How do you lunge?

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justholdon

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Hi everyone,

I've joined this forum to ask how people lunge their horse, and why? I'm interested in the pro's and con's of all the various different methods.

I'm hoping to lunge my horse a bit more in order to help build up muscle, particularly his top line, increase his fitness and possibly make him more attentive to voice commands.

I usually lunge in his normal tack, with a headcollar over his bridle, and the lunge line attached to that but I've realised that this method is probably ineffective and I don't lunge often at all at the moment.

I've just bought a pessoa type lunging aid after reading some positive ideas on that, so I need to buy a lunging roller. Is it also better to use a lunging cavesson or does that add too much weight to the front of the horses head/nose? What about side reins/draw reins?

I'm really interested in hearing peoples thoughts and ideas, it seems it's a bit of a minefield!
 
I use the pessoa method using the bridle or elasticated side reins from bit to roller depending what I want to get out of the lunge work. If I am just running excess energy off I might just use a cavesson lunge headcollar not a bridle so mouth isn't yanked about if plunging about a bit. There are different opinions on where to attach the lunge line when using a bridle - ie some clip to inside bit ring only - some say go through inside bit ring to clip on outside bit ring and others add in poll pressure by going up and over horses head to clip to outside bit ring..now that's the part that I find is a minefield!
 
To answer this question, I'd need to know more about your horse:

- Age
- Size/build/conformation
- Current level of work - how long, what type of work, competitions, clinics, etc.
- Any ailments or previous injuries, e.g., arthritis, navicular, stiffness anywhere, etc.
- Relative fitness

I'm bringing my (nearly) 16-year-old, 16.3hh Polish warmblood cross back into work after a good six months off due to suspensory and navicular issues. During his time off, he has developed all sorts of "hot spots" of stiffness and tightness and is currently undergoing regular physio. He is currently only lunged about once every ten days/two weeks to supplement his other work (lots of hacking incorporating hillwork) and time in the school (lots of long and low/stretching over his back) and then with nothing more than a bridle, a lunge line (attached under his chin to the far side bit ring) and a lunge whip.

When he was in full work (six days a week, including competing (SJ, eventing and dressage) twice a month, lessons (DR and SJ), clinics, hunting (in season), hacking and trips to the (racing) gallops, I lunged him in a pessoa very loosely connected just to encourage him to use his back end and step under/maintain fitness.

The short answer is, it depends.

As for kit - I like using a lunging roller - but only if I'm attaching a "gadget" of some description and/or long-reining or double lunging to keep lunge lines tidy. I hate cavessons - my horse has an odd shaped-sized head and I've never found one that didn't slip or pull so use a bridle with the reins removed. Side reins have their place in the right hands . . . don't really understand how one would lunge in draw reins (without a rider up top) and I hate them anyway.

P
 
Midlifecrisis said:
I use the pessoa method using the bridle or elasticated side reins from bit to roller depending what I want to get out of the lunge work. If I am just running excess energy off I might just use a cavesson lunge headcollar not a bridle so mouth isn't yanked about if plunging about a bit. There are different opinions on where to attach the lunge line when using a bridle - ie some clip to inside bit ring only - some say go through inside bit ring to clip on outside bit ring and others add in poll pressure by going up and over horses head to clip to outside bit ring..now that's the part that I find is a minefield!
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Out of interest, do you find the pessoa useful?

I always find it confusing where to clip the lunge line, it seems everyone does it differently!
 
PolarSkye said:
To answer this question, I'd need to know more about your horse:

- Age
- Size/build/conformation
- Current level of work - how long, what type of work, competitions, clinics, etc.
- Any ailments or previous injuries, e.g., arthritis, navicular, stiffness anywhere, etc.
- Relative fitness

I'm bringing my (nearly) 16-year-old, 16.3hh Polish warmblood cross back into work after a good six months off due to suspensory and navicular issues. During his time off, he has developed all sorts of "hot spots" of stiffness and tightness and is currently undergoing regular physio. He is currently only lunged about once every ten days/two weeks to supplement his other work (lots of hacking incorporating hillwork) and time in the school (lots of long and low/stretching over his back) and then with nothing more than a bridle, a lunge line (attached under his chin to the far side bit ring) and a lunge whip.

