Jesstickle
Well-Known Member
Nits has learned walk, trot, woah in two sessions. I am a bit freaked out by how bright she is. Mine have always taken much longer than that to work it out before!
how long did yours take to learn to lunge?
- Thread starter Jesstickle
- Start date
JenHunt
Well-Known Member
Ron's 17 and I'm still waiting for him to get it 
..... he just gets cross with it and stands and looks at you. If you push him on he goes up, or buggers off. Little swine. though, tbf, it's not something I ever really do unless I can't physically ride for some reason.
..... he just gets cross with it and stands and looks at you. If you push him on he goes up, or buggers off. Little swine. though, tbf, it's not something I ever really do unless I can't physically ride for some reason.
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MiJodsR2BlinkinTite
Well-Known Member
Mine's 15: and is still a fruitloop at it! Probably me though ....
Pale Rider
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by fluffalina
Hi - a lot of western horses are worked in round pens, which are really common in the US, and most of the good western training facilities in the UK will have one, so you tend to find that round penning is generally used more than lunging.
That said, lunging is very useful when training the western horse, and the basics are more or less the same.
There is one big difference though. Because the western horse is asked to take a lot of responsibility when being ridden (for example, we ask for the gait and speed theni the horse continues until cued otherwise) and we don't micro manage, we need to set that up on the lunge also. So if we ask our horse to lope on the lunge, for instance, once he is loping we don't continually talk to him, and give him layers of instruction, something I have noticed that a lot of English riders tend to do. The idea is that you cue the command, the horse does what he is asked, and you don't have to keep asking while he is doing what you have asked him to do. If you can instil this in the young horse, that will carry over when he is being ridden.
The other thing you need to be aware of is to try to replicate the voice commands that will be used when he is under saddle. Generally most people use 'walk on', with a cluck sound for trot/jog and a kiss sound for canter/lope. To stop is 'whoa', and you should aim to have him stop from a lope in a stride, pick up the lope from walk, and generally do everything you'd expect him to do under saddle.
If you lunge from a rope halter you can turn him on the move (we rarely use cavessons etc) toward you (in a round pen we usually would want the horse to turn in when changing direction, rather than outwards, as it's more respectful to have their head toward you, rather than their back end!)
Hope this is of some help.....!
This was posted earlier this year, it is to my mind an excellent post.
Originally Posted by fluffalina
Hi - a lot of western horses are worked in round pens, which are really common in the US, and most of the good western training facilities in the UK will have one, so you tend to find that round penning is generally used more than lunging.
That said, lunging is very useful when training the western horse, and the basics are more or less the same.
There is one big difference though. Because the western horse is asked to take a lot of responsibility when being ridden (for example, we ask for the gait and speed theni the horse continues until cued otherwise) and we don't micro manage, we need to set that up on the lunge also. So if we ask our horse to lope on the lunge, for instance, once he is loping we don't continually talk to him, and give him layers of instruction, something I have noticed that a lot of English riders tend to do. The idea is that you cue the command, the horse does what he is asked, and you don't have to keep asking while he is doing what you have asked him to do. If you can instil this in the young horse, that will carry over when he is being ridden.
The other thing you need to be aware of is to try to replicate the voice commands that will be used when he is under saddle. Generally most people use 'walk on', with a cluck sound for trot/jog and a kiss sound for canter/lope. To stop is 'whoa', and you should aim to have him stop from a lope in a stride, pick up the lope from walk, and generally do everything you'd expect him to do under saddle.
If you lunge from a rope halter you can turn him on the move (we rarely use cavessons etc) toward you (in a round pen we usually would want the horse to turn in when changing direction, rather than outwards, as it's more respectful to have their head toward you, rather than their back end!)
Hope this is of some help.....!
This was posted earlier this year, it is to my mind an excellent post.
teddyt
Well-Known Member
Ive had some like yours OP- very quick, even if learning to lunge at an older age. Others have been frustrating to the point of making me want to scream and have taken months.
ILuvCowparsely
Well-Known Member
you can make your own round pen we have out of heras fencing allot cheaper
SavingGrace
Well-Known Member
Holly got the idea of going round in circles quite quickly it was controlling the speed/pace that was the problem but 2yrs down the line she now walks, trots and canters on command she knows the aid BIG trot/canter and LITTLE trot/canter and she stays in the pace until I ask her to change 
claireandnadia
Well-Known Member
We attempted a few times with our shetland but so far he just doesn't get it. Have given up for a while but will be trying again.
Jesstickle
Well-Known Member
We had a lunge pit (round pen) to start our breakers in at work (TBs). I actually don't like being in a confined space like that with an unpredictable youngster. If they kick off or come at you (which the odd one did) there was no where to get out of the way.
