Long rein lateral work

[BBP]

Any tips on teaching lateral work on long reins? We have the basic go forward, rein back and steering. Under saddle we have the basics, leg yield, shoulder in, traverse, half pass. Wondering how to transfer this to long reining when you take away the seat and leg aids. Do you carry a schooling whip to act as an extra aid? It’s so long since I had a proper long reining lesson with a true schoolmaster that I have forgotten everything!

 

[IamMe]

I'd like to know too, I've got at least a month of long reining for injury rehab and thought I could teach her some bits and pieces whilst we are at it.

 

[ihatework]

I don’t know about on long reins because I’m not particularly proficient in that department, but it’s perfectly possible on double reins stood up by their shoulder. I taught my 4yo LY and baby SI & Travers this summer like that. I used a schooling whip as a leg aid.

 

[BBP]

Thanks. My trainer does a lot of work with double reins up by the neck/shoulder, and I’ve managed a bit of shoulder in and traverse that way. But I find he drops behind the contact a bit and loses the push from behind, so I tried moving to more Vienna style near the hind quarters and have found he steps under a lot better and works better into the contact (which is what we are trying to achieve for his back) but I’ve lost a bit of finesse for laterals. But I didn’t have a whip so I’ll try that this morning.

I’m trying to work with a few styles, at the shoulder, Vienna style, french and also liberty, to see where I get the best results. And to keep us both interested whilst he is broken.

 

[Littlebear]

Invest in an in hand whip (look up piaffe whip) when searching, so much easier to do in hand work with a proper length whip x

 

[scruffyponies]

Any tips on teaching lateral work on long reins? We have the basic go forward, rein back and steering. Under saddle we have the basics, leg yield, shoulder in, traverse, half pass. Wondering how to transfer this to long reining when you take away the seat and leg aids. Do you carry a schooling whip to act as an extra aid? It’s so long since I had a proper long reining lesson with a true schoolmaster that I have forgotten everything!

I teach my driving ponies to move laterally away from a whip placed lightly on their bum (wiggled slightly, if they don't get it right away). It's extraordinarily useful for turning a carriage around in a tight space. To this day I have no idea if that's the correct way to teach them, but it works for me.