Lungeing/Long-reining/Pratting about Instead of Riding

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OK, I appreciate there are many benefits to lungeing, long-reining and presumably alternative ground-work training methods, but does anyone else think they're bl**dy inconsiderate at a livery yard?

When I was trying to re-back my problem horse I used to go back down to the yard late at night to do all the pratting about groundwork that was to be done before getting on her, I wouldn't have dreamt of inflicting us on everybody else. Likewise, I try to lunge my four year old every so often but I only do it when I get to the yard and it happens to be quiet.

Ten people can share a 20 x 60 arena riding if they organize themselves but once someone decides they're lungeing etc, there's only room for a couple.

Its always the same people as well. Day after day, lunge, lunge, walk it round in hand.
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Why don't they save themselves some money and just get dogs if they don't like riding. At least show some consideration and don't do if if people are already trying to school properly.

Is anyone here a lungeing addict? Would you like to get over your problem? Are you quite happy with it in spite of the dirty looks you must be used to from people trying to ride?
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Any thoughts, whinges I've missed out, solutions, or "shut-up its not your arena"s welcome. Thank you.
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Theres a certain lady at our yard who always lunges in the middle so you can't even work on either side of her. It's a real pain.

Thankfully the other two 'lungers' will take a far corner so you can avoid them relatively easily.

If I was braver I'd have words with the first...
 
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They pay their livery too so are just as entitled to use the school regardless of how irritating it is!!

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Agree with this..... I got told off the other day for lunging in a free arena (we have 3 different arenas) and was basically told to not lunge my horse in the school next to another horse that the owner was trying to sell......
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incase my horse upset other horse..... now im sorry but I pay for the facilites and I cant help what time I am at the yard
 
i lunge , longrein alot ,the ocasional jump gets left up now and then but luckily everyone is great at our yard and work around each other and share dont know what id do otherwise
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i used to have to lunge one horse for 20 mins min before i could get on without being killed (even then he gave it a good go) No-one ever complained and i did keep to one end so people could work at the other end. Sometimes it needs doing for whatever reason -injury etc. Wherever you go there will be people who lunge and so long as they do it at one end i think they're more than entitled to. Not everyone can go up when the place is empty, they probably have families or other commitments.
 
I had to walk mine in hand for three months for up to 40 mins a time, TWICE a day. I'd have been pretty pissed off if I hadn't been able to do it in the school so she could have a roll at the same time.

And TEN in a 60x20m!? I'd hate that! Although thats probably the reason I ride at 7 am or 8pm!!!!
 
I have a very large arena for those who wish to showjump, school, do western games, whatever.

I have a schooling arena for those who specifically wish to school.

I have a round pen for those who wish to lunge, free or otherwise.

I have loads of other space which my liveries are welcome to make use of in whichever way they choose.

I personally couldn't care less what anyone does with their horse; if they want to pootle around not riding it for months on end, then they can. If they want to ride it every day, then they can; doesn't bother or affect me in the slightest and it doesn't bother any of my liveries what the other liveries do as we have tonnes of space for everyone on my yard.

I believe that if there are such issues going on within other yards then these yards have too many people and not enough space or facilities in which to allow them all to work happily.
 
My horse is unable to be ridden at the moment and so i have to make do lunging and long reining and i would be pretty pissed off if i couldnt. We do have a lunging pen but obviously only one at a time in there so sometimes I have to go in the school
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I had to walk mine in hand for three months for up to 40 mins a time, TWICE a day. I'd have been pretty pissed off if I hadn't been able to do it in the school so she could have a roll at the same time.

And TEN in a 60x20m!? I'd hate that! Although thats probably the reason I ride at 7 am or 8pm!!!!

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Ah, its different when you have to.
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Except there's a post on the next page kicking off about people letting horses roll while they're schooling.

Ten's a bit of an exaggeration but it is possible - think of a warm up arena.

I suppose ideally there would be a whole other area for lungeing and ground work.
 
Yes I avoid warm ups too!!! I like my horse to enter the ring with a brain. I ride or lunge at home before we leave, then have to do a minimum when we get there, OR find a quiet spot elsewhere.

And mine rolls on the end of a leadrope.....out of neccessity when you have had as much box rest as she has!
 
