Lungeing problems

[Cassy]

I have been doing groundwork with my horse using a rope halter and rope. We have moved on to circle work and my problems are:
1. She looks slightly to the outside and I dont seem to be able to correct this
2. She leans on the rope and I have to walk with her
3. She will suddenly at trot or canter take off bucking and tonight I had to let go twice as I just couldnt turn her
So help needed please. I see all this videos of horses circling on a nice slack rein and I wonder if this will ever be me and my horse|

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I think you need someone in the school with you and maybe tighten the inside side rein a little more. Try using a bridle through the bit to lunge if you are using a cavasson.

Also maybe put jumps across the mid line of the school thus cutting the school in half so that may discourage the horse from bolting up there

You will get there but need an instructor with you or someone knowledgeable top help you.



If me I would have someone with a lead rope to the bit or cavasson on the outside ring as a safety net while you lunging in the middle, that can help a novice horse or naughty one , by making them stay on the circle, and acting as an extra brake should horse try to pee off.

If my mare is in an ignoring or fresh mood and wont walk when I ask her, but tries to trot or canter when I am asking her to walk. I make her canter the full 20 minutes, I say right you won't listen and want to charge about then I will make you. Now she rarely does it, Or gives up and listens the next time.

 

[Equi]

A rope halter is not the best tool to be using to lunge unless the horse is already established in it. I would invest in a cavesson, and then get some lessons on lunging. If you are allowed to free school, do this before you ask to lunge. Some find it very exciting (lord knows why) but some go faster to compesate for poor balance, some go bad cause they have little ground work/voice command. So many reasons. I don't think bombing around for a long time is very good for a horse

 

[Fluffypiglet]

Get instruction. My horse has become a nightmare to lunge as he got over excited on a couple of occasions and can pull me over. Now he has learnt that he can’t be controlled by me on the end of a lunge line even in a bridle. Luckily in every other way he’s a star and I have a very experienced instructor who will be reminding him how lunging should look! Please get help before it escalates into a bad habit. They are very quick to learn if they can escape

 

[Red-1]

I have found that when they have learned to look to the outside it can mean going back to a very small circle at walk and 'shaping' the behaviour that you want, using rest as a reward. Obviously this can't be done when she is in a hyper mood, it will be when she is already settled.

Also, using 2 reins will help, as they learn to stretch down into a contact. They need to be calm for you to start this too.

I would get someone to help you, maybe look for a straightness trainer to help, as they start in halt shaping the behaviour and how the horse holds itself. I have found them t be a passionate set of people in how the horse uses itself. They will start from the beginning and no more tearing around.

 

[JillA]

A rope halter is not the best tool to be using to lunge unless the horse is already established in it. I would invest in a cavesson, and then get some lessons on lunging. If you are allowed to free school, do this before you ask to lunge. Some find it very exciting (lord knows why) but some go faster to compesate for poor balance, some go bad cause they have little ground work/voice command. So many reasons. I don't think bombing around for a long time is very good for a horse

I find american halters very good to lunge in but you have to remember they are designed to apply pressure points so have to be used sympathetically. First off bear in mind she can only lean on something solid - get movement in your hand by flexing and unflexing (NOT pulling and releasing) so she accepts it happily. Once you have her realising that and no longer leaning you can bring her circles smaller and larger and get her thinking and responding. Movement in your hand is the key especially while she is learning. Once she accepts it she will lunge more politely

 

[Mule]

If you can keep her head flexed towards you she'll be less inclined to tank off out of the circle. You could try slowing her down to walk. Use your lunge line to give half halts and a lunging whip pointed at her middle to mimic an inside leg aid.

 

[mariew]

Took me years to come to an agreement with my mare on how we did lunging. I did find that most times she just needed to go nuts for 5 minutes (no side reins for this of course!), then she was ready to focus and did beautiful work without any gadgets. She was a pickle with me in the beginning though and i had to get good help in to lunge. If you can find somebody good at groundwork and can afford it it's much better to get someone in who can see what is happening on the ground.

 

[ycbm]

If a horse was pulling free when lunged and running off, I'd lunge it using a bit.



..

 

[Cortez]

Lunging is not easy and, like riding, is a skill that needs to be taught. Can you find an instructor to first of all establish some manners in your horse and then show you how to do it?

 

[SEL]

I had to lunge mine in a bit at an old yard because we were often sharing the school with novices having lessons - safety rule. She used to snake around and p-off if she was in the mood and the bit stopped this.

She actually behaves in a cavesson now too, so lunging in the bridle was good for her education (& my hands!)

 

[Pinkvboots]

If a horse was pulling free when lunged and running off, I'd lunge it using a bit.



..

So would I I also think when the horse has a bit in they associate it with work time not just having a hooley round the school.

