Encouraging Horse to Lunge...Help Please!

[solly3066]

How can I encourage my horse to lunge? He will do about one circle on earch rein as some sort of token effort then just refuse to move, or keep turning in to face me!

Don't want to be "bullying" or anything as he's not had the easiest of times in the past...love the bugger to bits but this is so annoying!

Any ideas gratefully received

 

[JanetGeorge]

Have a look at this thread - http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=447495

 

[PC Steele]

You need to have a helper preferably a fit one!!! who can lead your boy around the circle whilst you lunge and then they can let go and run by the side just keep doing until he gets the idea. Try not to make your circles too big very easy for them to turn in on you. This is how I taught my babies to lunge and seemed to work

 

[flyingfeet]

You don't need a helper if you are doing it properly. You don't stand in the middle and expect your horse to go in circle (although lots of people do seem to think this is how you lunge)

Instead you aim to be behind the quarters driving your horse forward, this should involve lots of walking from you!

They cannot turn and stop on you, so pretty soon they become very easy to lunge

99% of the videos I've found on youtube are lungeing incorrectly.

 

[Niraf]

Easy to say you must drive the horse forward, my horse is so clever he just backs away from me faster than I can walk and if that fails he spins to prevent me from getting past his front end when changing reins so that I can't get beside him !

 

[AshTay]

It's all in the body language. I struggled to lunge my pony and eventually gave up. Then we had the back lady out and she wanted to see him lunge so my far more experienced friend did it and he lunged perfectly, no bullying from her needed and none of the tricks he used to pull on me. I noticed how she held herself and used her body language to move him.

I've just started lunging my new horse and we were a bit rubbish to begin with but I think about what I'm doing all the time and we're getting loads better each time. He was also stopping and spinning away from me and once he'd done that it was hard to get him back out. I used the trick of walking him to the fence and driving him forwards from there as he couldn't spin away. But now I can tell when he's going to stop and turn and prevent it. No bullying and not even a lunge whip needed!!

Agree with jen_cots - no point stood still in the middle trying to get horse to do perfect circles. I started on a fairly short line but walking slightly behind and to the inside and gradually lengthen the line once he's listening.

 

[Niraf]

The problem is to get them started and what do you do if you do not have a fenced in lunging arena ? I have just about given up lunging this particular horse as whatever I do, he quickly counteracts it.

 

[Shysmum]

I had this problem with Shy. He understood what he was supposed to do, just didn't want to, and didn't respect me. I found it all a kerfuffle with the lunge rein when he turned in.......

so I took the lunge rein off, started loose schooling, and we've never looked back. But we are lucky enough to have a fenced school, which makes all the difference.

sm x

 

[K27]

Agree as above, move with the horse even if it's on a huge circle or even if you are just walking with the horse a few metres away from his side- he should soon get the idea.

i would use a bridle too- that way you have more control.

One of my horses is 15 and i've owned him from a 4yr old- he is quite a quirky, cheeky but funny horse and all his life he had decided that he hated lungeing, wouldn't go forwards ears back, he would even try and go for me baring his teeth which obv isn't allowed but in his old age he's decided he loves it now! he gets lunged once a week in the pessoa, and he really enjoys it and loves to show off! i would never ever dream of lungeing him in a headcollar either- last year i put him on magnesium to chill him out as he over reacts to things and it's really helped, and in the winter i was lungeing him in a headcollar!- i hope it doen't take you as long as it has with my boy, but they are all so different!

Also you could start with just a lead rope instead of a lunge rope just so your horse gets used to the idea of working on a circle- thats what i did with my boy!

Gd luck!

 

[WandaMare]

Your post made me laugh because my mare does the same, she is so not into being lunged. She is lovely to ride, so in some ways its my fault because I have not pushed it as much as I should have done, its so much easier to get on her and make her work rather than puff around the arena exhausting myself One thing which has made a difference though is changing the rein connection to her bit. At last year's YHL Michael Elberg (??) did a demo with his dressage horses and he said rather than thread the lunge rein through the bit and connect on the outside rein, he loops the lunge rein through the inside bit ring first, then connects to the outside bit ring. My mare is much better with this arrangement and doesn't bother turning in anymore. It has made her more confident with the contact so she is happier to go forward (for a few more circles anyway! )