Lunging help needed please

[Bradders]

As Bobby has settled, he has started to enjoy lunging and loose schooling more

This has turned in to a double edged sword - I find it very hard to keep him in walk - he loves to trot, and this is his pace of choice, both loose schooling and on the lunge.

I don't lunge with a stick, so use posture and voice aids.

I am finding that I am really struggling to shift him down a gear from trot to walk, and to keep him in walk - particularly on the right rein. Canter back to trot is easy, but he does love to trot!

Any ideas?

[lmevans]

Clicker?

Noosa was like this for years! Though she hadn't be lunged well, more chased with a long whip til she ran!! Lunging was a wall of death experience initially!

Clicking and treating any clear strides of walk, then building up to her having to give 4 or 5 strides to get her treat, until she will now walk freely and calmly for as long as I ask. Took a little while and lots of repetition, but well worth it

[1 morejump]

You could try bringing him in and making the circle smaller.  It's easier to go slower in small circles. Initially they like to rush and keep their speed up, but clearly he knows his voice signals, and it should be more clear to him to slow.  Then the typical praise and reward and extend the line back out to 20 meters.

[SNC]

I have only just seen this bradders, Cassie was the same.  I started at first in hand clicker training her to walk.  So we would go from trot to walk, then click and treat.  When I felt she had got the idea I moved on to lunge her at first I just asked for a few steps of trot then walk, then left the gaps longer.  She got it in the end, and is definitely a lot better.

[Candypony]

umm I train to whip signals backed up by voice - starting with "distance" work where you work on a long lead rope, around the school, you taking the inside track, horse on the track.  Point whip at bum means go forwards, at shoulder/neck means slow down, at the head means rein back.  Build up the distance between you, throw in a few circles where you stand still and the horse goes round and keep doing transitions, transitions, transitions with lots of praise.  I use a short driving whip or a "childs" lunging whip from robinsons - hate those long, heavy, unbalanced lunge whips. 

By building up control from a position where you can influence the gait and speed much more easily, you should end up with a horse that you can do any transition with - we often practise canter to rein back to canter for example - Candy likes to go whizz, exercises like this mean she stays obedient and carries herself in a way that means that she can react to any question at any time.