Lunging calling all experts

[Tifferss]

Hi All,

Im hoping for some hints tips and advice on lunging. I have always schooled my horses on their back (my dad is an old fashioned rider and thought lunging was lazy!! PS i dont!!) but i have recently moved to a yard with no facilities - just a field

horrors of the credit crunch im afraid. My horse winters out and I think i will now need to lunge him if its rained all day or to wet to ride in the field i cant ride him. He is 5 yrs old and a "cob type" he his heavy on the forehand due to his breed and unbalanced due to his age. I hack him out and i have recently started working him in an outline in walk and asking him for quick transitions for balance.

I was advised to put him in some elasticated side reins and work him in walk and trot ( no cantering as the grassy field is quite slippy and dont want to churn up the field for winter!!)

Question 1
as he is quite hairy and sweats up quickand not very fit do you think 15 mins twice a week will be enough/too much?

Q2
Do you think i should add 5 mins every week or 2 weeks?

Q3
Can anyone suggest any exercises on the lunge to combat balance and get him to work from behind?

Thank you very very very much for anything you can suggest!

I bow to your superior knowledge!!

 

[lisa_dundee]

I find the pessoa is the best thing for balance and getting horses to work from behind

 

[HollyP]

I love lunging and its really good fun there is so much you can do...however I would only lunge on grass if it was level and dry and i'd be scared they would slip and do some damage if it got wet....

 

[Tifferss]

Holly - yep got a nice even flat bit

Lisa - Can you expand, is that the kit that goes over the poll?

 

[bonny]

lunging un a grass field in the winter will soon reduce it to mud I'm afraid - if it's too wet to ride then it's too wet to lunge unless it doesn't matter if it's all churned up ....

 

[Tifferss]

Thanks bonny - however i hope to do a bit before it really kicks in - if it works then i might hire a school at the livery yard down the road

 

[lisa_dundee]

http://www.gfsriding.co.uk/products/product.php?pid=73

Take a look at the above link

 

[Tifferss]

So can anyone tell me if lunging will help with the above things?

 

[lisa_dundee]

Yes lunging is very good for balance if done correctly

 

[Tifferss]

oooh thanks lisa - this looks good. Do you think it matters ive got a bit chunky cob - i seem to only be seeing fine TB types working in them

 

[lisa_dundee]

No not at all, I have used mine on everything from welsh ponies to thoroughbreds to warmbloods and its the best bit of kit ive ever bought. Well worth the money and good for horses like my coloured that do fall on the forehand because the more they pull forward the more the system engages the back end so they get a good workout, im going to start working my thoroughbred in it to strengthen her back muscles up before I get on board as shes had 3 years off having foals.

 

[lisa_dundee]

They do need to be set tight enough to work properly but you get a little instruction book with it, also the whitaker version is equally as good and you get the roller with it and its cheaper, but does the same thing.

 

[Tifferss]

ok - i think i might get one

Do you do specific excercises with it or just walk trot and a few transitions?

 

[lisa_dundee]

Just general lunge work x

 

[CrazyMare]

I use my Pessoa once a week ish, and I start without it done up & clipped on, doing a little walk and trot, then I attach it all and start working properly.

My mare does lots of transitions and we work up and down the length of the school. We build up to doing transitions every 4 strides between halt, walk and trot, including direct walk/trot trans. I don't canter her in it.

 

[lisa_dundee]

I usually undo mine for the last 10 mins and let him have a stretch down and relax, lots of transitions are good, but I also use mine everytime I lunge, I have used mine for canter work when I was getting Lewus fit for this season, it really helped with his canter, really brought him up and under and gave him a strong canter x

 

[Tifferss]

thanks guys - im off to scour ebay!!

 

[beckieswann]

My friend recommended the pessoa, and since she's been using it i've noticed her horse stepping more underneath herself.

She told me countrywide do a cheap version of the pessoa for £35! I hope it's still there as when I get paid I shall be investing!

 

[Angelbones]

I'm anti the Pessoa but rate a chambon very highly.

 

[Tifferss]

why anti pessoa Angelbones?

 

[Angelbones]

I've tried both pessoa and chambon and decided that the chambon was the one that enabled the horse to truly stretch down and out when really working from behind, which was what i wanted him to do. The pessoa I think can be easily misused and can so easily jab the horse in the mouth. As I was trying to get a pony who had been ridden in a standing martingale for years to lower his head and neck and use his muscles differently, the chambon was the kit for the job.

This article is good for info on all the varous gadgets around and has useful diagrams:
http://www.sustainabledressage.com/tack/gadgets.php#pessoa

 

[CBAnglo]

I am also anti-pessoa. It actually encourages the horse to fall onto the forehand because when it truly engages its hock it gets jabbed in the mouth.

I would only lunge in a chambon or a bungee rein. A lot cheaper and much more effective.

If you have never lunged before consider finding someone to give you a cople of lessons on a horse that is used to being lunged. I have had to rehab my horse from a ligament injury about 4 times and each time I have had to lunge him intensively for 6 weeks. I start with 5 mins on each rein building up to a maximum of 10 mins on each rein.

Do lots of transitions to getthem off the forehand and I find circling in and out of 20m circles really good for engaging the hock. Also try to work within a pace - I.e collected and extended walk and trot.

It really can make a huge difference if done properly.

Also consider long reining which might be kinder on the field - you can go round the edge, up and down hills (which will really help with his balance and learning to bring his hocks underneath him more) and you can even go out on long reining hacks.

However when I bought my 4 year old and he was unbalanced and on the forehnad I spent the first 6 mths just hacking him about with very short sessions in the school - 20 mins of walk and trot, including trotting poles. He was very adverese to lunging so I didn't bother trying that for 2 yrs - afterwards I only did it as a training exercise all fittening and strengthening work was done in the school or out hacking. Walking up (and especially down) hills is really good for improving topline.

 

[Sparklet]

How odd, I would have thought a chambon would have been much more likely to encourage a horse onto the forehand because it only works on the front of the horse. The pessoa encourages a horse to step under more with its hind quarters so working on the forehand is much more difficult for them because their legs cannot trail like they do in a chambon.

I have used a pessoa on a grass field but in the middle of summer when the ground was well covered in grass. I wouldnt want to use one in winter on the grass because the surface isnt stable enough.

So for this situation I would suggest a chambon rather than a pessoa tho.