When he was in full work (six days a week, including competing (SJ, eventing and dressage) twice a month, lessons (DR and SJ), clinics, hunting (in season), hacking and trips to the (racing) gallops, I lunged him in a pessoa very loosely connected just to encourage him to use his back end and step under/maintain fitness.

The short answer is, it depends.

As for kit - I like using a lunging roller - but only if I'm attaching a "gadget" of some description and/or long-reining or double lunging to keep lunge lines tidy. I hate cavessons - my horse has an odd shaped-sized head and I've never found one that didn't slip or pull so use a bridle with the reins removed. Side reins have their place in the right hands . . . don't really understand how one would lunge in draw reins (without a rider up top) and I hate them anyway.

P
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Thanks,

My horse is 7, 16/16.1 thoroughbred, with a short back. He's just used to hacking out, but hacking with a purpose rather than ambling but I've decided to step it up a notch and aim to do some low level dressage/event competitions for next year. I've started to rebuild his fitness completely doing 4 weeks of walk, then walks with the odd trot, lots of hill work etc, and now I feel he would benefit from being lunged once a week.

I've lunged him and other horses before, it's just there seems to be lots of different gadgets and lots of different methods and it's all a bit confusing! I want the work I do to help my horse, not hinder him.

Your horse looks lovely from the small picture under your name, I hope everything goes smoothly bringing him back into work
 
I don't like lunging for me or the horse, so I do it rarely, to take the edge off a very sharp horse, test for lameness, or exercise the horse if I'm too crocked to do it any other way, or to deliberately get the horse moving on very uneven ground as a way to teach it more body awareness (thanks for that tip Goldenstar, it worked :) ).

I use a bridle with the clip on the far side bit ring and the line coming through the near side one. If the horse won't stop, I put it over the poll as well, but not usually.

I lived on the continent for a while and no-one where I was ever used a cavesson. I think that's pretty normal for Germany, Switzerland and France but perhaps some people from those countries can tell us?
 
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For a 15.2 Welsh D 8yo

-Roller
-Polypad type thing
-Side Reins
-Bridle (with or without reins)
-Boots sometimes
-Lunge line

Roller, pad, bridle on normally then side reins on girth, through front legs and attached onto bit - encourages her to work long and low. lunge line is put through inside bit ring, over poll and clipped onto other side.
 
I don't like lunging and so do it very very rarely. Usually to see if my horse is sound or not - though last time I tried that with Gray he trashed the field and lost 3 shoes and ended up in a complete muck sweat - he was supposed to trot 3 circles each way ...

When I do lunge I just use a snaffle bridle and put the line over the head. I much prefer long lining.
 
justholdon said:
Thanks,

My horse is 7, 16/16.1 thoroughbred, with a short back. He's just used to hacking out, but hacking with a purpose rather than ambling but I've decided to step it up a notch and aim to do some low level dressage/event competitions for next year. I've started to rebuild his fitness completely doing 4 weeks of walk, then walks with the odd trot, lots of hill work etc, and now I feel he would benefit from being lunged once a week.

I've lunged him and other horses before, it's just there seems to be lots of different gadgets and lots of different methods and it's all a bit confusing! I want the work I do to help my horse, not hinder him.

Your horse looks lovely from the small picture under your name, I hope everything goes smoothly bringing him back into work
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Honestly, in your shoes I would keep it simple . . . lunge over poles - on the floor to start with and then raised if you have some of those pole pod thingies . . . stay away from gadets, encourage him to go forward. Being short coupled (my boy is the same) he already finds it easy to track up but try not to confuse that with actually tucking his pelvis, using his hocks and stepping under himself . . . you can encourage him to be active behind with judicious application of the lunge whip or voice commands (I'm not suggesting you smack him the whip, obviously, just flick it at the right time/position it correctly to indicate activity) and a half halt down the lunge line, much as you'd do on top (leg into hand - only this is whip into hand, if you get my drift - poorly put, but it's the best I can do).

