Lungeing aids to improve topline - which to choose?

Mavis Cluttergusset

Mavis Cluttergusset

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I would like to lunge my horse a couple of times a week over the autumn/winter when daylight becomes more of a luxury. My main aim is to encourage her to start to work long and low as her natural carriage is more inclined towards giraffe-ness.

I have ruled out a lungie bungie as I have tried the YO's and it is no use at all, she is too short in the neck and too adept at avoiding it by sitting behind and above it. What I want is something to get her relaxing downwards, but there are a lot of gadgets out there.

What does everyone recommend? Im not a huge gadget fan, but I feel I need assistance, and if Im going to spend money it needs to be a kind but useful gadget that will help her out and help me achieve the result I want.
 
I think harbridge's are brilliant. If you have them nice and loose they dont restrict the horse at all - especially if its got elasticated parts. They're about £30 x
 
Am watching this one as my horse needs to do the same. She put her head in the correct place but not use her back end properly and is just very tense so needs to stretch and relax too.
 
Should have mentioned - I have just bought a harbridge with my ultimate lungeing aim in mind, but its a Libbys which clips to a hunting breastplate and its useless as its far too big, so is undergoing modifications to enable it to be clipped to a loop through the girth, to shorten it, as I type!!
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Have you noticed a positive change since using the pessoa? I have a dumb question - if the horse has a daft 5 minutes wearing a pessoa, does it catch itself in the mouth?
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My mare often hoons around for the first few canter transitions and I don't want to end up making her back off even more.
 
Real thing of course im not a cheap skate!!! but mainly because if it didnt work and I had the cheap one, I would blame the fact that it is not the real thing!

Ro hoons as well but gets used to it quickly....
 
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Pessoa

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I second Victoria although I bought the Whittaker version.
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My friend's horse always bucks when she first goes on lunge but if pessoa is on first setting it's not an issue
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Are pessoa's as complicated as they look? I'm a little worried there is the potential to do more harm than good unless you get the adjustment correct!

Getting my chap sufficiently forward on the lunge is difficult, can a pessoa be effect if he's backing off - he's a master at avoiding real work.

Sorry Mavis, asking questions on your Post.
 
Another vote for Pessoa and work her with the lines between her front legs, ( you'll understand once you have it fitted) I am sure there are good ' copies' out there. ask around.

My mare is the same as yours, prefers to look at the stars. She does take her time to relax and work properly in the pessoa and usually after a bit of a hoolie too. Your horse won't necessarily jab herself in the mouth if she has a mad moment but will pull against herself as the breeching strap will engage her hindlegs!!

I have used mine with success on several different types of horses and always found it to be a good piece of equipment.
 
Pessoa - although I bought a non-real one ( :-) ) Ped's couldn't woprk out that I wanted him to walk forward for a short while and we ended up doing some gorgeous shoulder in's, but I noticed him a lot longer and lower within about 5, 10min, and am thrilled how well he's taken too it - and still giggling over his confuddled face when we first started!!!! I'm still using the lowest setting
 
EquiAmi- No faffing like the pessoa and rewards immediately when horse becomes round- effectively allowing the horse to carry itself rather than 'pulled' round
 
Old fashioned chambon, genuinely encourages stretching and self balance. It also doesn't catch the horse in the mouth everytime it goes forward.
 
I use the Topflyte, which is a fake Pessoa and about £40 on eBay. It does encourage and reward 'long and low' on its loosest setting, and you can then progress to roundness by adjusting the settings. My horse often has a daft moment when first on the lunge but I've never noticed the 'Pessoa' jabbing him in the mouth.
 
I too have the topflyte from ebay. I use it on my traditional and the clydesdale and it does work very well.

I start very loose and work up and do no more than 20 mins start to finish. I also only do 3 mins each rein when starting out and built up to 10 mins each rein over 6 weeks.
 
Draw rein over the back, and then between the front legs and clipped to the bit on either side, so its a bit like the harbridge but with the rein over the back where a roller would go
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Works really well on getting them to engage their tummys and drop their necks
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