long reining

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Vicki_Krystal

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hi
my new horse is 5 and unbroken/ just backed.
when i say backed someone has plonked tack on his back and jumped on! so he has no idea what the whole bit thing is!
ive tried long reining him which i have done hundreds of times with other youngsters but he freaks out.
ive taught him to lunge which he doesnt mind but he just freaks when i long rein him. ive tried somone walking at his head but he just ploughs through them.
im beginning to wonder if someone has tried this with him before and scared him as i dont know why at aged 5 he is unbroken.
he is the sweetest natured horse and i have started riding him but i have lack of steering and without long reining him how do i teach him the whole steering thing!!???!!!!
 
Take him out with another experienced horse if possible so he has a guide - then you can use a very open 'baby' rein coupled with voice and leg aids to teach him to steer and he'll pick it up by association.


So he follows the other horse around a left corner - you use open left rein and leg aids he will get it very quickly. Be consistent and he'll soon figure it out. Young horses are like sponges as I'm sure you know.

Incidentally I've never used long reins when I've broken youngsters - I know its very good and I'd love to get more skilled at it [I can long rein my old mare] - but due to time constraints/ proprietors wishes etc it's always been a case of teach it to lunge - get a saddle on it - get a rider on it - then take it out hacking for a while til the basics [steering, straight lines etc] kick in [not literally].

thats a rather crude way of describing it - obviously its a gentle, subtle process but you catch my drift.
 
Have you tried lunging the horse in double reins? If you can get the horse accepting the double reins then you can gradually move your body position until you are completely behind him. As he sounds pretty sensitive this could take a few weeks.
 
i am lunging him with 2 reins but as soon as i get behind him to long rein he freaks and runs off.
i have had horses run off before out of babyness but never out of fear like this one

humphrey,
i tried that game today but with him following the other half on foot! he sort of got it but then got bored with the whole thing!
 
It will be tricky if you don't have another horse he can follow - even if your other half just leads it? Humans are very boring and won't be as interesting as following another beastie but even 10 mins a day will pay dividends after a while - just stop before he gets bored.

Or possibly have someone experienced hold the lunge with you on board - then you can teach him the basics in the school if you have one?
 
You say you can double rein lunge him and he's fine. So when does he start to freak out? Can you walk him on the double lunge and gradually move into a position where you're more to the side of him, and then move very slowly further back? Each time go to the extent of his comfort level and then back to where he's working well and just try and increase each time?
 
I couldn't long rein one of mine and had no other horse to follow, so the steering business was a bit hit and miss.

I just did things like lay a line of poles on the ground, so she had a tunnel to walk through and then had them going round corners and did an exaggerated open the rein for her to follow. And bending round cones, and through trees etc.

To be honest apart from that which we did on occasion, I never thought much of it, as babies wobble about a bit anyway don't they?
 
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