Long and Low - Your tips and exercises please!

[VioletStripe]

So after a very very tiring, but very very good lesson today, where we worked on long and low, I would like some advice and tips please! My 5yo has got the basics established and has good quality paces, but he definitely needs to stretch down into the contact and just relax a bit more! If anyone has any tips and exercises they like, that would be fabulous Also if anything on the lunge would be good? We often lunge with side reins, and I was wondering if there was a different way you could fix them? Will be giving the 'Kerilli lungeing method' a go, and my friend has offered to let me borrow her pessoa as well... Just really would like to throw ourselves into it now it's summer and we have more time Iced tea and fairy cakes if you've read, and have another if you can offer any advice xx

 

[scribble]

my mare is also 5 yr old warmblood xtb and i switched trainers to Malcolm Haulthousen 2 months ago and he immediately put us in bungee reins as she went along with head up in the air and nose poked out. i must say it has done wonders for her. they are elastic so not forced like draw reins and just make it easier for you and more work for the horse. they are around £8

 

[horsemadelsie]

I bought a set of elastic bungee things for my boy, he's a welsh cob so is built quite upright, and he was going ok after a few months of being backed, but he just wouldn't stretch down- one lunge session with these on and he was going beautifully! Now when I pick up a contact he goes down into it not up against it. I don't usually like using 'gadgets' but I think a length of elastic for such quick results is worth it- I could see him really stretching and working over his back, so I knew it was improving him rather than restricting his movement

 

[wallykissmas]

Another vote for elastics, cobby is 5 and spent time looking at the sun have lunged him for nearly a week with them and then took them off today . He spent most of trot with his nose in the sand but was an improvement compared to where he was.

When they are in the right position the elastics don't do anything which I prefer.

 

[Kamakazegirl]

I've been working on long and low with my RI for a few months now as i got my boy as a very very green 5yo and he's getting much better at it now. To start off with we did the 'circle game' where i rode him on a circle with a normal length rein and used a right rein brake give and release to keep him soft and round and then gradually let out the rein, giving him a rein brake if he resists, until he is low enough. Then when he is listening and really stretching we do different movements-surpentines, shallow loops, squares, transitions etc. My RI also swears my using the pessoa to reinforce this, although i havent personally used it, as he tends to get very whizzy on the lunge so its more constructive for me to just ride him! x