Lungeing advice please

[WandaMare]

wondered if anyone could help, my mare is 7 years old, nice to handle, works well ridden in the school and hacking, but is really difficult to lunge. She will walk round me happily on the circle but as soon as i ask for trot, she starts shaking her head sideways, humping her shoulders, does a couple of steps of trot then walks again. I have tried being really assertive with my body language, tapping her on her bum with the lunge whip (she doesn't take much notice) and i ve put a small jump up which she just pops over then walks again!

Shes a cob cross WB, moves nicely forward when ridden and is exercised 5 or 6 times each week so she shouldnt be finding it so difficult.

Any ideas and advice much appreciated

 

[VJMay]

Try borrowing a good rider and lunge her with someone on top who can ride her forwards and help you keep her trot active, once she has accepted this ask the rider to do less and less until you can take them off and hopefully she will continue to lunge without a rider.
Good luck!

 

[Carsmore]

have you tried long reining her? Sometimes makes it easier to drive them forwards. once they are forwards you can lunge on 2 reins

 

[WandaMare]

thanks guys, i haven't tried those ideas so will have a go. my last horse used to work quite happily forward on the lunge so i never needed to do much except concentrate on how he was working, haven't much experience of this

Now the days are getting shorter it would be great to be able lunge a couple of times a week to vary her work in the school, thanks for your replies xx

 

[mickey]

I'm with VJM, get a rider on board - I would, however, be inclined to ask the rider to get your horse going really forward and off the leg and don't slow this down over time because I think this could be giving the wrong message. The rider willl have to be really disciplined with not letting the horse get away with slowing down of it's own accord. Then try the same forward approach (with your already used assertive body language). Perhaps another 'lunger' with whip slightly further back from your position (so driving more from behind) might also give an added effect.