ignoring "whoa" when lunging

[margaretb]

Any ideas or suggestions on how to get P to stop when lunging?
she is ignoring the "and whoa" command which is slightly alarming! I do persevere until she does but obviously not satisfactory!

 

[Silmarillion]

I find different horses respond to different commands, depending on what they're taught. Some respond to "stand" rather than "woah". I'd suggest trying a few until you hit the one that works. I assume you're also putting your body in front of the movement and stop driving with the whip? If she doesn't turn in, you can also put the lunge whip in front of her.

 

[swampdonkey]

not a lunging expert by any means but we potter along, what worked for me were small half halts on the lunge line while saying woah, and reinforcing it when you ride so that she learns the word.
People that really know what they are doing will prob be able to suggest more.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Use two lunge lines and attach to the bit. i use a long low noise like a siren to halt.

 

[margaretb]

I find different horses respond to different commands, depending on what they're taught. Some respond to "stand" rather than "woah". I'd suggest trying a few until you hit the one that works. I assume you're also putting your body in front of the movement and stop driving with the whip? If she doesn't turn in, you can also put the lunge whip in front of her.

Could you clarify what you mean by putting my body in front of the movement?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

I practiced while leading my grey to and from her field. So everytime we halted I said 'Floss, whoa... and stand,' then when we moved off again it was with a 'Floss, walk on.' (Similar thing for trotting in-hand.)

I got her as yearling and I lunged her a little bit as a three 1/2 year old and much to my surprise, she did every voice command perfectly.

So in my experiance it takes about two years of practice to get perfect 'whoas' on the lunge.

 

[Silmarillion]

Normally you would be a triangle - the horse being one side, the lunge line the second, and the whip pointing at horse's bottom the third side. You, as a point of the triangle, should be facing the horse's middle. In order to drive the horse forwards, you bring yourself behind the horse ever so slightly by changing the angles in the triangle. To slow or stop the forward movement, you bring yourself slightly more towards the horse's head.

Some people are taught to stay on the spot when lunging and others are taught to move in a small circle themselves. I am one of the "walk in a circle" lungers and the above translates as me either walking level with the horse to maintain speed, walking towards the quarters to increase speed or make an upward transition (depending on the voice command I use) or walking towards the horse's head to decrease speed or make a downward transition.

Sorry if that sounds confusing, it's hard to word! If I had my laptop with me I'd draw you a diagram or three!

I hope that helps

 

[margaretb]

I practiced while leading my grey to and from her field. So everytime we halted I said 'Floss, whoa... and stand,' then when we moved off again it was with a 'Floss, walk on.' (Similar thing for trotting in-hand.)

I got her as yearling and I lunged her a little bit as a three 1/2 year old and much to my surprise, she did every voice command perfectly.

So in my experiance it takes about two years of practice to get perfect 'whoas' on the lunge.

Thank you, I used to give the voice commands when leading but must start again!

 

[margaretb]

Normally you would be a triangle - the horse being one side, the lunge line the second, and the whip pointing at horse's bottom the third side. You, as a point of the triangle, should be facing the horse's middle. In order to drive the horse forwards, you bring yourself behind the horse ever so slightly by changing the angles in the triangle. To slow or stop the forward movement, you bring yourself slightly more towards the horse's head.

Some people are taught to stay on the spot when lunging and others are taught to move in a small circle themselves. I am one of the "walk in a circle" lungers and the above translates as me either walking level with the horse to maintain speed, walking towards the quarters to increase speed or make an upward transition (depending on the voice command I use) or walking towards the horse's head to decrease speed or make a downward transition.

Sorry if that sounds confusing, it's hard to word! If I had my laptop with me I'd draw you a diagram or three!

I hope that helps

No, that's brilliant thank you, makes perfect sense, I shall try it tomorrow. I think I have been getting a bit careless with my body posiitioning.

