Lungeing issue - Overbent even on long side reins?

[Flibble]

I am having a few lungeing issues with side reins basically when I attach the side reins he starts trotting around with his nose in front of the vertical fairly relaxed what you would call nose poking.

When I up the pace and start getting him really active he lowers his head and puts his nose behind the vertical but keeping the side reins taut but then opens his mouth a bit.

The first time this happened I had the side reains attached to the saddle at buckle height.

The next time I was using a lungeing roller and they were a little higher.

If I use side reins lower he drops his head really low to the pint where I was worried he would get a leg cxaught up?

Thought please ?

Questions you might ask

The side reins have elastic inserts.

The side reins are fairly long so dont Krank his head in he seems to do this himself.

 

[oldvic]

Sounds like he is losing his balance and leaning on the side reins to support himself. My initial thought was that if he is behind the vertical and the side reins are taut then they are too tight, but if he is overbalancing then slow him down and ask him to bring his pole up. With transitions, moving him onto a smaller circle and letting him out and varying the trot, it should be possible to increase the power without losing the balance.

 

[camilla4]

Flibble, what is he like with no side reins at all?

 

[Carsmore]

have you tried fastening the side reins on a high ring and crossing them over his withers? So the side rein fastens on the roller on one side, over the wither and fasten on the bit on the other side.

 

[Flibble]

[ QUOTE ]
Flibble, what is he like with no side reins at all?

[/ QUOTE ]

He either goes around normally or drops his nose right down till its 12 inches from the ground and then brings it up again.

 

[Flibble]

[ QUOTE ]
have you tried fastening the side reins on a high ring and crossing them over his withers? So the side rein fastens on the roller on one side, over the wither and fasten on the bit on the other side.

[/ QUOTE ]

Um no what would this do ?

 

[suzyseymour]

When I learned to ride the riding school, to stop the ponies eating the grass the used to attach a piece of bailing twine from the bit ring over the withers to the d ring on the other side of the saddle.

So it only takes effect when the horse tries to get his head to far down and stops them before they reach the grass. This would work in the same way so he could only get his head so low.

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

Has he had his back checked ?

Before even lungeing I would do stretches with him, ie getting him to reach around to his flank with a carrot and doing the opposite side, then bring the carrot between his legs and getting him to stretch over his back.... Start doing stretches before he goes onto the lunge .

Try him with no side reins first, just get him to relax .

Also do you lunge with two lunge lines ?

 

[Flibble]

Yes he has had his back checked. only use one lunge line as I have never used two.

 

[Colleen_Miss_Tom]

I would then take away the side reins and try him with two lunge lines, May help him balance if he is using the side reins to balance himself hence the taunt side reins and the opening off the mouth .

Least with two lunge lines you can work with helping him balance himself .

 

[Flibble]

Oh God no with my lack of Dexterity it could be Macrame time.

 

[palomino_pony]

Is he not just stretching over his back and reaching down? (long n low) or he he really "nose in?"

Just a thought

 

[Flibble]

His nose is really in reading some of your replies I'll look again and see if it feels like a balance issue.

 

[Rouletterose]

If you use two lunge reins then you are long reining, this is for an experienced person only as you have to be very light with your hands and keep up a very light contact at all times.

If you are having issues with lungeing and whether you need side reins or not and how taut they should be etc etc, then you are not ready to try long reining, from the OP post I would say the horse is still trying to balance properly and he should not be in side reins yet.

 

[Flibble]

Thanks for all the feed back on this.

I havent use two lines because as Rouletterose quite rightly says long reining is tricky.

So I lunged without side reins and watched carefully and interestingly he would drop down long and low and then bring his head back up to rebalance himself and then relax down again.

I went back to the long side reins and repeated the exercise but this time when he went down and in I slowed him up a little and then asked him to increase his pace a little.

Occassionally I 'wobbled' the lunge line when he was overbent and said no.. (He is quite light on the lunge we arent playing tow-trucks with it) and as soon as he repositioned his head he was rewarded with the very good boy phrase which he loves and after a few paces transitions back to walk and then back into trot again.

He seemed to be very happy with this and we started to get some soft nose just in front of the vertical that I wanted.

Just to add I always warm up cool down without side reins.