I'm also a big fan of long lining and in-hand work - there's a lot you can do to supplement any work you do under saddle from the floor . . . you can teach or reinforce leg yield/shoulder fore and really improve your horse's suppleness with the right in-hand exercises.

Your horse is lucky to have you . . . you are installing all the basics, taking care of his fitness and being very patient with him . . . best of luck with his fitness regime and getting him out and about - I think pictures are in order - I am rather fond of TBs :).

P

P.S. Thank you for the kind words about my boy . . . and welcome to the Forum!
 
I hate cavessons - my horse has an odd shaped-sized head and I've never found one that didn't slip or pull so use a bridle with the reins removed. Side reins have their place in the right hands . .
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Ditto re cavessons - I have the same problem with them slipping round even when fastened tightly. I use a bridle and the lunge line threaded thru the bit ring, over the poll and clipped to outside bit ring. Only gadgets I use are occasionally side reins or when I was working on horse working long and low - a chambon - which helped my lad immensely. Now he's got the hang of that I just use the bridle.
 
Hello
I just lunge with a bridle or more often then not a head collar. I only do it for 10 min on each side if i havent got time to ride and i just want horsie to do some stretches or quick trotting poles. I occasionally use a bridle but sometimes my horse can decide to tank off and i dont want the bit to rip her mouth so the head collar works better. I dont use any gadgets and i find my horse stretches far better without them to be honest. I occasionally use a lunging whip just to chase after her but never hit her with it and other than that nothing. I have had alot of help from a natural horsemanship lady who advised simpler is better. I did try a naturual horsemanship head collar but found horse didnt like it and would not relax. :)
 
Thank you all for your comments, I find it a really interesting topic. I'm not convinced my horse would stretch down but hopefully the pessoa will aid this, and if not I'm up for trying different techniques.

I'm not going to rush out and buy a cavesson, but I do think it might be more useful to avoid any accidental mishaps.

To those who say they prefer long lining and inhand work, how would you go about this? I've long lined in a walk before whilst I was backing my horse and did short spurts of trot, but I used that as an exercise to get him used to being infront and the rein aids. Also, I've seen people teach their horses lateral work on the ground but I wouldn't feel confident enough to replicate myself without help/guidance.
 
Do you have a trainer to help you? Lunging well is really an art form. I mean anyone can lunge and if you only use it as something to take the edge off a lively horse or to test for lameness then the basics of lunging are fine but it actually sounds like you want to get more from it than that in which case you need to find someone who is good at lunging to show you their method. It's all about body language, you and your horse, your body positioning, intent, positioning of your whip, foot movement, voice aids, energy, contact on the line, height if hands all come into play.

I love lunging, it is a great tool as part of a bigger training package. I do in hand work too. I started off learning some of this stuff from books and videos but feel I'm really progressing now I've found a trainer to keep my right too - recently she slightly changed my shoulder position during lunging and it has made a massive difference.

As far as lunging equipment goes, I use a cavesson, lunge line and lunge whip - nothing else.

Your horse will start to stretch down if you learn how to ask correctly without the use of an artificial aid.
 
Wheels said:
Do you have a trainer to help you? Lunging well is really an art form. I mean anyone can lunge and if you only use it as something to take the edge off a lively horse or to test for lameness then the basics of lunging are fine but it actually sounds like you want to get more from it than that in which case you need to find someone who is good at lunging to show you their method. It's all about body language, you and your horse, your body positioning, intent, positioning of your whip, foot movement, voice aids, energy, contact on the line, height if hands all come into play.

I love lunging, it is a great tool as part of a bigger training package. I do in hand work too. I started off learning some of this stuff from books and videos but feel I'm really progressing now I've found a trainer to keep my right too - recently she slightly changed my shoulder position during lunging and it has made a massive difference.

As far as lunging equipment goes, I use a cavesson, lunge line and lunge whip - nothing else.

