Horse bolting while long lining

Katiesmum

Active Member
Joined
31 March 2019
Messages
40
Visit site
I got a new mare and currently in the process of her being restarted.
However lunging is fine but every time I go to long line her she bolts and pushes the opposite way of what is being asked.
She'll run to the top end of the school facing the wall and have her bum to me and corners herself.

Amy tips on why or how to solve this behaviour?
 

Spottyappy

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 September 2008
Messages
3,575
Location
Home counties
Visit site
Don’t long line!
I had a mare who would do similar and I stopped doing this, simply lunged led in hand and then repacked.
She was perfect all of the time and once backed, but we never could Long line her. We knew her history,and there was no mistreatment in the past.
 

Katiesmum

Active Member
Joined
31 March 2019
Messages
40
Visit site
Thank you soo much!
I feel soo much more at ease, I thought I was doing something wrong.

However unfortunately my mares had a tricky, not soo good past and she's been coming on great with slow steady groundwork and I feel I broke her trust when I tried to long line her as a preparation stage for being rebacked
 

Spottyappy

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 September 2008
Messages
3,575
Location
Home counties
Visit site
Thank you soo much!
I feel soo much more at ease, I thought I was doing something wrong.

However unfortunately my mares had a tricky, not soo good past and she's been coming on great with slow steady groundwork and I feel I broke her trust when I tried to long line her as a preparation stage for being rebacked

She is telling you she is worried about long lining.
Listen to her, work on lunge, in hand and voice commands. Be prepared to give her plenty of time, too, with doing re-backing this way,especially as you know she has had issues.
Consider Turning her away, too, if she seems stressed or confused. Make sure you are calm and consistent with commands, too.
 

J&S

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 June 2012
Messages
2,488
Visit site
My companion pony lunges perfectly, walk, trot and canter, on the button responses. I have tried long reining her and she too b*****d off! I have been able to get her to move off and turn quite well in a closed environment but not out in the open. As she leads out in hand or I can ride and lead her I just haven't bothered to carry this any further. Its a shame as I think it is a great exercise for ponies too small to be ridden or who can't be ridden for other reasons.
 

cundlegreen

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 February 2009
Messages
2,224
Location
Suffolk
Visit site
If you are long reining with the reins low down and around the quarters, some horses really don't like it. I long rein in the danish method off a driving pad so the reins are much the same as when ridden. Much easier to do turns at all paces like this, and less risk of them taking off, as you can just whip them onto a circle if they get frightened. All mine will walk, trot and canter figures of eight like this, and it's a great way of working them properly without the weight, and also to see exactly how they are going, and make corrections.
 

twiggy2

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 July 2013
Messages
11,401
Location
Highlands from Essex
Visit site
Depending in her past she may have a history with being driven that is causing her to panic, as long as she is happy with everything else I would just bypass it.
I have dealt with a few who are fine with everything except long lining.
 

J&S

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 June 2012
Messages
2,488
Visit site
Cundlegreen, that is something I would love to be able to do. do you perhaps have a video clip of how you arrange the reins and where/how you stand in relation to the pony. please?
 

Flicker

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 January 2007
Messages
4,002
Visit site
A lot of horses who have been poorly started will not feel comfortable with things down their flanks. It is such a vulnerable area for them. You may also find she will be tense with exercise sheets, and strongly object if stirrups come loose during lunging. You may just need to take a little more time desensitising her to this sensation.
 

scruffyponies

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 March 2011
Messages
1,783
Location
NW Hampshire
Visit site
I would have someone walk by her head with a rope on a halter whilst you get her used to both the feel of the lines, and the idea that you are behind but not chasing. Initially, it doesn't matter if you have no contact at all, and the leader is simply walking them around the school, down the lane or whatever. You can then introduce a contact when they are relaxed and ready for it.

My 'helpers' (child labour) are trained to drop back behind the shoulder and out of sight, gradually taking less and less of a lead until they quietly tie up the rope on a terret and come back with me. Later on they help me by loading themselves on the traces to introduce pulling.
 

tallyho!