 

[Cassy]

I might change from the rope halter to a bit so that she takes more notice of me but I am a bit disappointed with our failure as I have been working through Jason Webb's Your Horsemanship online training programme and he works from the rope halter and watching a training video when his horse misbehaves on the circle, it nowhere resembles my mare taking off, with me trying desperately to hang on! She has been better when I have used trotting poles and a small jump.

 

[Mule]

I might change from the rope halter to a bit so that she takes more notice of me but I am a bit disappointed with our failure as I have been working through Jason Webb's Your Horsemanship online training programme and he works from the rope halter and watching a training video when his horse misbehaves on the circle, it nowhere resembles my mare taking off, with me trying desperately to hang on! She has been better when I have used trotting poles and a small jump.

Mabey you could go back to the halter when she learns to stay quiet when lunged with the bridle.

 

[Leo Walker]

I might change from the rope halter to a bit so that she takes more notice of me but I am a bit disappointed with our failure as I have been working through Jason Webb's Your Horsemanship online training programme and he works from the rope halter and watching a training video when his horse misbehaves on the circle, it nowhere resembles my mare taking off, with me trying desperately to hang on! She has been better when I have used trotting poles and a small jump.

When mine came she was fat and so unbalanced she tripped over her own feet, so I spent a few weeks lunging her in the middle of 5 acres, deliberately looking for the longest grass and roughest ground. I did it in a headcollar as I didnt want her socking in the teeth while she found her balance. If I didnt pay attention then she would occasionally try and spin away or turn around, but thats my fault, If I was on the ball and working her properly we had no issues.

You have to catch them BEFORE they go. Think of the whip as your legs and use it to push her up into the contact, which is the lunge line in this instance, and then keep her focused and moving forwards. I think in the videos you are probably seeing people casually swinging their ponies round on the end of the lunge line. I can do that now, but you dont start at that point, you have to train them to move forward consistently.

 

[JillA]

I might change from the rope halter to a bit so that she takes more notice of me but I am a bit disappointed with our failure as I have been working through Jason Webb's Your Horsemanship online training programme and he works from the rope halter and watching a training video when his horse misbehaves on the circle, it nowhere resembles my mare taking off, with me trying desperately to hang on! She has been better when I have used trotting poles and a small jump.

Please don't, you can do serious damage to the mouth and her acceptance of the bit if there is any chance at all of her tanking and you hanging on

 

[mandyroberts]

How old is she?

 

[eggs]

One of my youngsters was a real git to lunge - he was big and strong and knew it. He was lunged off a bridle with the lunge rein clipped to the outside bit ring and then passed over the top of his head and through the inside bit ring. It took some patience but he did end up lungeing off a headcollar.

JillA is concerned about it ruining the horse's mouth and acceptance of the bit but he is now successfully competing PSG in a snaffle so it didn't do him any harm.

 

[Cortez]

One of my youngsters was a real git to lunge - he was big and strong and knew it. He was lunged off a bridle with the lunge rein clipped to the outside bit ring and then passed over the top of his head and through the inside bit ring. It took some patience but he did end up lungeing off a headcollar.

JillA is concerned about it ruining the horse's mouth and acceptance of the bit but he is now successfully competing PSG in a snaffle so it didn't do him any harm.

Fixing the lunge rein this way will not damage the horse's mouth if he/she decides to bugger off as it effectively lifts the bit off the bars if there is any sort of rumpus. If the horse decides to pull away it is entirely their own decision if they choose to create the pressure, and they have the option to relieve it by behaving politely.

 

[ycbm]

One of my youngsters was a real git to lunge - he was big and strong and knew it. He was lunged off a bridle with the lunge rein clipped to the outside bit ring and then passed over the top of his head and through the inside bit ring. It took some patience but he did end up lungeing off a headcollar.

JillA is concerned about it ruining the horse's mouth and acceptance of the bit but he is now successfully competing PSG in a snaffle so it didn't do him any harm.

Same. Had to do it with several horses over the years that other people had allowed to bog off whenever they chose. Didn't ruin any of them or damage any mouths.

 

[ester]

I did however manage to lose a bridle off an exmoor pony with that set up. I think she opted to try reverse and I was left with just the bridle. That was a fair few years ago though and I'd hope I was more adept now but I was never keen to try it again after that!

 

[JFTDWS]

One of my youngsters was a real git to lunge - he was big and strong and knew it. He was lunged off a bridle with the lunge rein clipped to the outside bit ring and then passed over the top of his head and through the inside bit ring. It took some patience but he did end up lungeing off a headcollar.

JillA is concerned about it ruining the horse's mouth and acceptance of the bit but he is now successfully competing PSG in a snaffle so it didn't do him any harm.

