Lunging - achieving inside bend while maintaining outside contact??

[Ginn]

Now the nights are drawing in and my time is more limited due to career change/loss of flexi time I have started to up my lunge work (gone from maybe 1-3 times a month to what will be approx 2 times per week).

Given that T is still has a very weak topline and struggles to really soften and work across her back with me on top the plan is to work on this in lunge sessions along with other things to help me with her ridden work as it is likely she will only have 1 schooling session a week and the rest of her work will be hacking.

However I have a few problems...

• Firstly, when ridden, I have been trying to work her into the outside rein a little more, turning her primarily off my seat and leg aids first, using outside hand to support and a gentle tweak with the inside rein as in "indicator" for inside flexion as she has a tendancy to lean and push out through her shoulder. Ridden she is improving hugely and this seems to work well. BUT on the lunge she likes to look to the outside! How can I encourage/ask for inside flexion without pulling her round with an inside rein aid and loosing the outside contact?

• Secondly how can I encourage her to soften and lift through her back while doing the above without her tensing - my side reins are elastic and she has a tendancy to lean and hollow if given half the chance. N.B. trot/canter poles are a complete disaster as her tb brain takes over and she tanks, pi$$es around and refuses to relax (oddly under saddle she is much more sensible!).

When I lunge I attach the lungeline to the side of her headcollar as she goes much better this way than with the line attached to a lunge caverson/bit and I don't really have to do anything with it - it just reminds her to stay on a circle/oval around me.

I have to play with:
- elasticated side reins
- elasticated bungee
- fully elastic draw reins (i.e. a piece of draw rein length elastic rope with a clip on either end)
- nylon draw reins
(- also have a pessoa type thing but she hates it and having seen her work in it I can see why as it jabs her in the mouth every side, however I set it up!)

I have tried (and do often) lunge with draw reins over the back between the legs and to the bit which she does work quite well in but again I find there is then no contact and again she lacks inside bend - poking/flicking her shoulder etc with whip has no effect. I also find my draw reins rub her armpits so limit this way of lunging to once/week maximum.

Longreining her/lunging her off two reins (minus roller) seems to be the most effective way I have found of achieving inside flexion while supporting with the outside rein but she has a tendancy to overbend and drop behind the vertical and ends up pulling herself along with the front end rather than pushing from behind and I am too much of an incompetent to wield a lunge whip coupled with two lunge reins and a forward going tb! so I struggle with this but may resort back to it???

HELP

Thankies

 

[connie1288]

I found the two lunge lines and side reins works best! To get them to work from behind, the heavier the lunge line the better as they feel it (slightly like the pessoa)
I was terrified of doing this, as horse is a pig to lunge and broke her withers being long reined but works really well like this and i can stop her leaning on me, as she has to be the strongest horse to lunge!!!
I still use the roller though as I run inside one from roller through bit to me if that makes sense!

 

[Ginn]

That's one I haven't tried.

Where do you put the side reins (between legs, low on roller, mid roller, high on roller??).

Will try it, worth a go

 

[connie1288]

mid roller!

 

[kerilli]

you could try just inside side rein (ideally without elastic), this is how my dr trainer starts horses off on the lunge, teaching them to look to the inside rein contact first, and develop inside bend. you can then really send them forward and they don't feel restricted. some go great like this, some evade, it's trial and error.
i lunge with the lunge line clipped to inside ring of side of drop noseband and this works really well.
just 2 more small things to try.

 

[RHenderson]

I use the "Pessoa training system" on my competition horses, from Novice to opens, and i swear by it!

Pessoa Longeing System was invented by international show jumping rider, Nelson Pessoa. The Pessoa Longeing System is designed to encourage balance and a gradual build-up of topline. The Pessoa Longeing System consists of an easy-to-put-together array of ropes, clips and pulleys, as well as a breeching strap that passes behind the horse’s hindquarters, and is used in conjunction with a training surcingle while the horse is being lunged.

Based on the principles of pressure and release, the Pessoa Lungeing System helps to place the horse in a better position to assist muscle build-up, and increases use of the horse’s back muscles. The Pessoa Lungeing System can assist maintenance of muscle tone in fit horses, while less experienced horses can be guided into the correct shape. The Pessoa Lungeing System can be used in four different positions, depending on the horse’s level of training and fitness.

More trotting for muscle development, and canter for balance.

**roller is not included**

 

[KatB]

I do as marymoo does, but without the inside side rein, just the outside one, and also clip the inside lunge line to the roller, and run it through the bit to your hand. That way you can control the coutside shoulder through the lunge and the siderein, and use the inside rein purely for flexion

You have to be very aware of your hand controlling the inside rein though