Help needed with long reining a youngster.

L

lucyjg

New User
Joined
25 August 2009
Messages
7
Visit site
Hi, i was wondring if anybody had any ideas how to help me with a youngster I am trying to long rein. He is so strong he virtually tanks off with me. I have only been doing him in a indoor school as there is no way I would keep him under control outside at the moment.

He hates turning right and is really really strong to try and turn. He puts his head in right until he is touching his chest trying to resist the bit I think and basically throws a right tantrum.

He has had his teeth done (he had wolf teeth that have been taken out) I have him in a full cheek french link and a flash.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
get your control and voice commands established on lunge before long reining! tanking off is not good. back to basics again i think!!! (unless you like skidding around on your belly!!) youngsters cannot be pushed, and dont need to be over bitted if the first few stages are done properly!
 
can I be contraversial?

Do you really need to long-line? i know it's traditional to do so for many people, but I have to say personally I've virtually stopped doing this. Even for a horse that knows what he's doing on the long lines, the weight of the long lines almost inevitably means that you'll have a heavier contact with the horse's mouth than would be ideal (in my book).

if you're long-lining to teach the horse about the bit, then there are other ways that this can be achieved. For example, you could just do some closer in-hand work with the reins & the bit (with you in more of a "rider" position, than actually very far behind the horse.

Also, as suggested above, I'd get my horse absolutely spot on on the lunge before long-lining. If you end up in a fight with the horse, then so much the better if that isn't when he's got a bit in when you're trying to teach the horse to accept the bit.....

Hope that makes some sort of sense?
 
I agree with kelpie there are other ways of starting youngsters ,I also find that lungeing doesnt suit some horses so play it by ear,I found shorter reins and walking by the shoulder is useful in some difficult horses .
 
kelpie - agree with being spot on on the lunge!
but i use cotton ropes which are fab as long reins and dont weigh that much! i would never get on without having brakes and steering established via longreining. yes, as some have suggested that can be achieved by standing closer too the neck, but essentially its still longreining!
pootle, if you are stuck, ask for professional help.
we have sorted and broken plenty of horses on long reins and my opinion is, if they wont tolerate long reins and basic commands, i wont be getting on! i like to know i have stop start and steer!
 
where are your reins going at the moment?

are they attached to a roller, down by the girth, high up by the withers etc?

this can make a huge amount of difference to how the horse goes in the long reins.

where are you standing in relation to the horses position?

do you have the outside rein around the horses quarters or coming across at the withers?
 
What would be the starting points when long reining? It is something I tried once with the mare and would like to do so again. I used two lunge lines (from Lidl/Aldi) and had them through the stirrups. Could I put them through the stirrups while they are still rolled up?
 
We establish lungeing first then add a long lunge rein to the offside.
It's called the continental method and is incredibly effective in skilled hands.
I use a roller with six terrets at three different levels, starting with the lowest one for control. The terrets are fixed giving you a leverage point.
It makes quite a difference being able to use the outside rein on a horse you describe, but don't worry if you have to insist on his stopping by a sharp pull, it doesn't wreck their mouths more teaches them they can't pull and get away with it.
Don't go in straight lines until you have control is my advice!
ps Sylvia Stanier wrote a very useful little booklet if ever you see one in S/H bookshops.
 
ooh, greygates, cotton ropes - now that's an interesting idea to avoid the weight issue
smile.gif
..... I agree also re: having the long lines "freestyle" (i.e. not through the stirrups) making things easier to circle, tho only if you're actually pretty used to long lining otherwise you could end up in a bit of a mess!
 
Thank you HH, she is good to lunge although I don't do so frequently and wouldn't be that skilled at it myself. I have the SS book, will have to dig it out.

The mare is about 14/15 years and someone in her past has definitely done some good work with her. One time when I had her loose in the smaller outdoor school (used for lunging) I had the lunging whip tucked behind me and the mare in nothing but her head collar trotted around me in a perfect circle and was tracking up and brought her head down beautifully! The only thing I could do was stand there and *pretend* I had gotten her to do this!

Are the cotton ropes very thick or are they nice and slender. I found the two lunge lines to be a handful.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top