Your horse will start to stretch down if you learn how to ask correctly without the use of an artificial aid.
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Ah thankyou for that. I do have a trainer, but I dont see her as often as I would like due to cost but it was her who advised the pessoa and other gadgets. Maybe it would be worth trying a new trainer.

To be honest I do think I'm quite good at lunging, I probably just need to lunge my horse a bit more with guidance. I am going to try the pessoa, may be not immediately but it might be worth a try.

Thanks for all your comments, I'm feeling all enthusiatic to try and get on with my horse. I'm sure there will be many more questions as I try to improve our overall way of going so bare with me!
 
On my TB I use use just a headcollar and lunge line. I do lots of leg yield work in walk and turns on the forehand, lots of transitions and she starts to carry herself beautifully after a while. (Pity she's injured again and off work for the foreseeable!). I detest gadgets such as pessoas and draw reins.
 
I stretch my boy on the lunge once or twice a week depending on how much time I have after work - he normally does 10mins each side.
I use a head collar now instead of a cavesson as I found the cavesson, no matter how tight I did it up, always pulled around and spun on his nose so the strap came up to his eye the otherwise - and he didn't seem to like the weight on the nose? So a loose head collar under my lunging bridle (just a snaffle, headpiece and browband) with the lunge line attached to the head collar. I then use a pair of draw reins over his back and up between his front legs to the bit to encourage him to stretch down. This has really helped him, I make sure he's working properly from behind and tracking up by flicking the whip behind him - my physio said to make sure you can see the muscles working along the top line to know you're doing any good! I can also lunge him without them on now and he will stretch down :)
He used to be an incredibly difficult horse to lunge - it was walk, little bit of trot and then full tilt gallop with bucking and general lunacy until he got away from me or got tired! I tried a Pessoa but he wouldn't tolerate it actually being tight enough to do anything - I think there was too much play in the mouth so he panicked and would go up or try to sit down! The method I'm using now has been the best way I have found of working with him, and now we very rarely have silly moments, can actually have sensibly cantering!!
For reference he is a 8yo big rangy TB :)
 
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Personally I never lunge, I prefer long lining as it encourages the horse to have the correct bend on the circle and you can do lots more on the lines. All you need are two lines and your bridle and saddle so it's cheaper than buying a lunge aid! Also you don't need to change the line over to change the rein, I hate all that messing around!
 
I had to do a lot of lunging this time last year when facilities for riding were lacking. My horse was rather stiff, and I found that the lunge sessions helped her ridden work.

I did put a post on here about how to lunge correctly, if you search you may find it.

Basically my horse was a stiff giraffe. She had to be lunged in a "gadget" otherwise she'd just have gone around with her nose stuck in the air, going hollow. Considering that this was her main form if exercise, she had to be working as correctly as I could get her.

I got some posts saying you shouldn't lunge in gadgets , teach the horse to stretch itself. I my case last year, this would have been totally counter productive, as it would have taken ages, and in the time my horse was "learning" she'd have built up even more unwanted muscle!

However what I did was between 2 and 3 sessions a week, consisting of a (rip-off version of) a kavalkade lunging aid, and lunging over poles. The draw rein method you can find on here does the same as the kavalkade. I think I tried a harbridge, and side reins (not together) so I wasn't using the same gadget all the time, but horse didn't like them do stuck to the plan above. Worked for me!
 
Always in a lunge cavesson, for safety and to develop quality work.

Generally I will have a saddle or lunging roller on the horse, plain single jointed snaffle bridle and leather side reins with no elastic or donuts.

Lunging from the bit can cause resistance problems as the line alters the action of the bit quite dramatically.

If I use any gadget it will be a Chambon to encourage the horse to lower its head.

The rest is up to the lunger to produce the quality work that assists correct muscular development.

Side reins teach the horse about contact and you can use your half halts as you would when riding, you cannot do this with the rein on the bit. Side reins are fitted so that when standing they just reach the bit, and are only used for trot work. The horse is driven forward into the contact, bend is improved by lightly stroking the horse with the end of the whip just behind the elbow.
 