 

[milliepops]

No, that's brilliant thank you, makes perfect sense, I shall try it tomorrow. I think I have been getting a bit careless with my body posiitioning.

going in front of the movement is the really effective aid with my mare when lunging. I also find that as she is slowing down, if I make a deliberate gesture to stand still (gently stomp one foot down and then the other, if that makes sense and then stop walking) while I say 'Staaaaaaand' then she sees that as a cue and stops perfectly

 

[Honey08]

Yes another vote for stepping forward and getting ahead of them. To me it hardly matters what you say, its the tone of your voice and the body language.. We used to lunge italian horses in english, and they knew what we wanted very quickly..

With something very stubborn I would step forward and slightly push them towards the corner of the school to slow them down, at the same time getting more in front of the movement.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I suggest you do some ground work , ie: some lead rein in the school asking her to stop using the lead rope and saying whoa at the same time. Its what we use in western. By using the word at the same time as action, means the horse associates the word with that command. It might take her or him a few goes to do it, but patience is a virtue.. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Bobbly]

When I lunge my boys I don't just ask them to go around in circles but move up and down the school while doing so, making ovals, gradually shortening the line and spiralling in and out and if they just won't halt you can come down to walk and quietly shorten the line and ask them to stop in front of the fence, much praise, then slowly and eventually they will hopefully understand what you mean and you can ask on the circle instead.

 

[milliepops]

With something very stubborn I would step forward and slightly push them towards the corner of the school to slow them down, at the same time getting more in front of the movement.

Wasn't sure how desperate the OP was getting, I've walked mine into the fence once or twice when she just didn't 'get it'

 

[Meowy Catkin]

We used to lunge italian horses in english, and they knew what we wanted very quickly..

Now you're just showing off! You and your multilingual horses.

 

[RobinHood]

Try putting your lunge whip and line into one hand and raising the other hand similar to a 'stop' signal. I use the hand nearest the horse's head and it's worked for every horse I've ever lunged.

 

[SGCR]

Use 2 lines ( more control and the encourages horses to work from behind and in a more balanced way) I click once for walk twice for trot a high pitch rasberry noise for canter and woah for stop, just in walk first get them to stop if they wont get them to back step ull find you have more control with 2 lines xxx

 

[amandap]

You, as a point of the triangle, should be facing the horse's middle. In order to drive the horse forwards, you bring yourself behind the horse ever so slightly by changing the angles in the triangle. To slow or stop the forward movement, you bring yourself slightly more towards the horse's head.

Body positioning in relation to the horse is so important. It is so easy to block the horse (get too far forward) or as described here, drive the horse (too far back). If you play with your position you will see how it affects her.
Good advice Silmarillon and also about actually teaching 'whoa' in hand by other posters.

ps. Speed can be controlled with your 'energy'. Get tall and feel motivated and speed should increase, breathe out and relax and speed will slow. All this stuff is great to learn and practice, eye contact is another 'tool'.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

B did this today, persistent trot syndrome, most unlike him!

I gave a gentle tug on the lunge like a half halt to make him listen and I got quite loud. I also hid the lunge whip: if I pick it up after sorting myself out, he goes faster

I find reeling him in also helps because he's used to being let put further and further when asked for a faster pace. Walk can be quite a short line then he gradually has more line for trot, canter.

Be firm, don't let her away with the ignoring.

I had to learn the German commands pretty quick cos my Hanoverian X import ignored English voice commands!

 

[Honey08]

Wasn't sure how desperate the OP was getting, I've walked mine into the fence once or twice when she just didn't 'get it'

Lol. So have I. I was just putting it politely!

Now you're just showing off! You and your multilingual horses.

They had to be - you should have heard my dodgy italian!

Use 2 lines ( more control and the encourages horses to work from behind and in a more balanced way) I click once for walk twice for trot a high pitch rasberry noise for canter and woah for stop, just in walk first get them to stop if they wont get them to back step ull find you have more control with 2 lines xxx

I'm adoring the blowing a raspberry at them for canter!!

 

[henryhorn]

Use a roller and two lunge reins. They soon learn to stop and you can then go back to one rein if you wish.

 

[the watcher]

I would also go with the two lunge lines.

