long reining is it hard?

[Dogbetty141]

to do my boy is on box rest at the mo but i thought once i am allowed to ride him again 2 months yay should i try a bit of long reining! isnt it good to get ground respect as well! Not that he is naughty not really up on long reining could anyone give me tips and advice or to just not bother\!

 

[zoesophie]

We are doing it at the mo to start bringing our boy back into work after 9 months off! I used to use it on a driving pony and found it really useful. All I would say is make sure you get two quite thick lunge ropes so you can hold on to them easier and if you can do it without a whip its one less thing you have to think about!

I do it with a roller but I think some prefer to use a saddle but think its a personal choice TBH. Ive been doing it for a few weeks, working up from 5 mins to about 20ish mins before I get on soon but will continue doing it once riding too. Once youve done it a few times it becomes easier and is great to get them working correctly.

Hope that helps.

 

[Dogbetty141]

Thanks was thinking about doing it once i can start riding him again once a week and just walk hacking out the rest! It does help build muscles up doesnt it as dont want to risk lunging as he may go mad and not really allowed to at first may cause a hernia! thanks tho sounds like a good idea! HE will have had just over 4 months off work!

 

[Gorgeous George]

I do it with George and it's hysterical as I always seem to get in horrendous tangle at the start! George is great, he sees me flapping and stops whilst I sort myself out! I only do it in the school and it's great as you can do all sorts of things, turns, figure of 8's etc. It's really tiring though as you have to walk (run) a lot especially if your school is quite deep. I've not braved canter yet as I'm not sure I could keep up with George!

 

[vieshot]

I do it with a saddle and put the lunge reins through the stirrups so they feel them against their sides when you give the aid to walk on. Id be more likly to do it than lunging as lunging can be hard work for a horse, especially bringing it back into work.

 

[zoesophie]

Yeah it does help a lot with muscles especially like our two if they have been of work. I think Id rather start this way than get my big fat bum on top of him

I started in the school but now walk round the field with him some times. Only trouble is he is so big (17.1hh) that I can only see his bum when Im right behind him so he takes advantage and has a snack

, so I try to say just one side of him when in the field so I can keep my i on him

He cant trot yet but when we can Ill long rein him but stay more in the middle of the school so he does the work and I do and little walking as possible

Hope you have fun and keep us posted.

 

[SouthWestWhippet]

It is one of those things that is easy once you have the knack. My boss makes it look effortless but I tend to get in a bit of a muddle with my ropes LOL it helps if you have an understanding horse and not a neurotic youngster to practice on which is all I had

My boss recomends that you put a headcollar over the bridle and fix the two reins to both the bit AND the metal bits at the side of the nosepiece on the heacollar, so that if you get in a muddle at first you can't pull on the horse's mouth too hard by accident. Also I tend to run the long reins through the stirrups and ties the stirrups together under the saddle which makes it easier to keep the ropes under control.

the hardest bit I found was getting the 'flip over' with the outside rein at the start. The number of times I flipped it onto my horse's backside causing him to leap forward LOL. At least when it came to backing him he was used to anything crashing around his back

 

[Dogbetty141]

thanks for all the help guys will let you know when i start doing it i am def gonna give it a go as it sounds fun and will be a lot lighter work for him also! and i think he may have fun! He is honest and wont be an idiot so why not give it a go hey! Itl be 2 months time but will keep you all posted!!x