I was always part of the old school and would use side reins, but recently I bought the whole package from Equi-Ami . This includes the lunging and riding kit plus the cavesson attachment to put a bit on it.

I have tried a Pessoa but find the Equi-Ami much better. I also often free school /lunge them with it on. I find it useful to help bring up good muscle and to make them stretch down and use their quarters.

I will use it twice a week as part of their fittening program.
 
Thank you for all your replies, it's really given me something to think about.

I'm really stuck on the cavesson. I've heard it puts too much weight on the horses head, but also that lunging from the bit can cause issues too. I might try and find a cheap one on ebay to try on my horse to see which he prefers. I think it's a bit of trial and error! I think it'll be 2 weeks before I start to lunge him anyway so time to do a bit more research!
 
justholdon said:
Thank you for all your replies, it's really given me something to think about.

I'm really stuck on the cavesson. I've heard it puts too much weight on the horses head, but also that lunging from the bit can cause issues too. I might try and find a cheap one on ebay to try on my horse to see which he prefers. I think it's a bit of trial and error! I think it'll be 2 weeks before I start to lunge him anyway so time to do a bit more research!
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Modern lunge caves sons are lightweights compared to the old leather ones. I look at that if the Spanish riding school use them then it's more than OK for my horse. SRS are the real masters at producing well schooled horses.

You will do no damage to your horse by using a proper lunge cavesson but you might damage your horses mouth by lunging from the bit.
 
Tnavas said:
Modern lunge caves sons are lightweights compared to the old leather ones. I look at that if the Spanish riding school use them then it's more than OK for my horse. SRS are the real masters at producing well schooled horses.

You will do no damage to your horse by using a proper lunge cavesson but you might damage your horses mouth by lunging from the bit.
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Ah, I've never thought of it like that. I'll have a hunt on eBay to see if I can grab a bargain.
 
Lunging is an art....not a science..... and there are IMO no prescriptive rights and wrongs....it depends on why you are lunging, what the problems are that you are trying to correct, what the horses current level of training is and what your experience level is. Sorry if that isn't particularly helpful but I have lunged horses productively off bridles, cavessons and headcollars, with side reins, with pessoas, with equi-amis, with draw reins, with chambons and with ****** all as well as combinations of all of the above ! :)
 
gunnergundog said:
Lunging is an art....not a science..... and there are IMO no prescriptive rights and wrongs....it depends on why you are lunging, what the problems are that you are trying to correct, what the horses current level of training is and what your experience level is. Sorry if that isn't particularly helpful but I have lunged horses productively off bridles, cavessons and headcollars, with side reins, with pessoas, with equi-amis, with draw reins, with chambons and with ****** all as well as combinations of all of the above ! :)
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Agree with you totally, from experience though there are few people able to lunge a horse properly.
 
My current horse I lunge off the bit (over the head). I very rarely use anything else, though sometimes have a roller and side-reins if I'm trying to correct something in particular. I prefer long-lining, but I find my cob goes very overbent if long-lined - it seems to be a habit and possibly to do with a failed / poor attempt at breaking him to harness before I got him. I have seen Pessoa-type gadgets work well for some horses but not for mine due to his type and conformation (he never sticks his head in the air or does giraffe impressions, tends to go too low rather than too high).

I find the main thing with mine is not to let him get bored on the lunge, so I do a lot of transitions, spirals, going large and then back to a circle etc. I would rarely trot him a single full 20m circle without doing something. Obviously its different with something hot that you are trying to settle.

I used to lunge a lot more in my previous yard as the school was surrounded by long grass inside the fence which made free-schooling rather frustrating (he just couldn't resist the lure of the grass!) so I would stick a lunge line on and essentially "free school" using body language etc but with the lunge line there as he wouldn't try to eat when wearing it. For that I just had the line on a standard headcollar.
 
justholdon said:
Hi everyone,

I've joined this forum to ask how people lunge their horse, and why? I'm interested in the pro's and con's of all the various different methods.