I'm happy just teaching her down one end of the school. Much safer!
Anywho, apparently she is some kind of horse genius. lol
I'm happy just teaching her down one end of the school. Much safer!
Anywho, apparently she is some kind of horse genius. lol
CeeBee
Well-Known Member
Harvey just won't. He either just stands there looking at me like I'm stupid or walks in to me. Is not remotely bothered by the lunge whip, very frustrating. Any tips?
Pale Rider
Well-Known Member
The big mistake most make is chasing them in circles with a whip. Why train a horse to run away from you?
In essence, if you don't know how to do this or can't, leave it to someone who can, or learn.
LaurenBay
Well-Known Member
Around 7 sessions. She now walk trots and canters. Have also started introducing small jumps to her as she hasn't jumped since Nov (Shes just turned 6) She went through a stage off turning in but that is now sorted (Horray) and now we are slowly introducing side reins
competitiondiva
Well-Known Member
one of mine took 5 mins to grasp the concept of going around me, and 10 mins to get the idea of walk and trot commands. the second one (a warmblood so you have to give him certain allowances!! lol!) took about 3 x 10 min sessions to get the above.
Jesstickle
Well-Known Member
If he really doesn't get it I would enlist a helper to walk by his head on the outside of the circle. You lunge totally as normal and the helper keeps him out stops him/starts him on your voice commands. When he appears to get it, they can take a step further out and carry on. they move further and further away and eventually drop away completely. Will probably take more than two sessions but he'll clock it eventually.
FWIW this is only what I would do and I am by no means an expert!
Jesstickle
Well-Known Member
Hehe. My warmblood lunges very nicely but I dread to think how long it took whoever taught him to get him that way. He isn't a bright boy! He still won't 'woah' properly now and he's six
Why is the whoa always the hardest to teach?
ThePinkPony
Well-Known Member
Well, P had literally been 'lunged' on the end of a scabby slightly longer leadrope, not really properly at all, about twice, so when i turned up with a line and a whip i wasnt hoping for great things.
After saying hello to the nice purple whip i brought her out, clipped on the line and had her walk from me using the whip as encouragement. Then tapped the grass and she got going, reluctantly as the grass was SO yummy. she had a bit of a spook when she stepped over the rope high enough to make a ballet dancer jealous, but after that we began again and went from walk to trot on command, back to walk and then whoa on a perfect 20 metre.
Her owner was shocked, i was chuffed and she looked suitably respectful. I dont think it will take more than a couple of lessons to get her sharp on it. cant wait!
After saying hello to the nice purple whip i brought her out, clipped on the line and had her walk from me using the whip as encouragement. Then tapped the grass and she got going, reluctantly as the grass was SO yummy. she had a bit of a spook when she stepped over the rope high enough to make a ballet dancer jealous, but after that we began again and went from walk to trot on command, back to walk and then whoa on a perfect 20 metre.
Her owner was shocked, i was chuffed and she looked suitably respectful. I dont think it will take more than a couple of lessons to get her sharp on it. cant wait!
Warmblood39
Well-Known Member
My horse is now 13 but when I got him he was 12 but he was a nightmare lunging, kept falling over all the time!!! Then he would get really excited and bronco around the school ...........but after time and patience we finally cured it and now we can lunge successfully with no horse on the floor!!
Good luck with your lunging!! xx
Good luck with your lunging!! xx
LiveryList
Well-Known Member
Ellie amazed me. I did not even intend to start lunging her. I took her in the school to loose jump her for the first time in January and it was- some might say- terrible. She decided she would just run randomly about so i put her on a lunge line and she immediately started going in perfect circles so i knocked the jumping on the head and took it as a signal she was ready to start her education! I now lunge her or long rein her 3-4 times a week.
She has been easily lungeable in walk, trot and canter, trotting and canter poles and small jumps with and without side reins for the last couple of months and have taught her to long rein at the same time which she will lunge off of as well. I dotn even have to lunge her with a whip anymore
She has never been phased by anything but she can have off days where she'll veer to the gate or just be a pickle and pretend to be deaf but generally given she has only just turned 3 and has only been being lunged for 5 months she is better than many of the other mature horses i have had before who were supposed to knwo what they were doing
She has been easily lungeable in walk, trot and canter, trotting and canter poles and small jumps with and without side reins for the last couple of months and have taught her to long rein at the same time which she will lunge off of as well. I dotn even have to lunge her with a whip anymore
She has never been phased by anything but she can have off days where she'll veer to the gate or just be a pickle and pretend to be deaf but generally given she has only just turned 3 and has only been being lunged for 5 months she is better than many of the other mature horses i have had before who were supposed to knwo what they were doing