Mine all understand a whistle (it is understood in all languages!) as their signal for stop or slow down, it means I can control their paces even when not attached to them by a lunge line

 

[Littlelegs]

Other thing is are you lowering your voice at the end of the whoa? Rather than raising it at the end like you would for an upward transistion? I tend to trill myself as even if your hanging half off their back with one knee over the saddle you still automatically lower your voice at the end. And works for any downward transitions (and language!)

 

[4x4]

Do any of you guys canter with 2 reins - I am thinking of joining 2 together to make the circle bigger for a large youngster who needs to start a bit of canter work.

 

[margaretb]

B did this today, persistent trot syndrome, most unlike him!

I gave a gentle tug on the lunge like a half halt to make him listen and I got quite loud. I also hid the lunge whip: if I pick it up after sorting myself out, he goes faster

I find reeling him in also helps because he's used to being let put further and further when asked for a faster pace. Walk can be quite a short line then he gradually has more line for trot, canter.

Be firm, don't let her away with the ignoring.

I had to learn the German commands pretty quick cos my Hanoverian X import ignored English voice commands!

Oh yes! I can relate to this ! I did find a very loud "Oi"! seemed to make her listen!
Thank you everyone for your advice. Much appreciated.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Do any of you guys canter with 2 reins - I am thinking of joining 2 together to make the circle bigger for a large youngster who needs to start a bit of canter work.

I do use two reins, I have to as he does not use himself properly with one, but is only offering a relaxed canter on the lunge four years after initial backing [now aged eight], and after quite a bit of re-schooling this year, increasing his strength behind, and bending his body.
After trotting on a 15 to twenty metre circle on both reins to warm up, we lunge ten minutes on a 10 to 12 metre circle every day, with contact on the bit, trotting.
He has his formal [BHSII] lesson once a week, proper schooling mostly at the trot, but increasingly at the canter. Mostly twenty metre circles, but we started with 30 metre rectangles, including tiny cross poles to do the trot to canter transition.
He was finding it difficult to balance himself, and has need a lot of flat-work to counter this and teach him that he can self carriage, he is not a slow learner, just takes the easy way out, motoring round corners and running at the trot if he is not listening to me, or is ridden by someone who does not ask him to use his energy correctly.
My reins are padded and fairly long, I also know he will not panic with the reins at all. I would not want to risk any longer reins as it is already quite a handful if he takes off, he is very used to long reins, and never panics due to reins, but can p### off if a bit excited.
I don't believe in forcing a horse to canter if he is not offering it, for one reason it can strain the joints in youngsters, in my case he is half trotter and rather narrow, so is easily unbalanced.
Yours is big horse so will be a slow maturing type, you just have to be patient and build up his overall strength and balance with grid-work and with hacking over natural country. Even if he will lunge happily and effectively on long reins I would only do a little, the trouble is that if they have any sort of hissy fit, you have to keep working though it and this can cause injuries, and not help with the canter.
Sorry post is so long and convoluted, but I prefer to hack out and do little canters in straight lines at this age, help with his confidence and relaxation.
Oh, and if you are in danger of him running away, make sure you hold him on the inside rein: in an emergency situation as long as he is going round in a circle the outside rein will not tangle in his legs.
I forgot to say, you can "extend" the diameter of the circle by walking round in a small circle yourself, rather than extending the reins.
I think that covers everything I know about long reining, oh of course you may need to use the outside rein to support him on one rein, and the inside rein to support him on the other... one reason for using two reins is to ask for the "bend"

 

[PandorasJar]

I say stand very firmly and loud for a complete halt, steady for a slow down. Different tones for each movement too so they are very clear. Off the lunge line stand was reinforced before treating in the field and everytome I stopped on the leadrope
Pan

 

[SGCR]

Lol. So have I. I was just putting it politely!



They had to be - you should have heard my dodgy italian!



I'm adoring the blowing a raspberry at them for canter!!

I didnt really know how to explain it you know the high pitch crossed between a rasberry and
a giddyup ahaha only me then :0