gogue on the lunge with her and it did the trick.

All our horses are taught to work inhand, even Stan who is mainly ridden by all the kiddies which they think is great doing side pass along a pole     All our horses are very aware of how to move away from pressure, which leads me onto lateral work on the lunge, for instance we ask the horse for a couple of steps leg yield then into shoulder in which teaches them to be more aware not to drop their ribcage into the circle and instead use their abdominal muscles to lift the rib cage.  We also teach rein back on the lunge and go straight into walk, trot or canter which is great to get them to spring from their hind joints.  We teach the horses to go large all the way round the school and include smaller and bigger circles and of course lots of progressive, direct and within the pace transitions.

 

[ash]

Hmmmmm, Sam I think I need to have some lunging lessons with you!

[Lammy]

No problem you are always welcome 

[hazl]

Years ago I went to see a demonstration of classical type riding at the NEC. I cannot remember for the life of me who I saw, it wasnt the Spanish Riding school, or their US imitators. It was a very interesting display and we saw some lovely horsemanship
We arrived to see the morning session which was not a display, but the riders schooling their horses in the arena.  Ok, getting to the point now, on horse was being lunged with the outside lunge rein in place
only. 
Has anyone any thoughts/experience of this method? 

[Lammy]

Was the lunge line attached at the saddle then through the bit to the persons hand relaxing the inside jaw and giving the ability to ask for a little flexion to the inside?

[Mossy]

I loathe the bungees. I use a pessoa or a Libby's lungee bungee, which goes from the roller to a newmarket off the bit and back to the roller. BTW "Lungee Bungee" is a Trade mark of Libby's. The over the head one is a bungee. Have you tried introducing lunging via longlining, ie two line lunging? You do need long lines to do it properly but I found it works a treat.

[Lammy]

I agree with Mossy, we lunge a hell of a lot with two lines, it gives you so many other options and you can move the horse all the way round the school including getting them to work into corners.  We also do serpentines without walls (up to the 3/4 line then back across) 

[hazl]

  It would help if I ask the question properly!
The horse was lunged with a side rein fitted on the outside.  The lunge rein was on the central ring of the cavesson. We werent able to have a commentary, but I wondered if they used it to encourage the horse to soften to the inside without falling in maybe?

[Claire]

It would help if I ask the question properly!
The horse was lunged with a side rein fitted on the outside.  The lunge rein was on the central ring of the cavesson. We werent able to have a commentary, but I wondered if they used it to encourage the horse to soften to the inside without falling in maybe?

i was taught that as a method of helping the horse find it's own balance, and in due course, take it off....