Yup - my arse of a pony used to do it, and he's always bitted to lunge (and I have no qualms about amateur dentistry if he's going to be rude about things). Never competed him above medium, but Gerd Heuschmann was pretty positive about how he accepted the bit / worked / performed at that level in training, so he's at least acceptable in one aspect of classical / biomechanics-based dressage!

This is, of course, the issue with learning things on the internet, OP. Have you done any hands on work with Jason? Not that doing so would necessarily help, but...

 

[JillA]

One of my youngsters was a real git to lunge - he was big and strong and knew it. He was lunged off a bridle with the lunge rein clipped to the outside bit ring and then passed over the top of his head and through the inside bit ring. It took some patience but he did end up lungeing off a headcollar.

JillA is concerned about it ruining the horse's mouth and acceptance of the bit but he is now successfully competing PSG in a snaffle so it didn't do him any harm.

There is a difference between someone who is experienced at lunging and someone like the OP who is asking for help though. As with everything it's not what you use but how you use it

 

[Cassy]

My mare is 10 years old and I have only owned her for a couple of months. I had hoped working through the Your Horsemanship lessons would give us a good foundation to progress with our ridden work and establish a good relationship. I am beginning to agree that the rope halter and long rope are not going to work for us. I have had several horses and not had too many problems with lungeing, although I do remember an irish sports horse who on occasions took off when he saw the long side of the school in front of him. But he was quite lightweight and not a chunky cob. One of my problems is she is quite easily distracted and it is hard to keep her attention on me. The flexing and unflexing from my wrist has no effect, as I dont think she can feel this. Well thanks for all your advice, I will have a think and decide what to do next.

 

[JFTDWS]

Fat arsed cobs are often worse for this sort of thing than their lightweight counterparts! Sometimes they need more agricultural reminders of their manners.

(And I'm not talking about sickening violence, obviously...)

 

[npage123]

Sorry about the problems you're having. It can be frustrating if things go wrong when all you want to do is get things right and get to know your mare better. I'm guessing your mare is still quite green schooling-wise, or have had some sort of physical or behavioral problem in the past which halted her training? At 10 years, you would expect a horse to already be established in long-reining, lungeing and basic ridden work.
Are you close enough to Jason's yard to take your horse there so you can have a lungeing session? I really like him and I think his prices are very reasonable. I think you probably do have a good knowledge foundation after doing the online lessons and if you've learnt quite a few things whilst doing the course, then it was worth it. But it sounds as if there are quite a few issues that you're struggling with on a practical level, and you've admitted that there were also lungeing problems with previous horses you've owned. Like Cortez has said, lungeing isn't easy and a skill that needs to be taught by an expert/someone very experienced, someone who you respect and who's horsemanship training methods you agree with. That's why so many other posters advised that you get an instructor to show you with your own mare how to iron out all the problems. Professional instructors/riders are in a position to work with a variety of horses every day of their life so naturally they'll have much more experience than the average rider who has a job that's not equine-related.
You've already done the course so you're nearly there. You now need a professional to assess your current technique, exactly how and why your mare is behaving how she does and to guide you through the process of getting it right.
Best of luck!

 

[JillA]

It sounds to me as though both you and your mare need to learn from someone who can show you and explain when things go wrong. Online courses are fine up to a point but they don't give you that immediate feedback and problem solving. I don't know where you are but all of the people on this list will be able to help you and most don't need a 2nd mortgage for their fees https://www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk/recommended-trainers/

 

[Cassy]

Thanks

 

[cundlegreen]

I might change from the rope halter to a bit so that she takes more notice of me but I am a bit disappointed with our failure as I have been working through Jason Webb's Your Horsemanship online training programme and he works from the rope halter and watching a training video when his horse misbehaves on the circle, it nowhere resembles my mare taking off, with me trying desperately to hang on! She has been better when I have used trotting poles and a small jump.

It's all about reading them and anticipating a problem. Then you can do something about it before it happens.

 

[milliepops]

One of my youngsters was a real git to lunge - he was big and strong and knew it. He was lunged off a bridle with the lunge rein clipped to the outside bit ring and then passed over the top of his head and through the inside bit ring. It took some patience but he did end up lungeing off a headcollar.

JillA is concerned about it ruining the horse's mouth and acceptance of the bit but he is now successfully competing PSG in a snaffle so it didn't do him any harm.

totally agree
I normally lunge my ex-thug, now small tour horse on 2 reins with a bit and roller.
She was totally impossible to lunge off a single rein initially and if I had not used a bit I would have been towed all over the country.

I had an interesting week last week as she had a tooth out so had to be without a bit for 7 days to let the socket heal. I can now lunge her in a headcollar, it's not as effective for training as when she's bitted etc but she is polite and obedient (mostly!) and responds to a light touch. now she understands my cues and the responses she needs to give.

So I would also accept that you need to establish ground rules with a bit, you must be safe during groundwork. and then when you have done so, then reintroduce the halter if you want.