I'm hoping to lunge my horse a bit more in order to help build up muscle, particularly his top line, increase his fitness and possibly make him more attentive to voice commands.

I usually lunge in his normal tack, with a headcollar over his bridle, and the lunge line attached to that but I've realised that this method is probably ineffective and I don't lunge often at all at the moment.

I've just bought a pessoa type lunging aid after reading some positive ideas on that, so I need to buy a lunging roller. Is it also better to use a lunging cavesson or does that add too much weight to the front of the horses head/nose? What about side reins/draw reins?

I'm really interested in hearing peoples thoughts and ideas, it seems it's a bit of a minefield!
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I passed my BHS Stage 2 earlier this year and it was the first exam I had to be assessed on my lunging skills! Eeek. So taking from what I learnt from that and my personal opinion I think lunging is fantastic for breaking a young horse in, it get's them used to the feel of tack, it's a good building block for introducing long reining, it allows you to view the horses movement and confirmation without the craziness of free schooling, due to the intensity it exercises the horse well and you only have to do 10 mins on each rein, personally, if the weather is horrific I would rather lunge than ride, it gets the horse used to voice commands and body language.

I don't agree with doing it everyday, or doing it to a young or old horse (suffering with arthritis). I don't agree with lunging for more than 30 mins and i'm not a huge fan of training aids as I think working on a small circle is hard enough without having side reins on etc.

I know it was great for one of my horses as it took the edge off her and she wasn't as sharp to ride. It keeps them fit and gives them a break from working with the weight of a rider on board. You can introduce them to poles and jumps this way too.

I always lunge my horses especially if they're new so I can see how they move and what reaction i'm going to get. I like changing the size of the circle and doing pole exercises with them - such as fanning poles out so they have to adjust their strides. I always wear gloves and boots and a hat. I will lunge in a well fitted head collar or if lunging in their tack then I use the BHS way and remove the noseband and attach lunge line to a snug fitted cavesson. Only if I'm in a rush will I attach the line to the bit which I'm not keen on as sometimes the bit can slide through the mouth, especially with a young horse who hasn't done a lot of lunging.

Never used a pessoa or anything that fancy so can't comment.

Roller is great for starting a young horse off.

Hope that helps!
 
sparkeyhorse02 said:
I passed my BHS Stage 2 earlier this year and it was the first exam I had to be assessed on my lunging skills! Eeek. So taking from what I learnt from that and my personal opinion I think lunging is fantastic for breaking a young horse in, it get's them used to the feel of tack, it's a good building block for introducing long reining, it allows you to view the horses movement and confirmation without the craziness of free schooling, due to the intensity it exercises the horse well and you only have to do 10 mins on each rein, personally, if the weather is horrific I would rather lunge than ride, it gets the horse used to voice commands and body language.

I don't agree with doing it everyday, or doing it to a young or old horse (suffering with arthritis). I don't agree with lunging for more than 30 mins and i'm not a huge fan of training aids as I think working on a small circle is hard enough without having side reins on etc.

I know it was great for one of my horses as it took the edge off her and she wasn't as sharp to ride. It keeps them fit and gives them a break from working with the weight of a rider on board. You can introduce them to poles and jumps this way too.

I always lunge my horses especially if they're new so I can see how they move and what reaction i'm going to get. I like changing the size of the circle and doing pole exercises with them - such as fanning poles out so they have to adjust their strides. I always wear gloves and boots and a hat. I will lunge in a well fitted head collar or if lunging in their tack then I use the BHS way and remove the noseband and attach lunge line to a snug fitted cavesson. Only if I'm in a rush will I attach the line to the bit which I'm not keen on as sometimes the bit can slide through the mouth, especially with a young horse who hasn't done a lot of lunging.

Never used a pessoa or anything that fancy so can't comment.

Roller is great for starting a young horse off.

Hope that helps!
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Whoops, don't think i was too clear, I only start lunging mine from 3.5 - 4 yrs old as that's when i start breaking them. By a young horse I personally mean 2 years old and younger :)
 
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