I will lunge, but either specifically book the school for half an hour, in which case I will put in the book that I am happy to share but I am lungeing so people are warned, or lunge when it's quiet. Sometimes I don't have time to ride and just want to give Genie 10 mins or so on the lunge and people are riding, in which case I will ask them before I even get Genie ready if it's ok for me to come in, and then stick to one end out of the way. If, however, the school is free and I am lungeing and somebody else wants to come in, they are more than welcome to, but I will not stop lungeing until I am finished - I was in there first and there's no rule on lungeing at our yard!
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On the whole people on our yard are very sensible about it and we all get along and work things out together.
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To be honest we only have a problem with our school/people lunging, riding etc for about 4/6 weeks over the worst of the winter. Its because everyone wants to use it from between 3 - 6pm when they get back from work and before they out their neds to bed. There are a couple of people who will not share at all and then there are those who don't work and could use in the day but no they want to use it then to! I'm lucky as I live at the yard so just ride/school/lunge in the am when there is no one there - lovely!!
 
Long rein out and about like we do! Much more fun, more exersize and don't get in the way! lol

Saying that, the most horses we've ever had at work was 6.... I think once we had a small issue with me longling oli and a lesson coming in.... in the end it came in usful as they took bumble out of the marathon and I long lined around it/ stood in front. All good training
 
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Is anyone here a lungeing addict? Would you like to get over your problem? Are you quite happy with it in spite of the dirty looks you must be used to from people trying to ride?
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PMSL
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Excellent suggestion for a chat show
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I'm not a lungeing addict, I really find lungeing quite boring but we used to have a few people on our yard who would be at it for hours (actually pretty hard going on the horse as well as being a school-hog). Drives me nuts, and turfs the surface up as well if they don't know what they are doing.

Yes, 10 in a 20x60 is brave
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- but if you trust the other riders then it's not much different to many working-in arenas at a dressage show.
 
I know just how you feel. We used to have a very selfish expletive who would pick the busy slot to lunge her horse knowing there was a sign saying lungeing could only take place at quiet times. Same person would build a jump course with jumps on track so that others could not flat around at the same time.

Basically there has to be give and take. I often take a lunge line in with my pratt and whizz him round to check which side of bed he has got out of. In order to ensure I can do this I pick quiet times or ask the other liveries what they are doing before I make my plans.

That said it is nice to lunge your horse and see its behaviour on the end of a line so you can plan your ridden work (or depressingly spot he goes better with you on terra firma).

But to repeat there has to be give and take.
 
The yard I am moving to does not allow lungeing in the school and has a lunge pit for this purpose which I think is much safer. Not all owners are competant at lungeing a fresh horses with other horses riding around and it ruins the school surface.
 
I'm the lone showjumper on a predminantly dressage yard. We have a 60mx20m arena between approximately 14 horses...and I regularly lunge...as do the others. It's a very efficient way of keeping horses fit whilst building topline and muscle. We're all adults...most of us compete to a decent standard and so are well used to 'warm-up chaos'...and we all co-exist quite happily in the arena. I was jumping the other weekend with another person lungeing at another end of the school. I'll happily school around someone if they're lungeing too...if you lunge just inside the outside track there's nothing to stop anyone else coming round the outside. Perhaps it's because we do all just get on with it that warm-ups hold no fear whatsoever for any of us
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I love riding btw...but at this time of year their just isn't the time to ride two after work...so the lunge line is my saviour
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there are those who don't work and could use in the day but no they want to use it then to!

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Thats the joy of being freelance. The money is sh*t, but it means i can go up and ride during the day and don't have to share the arena with ANYONE (so no-one can criticise my rubbish riding).
 
i rarely lunge in the colder months - prefer to ride and keep warm.

If people pay to be there they can use the facilities any way they like [within the rules]

If they are lungeing right in the middle etc i.e. being a bit inconsiderate it doesnt take much to ask them to use one end of the school so you can use the other 2/3rds etc.

we seem to manage at ours and we all lunge/ride in the evenings
 
If I want to lunge I wait until the school is free, so does everyone else on our livery yard, if the person who is lunging is already in there we wait until they have finished.
Everyone has as much right as each other to use the arena (ours is small so only three could ride in there at a time).
 
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