Following a strict mediterranean diet...
Joined
8 July 2010
Messages
14,951
Visit site
Are you sing cavesson or bit? Using a pad with rings or not?

In this situation I would lunge using two lines first before longlining in a straight line. That way she will feel she has somewhere to go and gets used to a line being behind her.

The other way is to start work in hand using the reins so she has the feel of your reins aids on the bit/cavesson. As in one rein over the neck and the other hand at the bit.

A good book for you would be a classical work in hand book. Cadmos published one called something like "working the horse in-hand" or something along those lines (pardon the pun).

Or else Long reinging book By Dr Ritter. Also Cadmos I believe.
 
Last edited:

windand rain

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 November 2012
Messages
8,517
Visit site
Please do not call it bolting had she truly bolted our arena fence wouldnt be there. I have a pony that doesnt lunge unless you have a rider aboard and have had one that would run away from the lines if you tried long reining It is better not to do non essential things that upset your horse than persevere and frighten them
 

Muddywellies

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 July 2007
Messages
1,668
Visit site
My mare won't lunge. I tried and tried and tried and tried. My trainer tried. She would just run off and drag you. I gave up. She's (usually) perfect in every other way so I just figured she hated it. No point forcing the issue and there's no law saying you have to do a certain thing. If it's not working, and you've tried everything, then just knock it on the head.
 

cundlegreen

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 February 2009
Messages
2,224
Location
Suffolk
Visit site
Cundlegreen, that is something I would love to be able to do. do you perhaps have a video clip of how you arrange the reins and where/how you stand in relation to the pony. please?
Not a great clip, but this was a very green horse with a light mouth. The reins used in this way don't drag on the mouth so much, which is important as you want them to go forward.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
 

J&S

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 June 2012
Messages
2,488
Visit site
Thank you very much! I was particularly interested to see how you changed direction. When the ground dries out I will set up my "school" and try with the pony again., I have a curcingle with rings at the top.
 

milliepops

Wears headscarf aggressively
Joined
26 July 2008
Messages
27,538
Visit site
I do similar to cundlegreen. I would say if you don't have a roller where the rings stick up then ropes work better than tape lunge reins as they slide through more easily. I have some long reins that are part cord, part tape and find they work well.

The changing of rein is something that needs a bit of practice to start with IME, I've helped a few people get started on an established horse and you do suddenly need a lot more rein in one hand than the other - it's easy once you get the hang of it though. One of mine is inclined to panic so I do stop him to change rein because he gets anxious about it. The other tootles around quite happily.

While I agree with a PP that there's no law to say you have to long rein a horse when starting it, I would be wary of simply not doing things because the horse doesn't like it - groundwork can be a good time to gently push comfort zones and build trust but it has to be steady and methodical :)
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 February 2009
Messages
11,027
Location
Slopping along on a loose rein somewhere in Devon
Visit site
My old boy was as quirky as a box of frogs and lunging was complete carnage with him!!

I would personally steer away from long-reining, for now, as your mare is only learning negatively from this. I would try something different, going right back to basics, such as closer groundwork with her where you are pushing her away with your hand, making her go backwards & forwards, round obstacles, over poles etc. Take her right back to square one would be my inclination. You could then progress to little TREC-type obstacles in the school, and then maybe try a 10-metre circle around you, and see how that goes, and take things from there. Breaking things down into manageable chunks so that she knows what she's expected to do.

Long-reining is scary for lots of horses, and I would say if its patently not working, consider what you were trying to achieve by it - and then try and figure another (creative) way of achieving the same thing.

I've got a "project" mare, and am just figuring out what's gone wrong and how to sort it, and a lot of the time its about thinking outside of the box and finding a creative way to achieve the result you want.
 

Tarragon

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 January 2018
Messages
1,781
Visit site
Can you lunge with two lines? You could start by building on the fact she can lunge and then gradually move away from circles and on to you being slightly behind and then behind her. I love lunging with two lines.
 
Top