Lunging Daily...?

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justjb

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What are peoples opinions on lunging daily?
Even to calm a horse down before riding and free schooling?
Surely the consistant circle everyday could do some damage even if only for 15 mins daily?

Anybody breaking or has broken a pony/horse to harness?
The training for that is all on the lunge and can sometimes takes weeks,
how did your horses take it mentally and physically?

:)
 
justjb said:
What are peoples opinions on lunging daily?
Even to calm a horse down before riding and free schooling?
Surely the consistant circle everyday could do some damage even if only for 15 mins daily?

Anybody breaking or has broken a pony/horse to harness?
The training for that is all on the lunge and can sometimes takes weeks,
how did your horses take it mentally and physically?

:)
Click to expand...

I sometimes lunge before hacking straight out with Samba but shes newly rebroken and a bit sharp. She is physically mature (8yo) just mentally immature :D but at the moment when she goes out is very inconsistant.

As for breaking a horse to harness, I would long rein personally. It took me 2 months with one pony to go from long reining to being in the shafts, but every horse and pony is different. I restarted my old cob who hadnt driven for 8 years, long reined him, then harrowed him and he was in the shafts end of the week as if he had never left them. However I had an experience person very nearby who guided me along the way.
 
Thanks for replying,
I have a welsh section A to put in harness but being 6 he is very babyish and lively (only recently got him) so am lunging excess energy out of him daily just dont want to ruin his legs before he has even started any kind of career.

Will be long reining mostly but still feel lunging first is going to be needed even though he is out in the field everyday.

I dont want him to get bored and sour when it comes to work what other exercising do people do except riding?

:)
 
If done properlly ie on big enough circles, for not too long and with correct gear I guess would not cause much more damage then riding in the school normally and doing lot sof circles and turns.

However, I prefer to not lunge over 3 times a week but mainly lunge once or twice a week depending on how much time I have that week.

When looking for horses I went to see one who had to be lunged before being ridden, we didn't mind too much until we saw the size of the circle they lunged on (it was tiny!) so we walked away as lunging on a 15m maybe smaller circle almsot daily for 3 years was bound to cause some damage
 
I've owned Rabbit for 2 months and I lunge her daily, even if its for 10 mins before I get on and school / hack out. She's a nutcase otherwise. Lunging focuses her and allows me to get on and ride positively instead of having to have her held down while I get on and let her boss me around for an hour (which is what I suspect her previous owner allowed her to do.)

I'm hoping it's not a long term thing. I'm doing it to establish boundaries and convey my expectations.

Agh I hope I'm doing the right thing!
 
I am hoping lunging him is like u Ansiscool is only till he is happy and settled in his harness work then i hope to take him straigtht out.

Yh the first steps are all lunge work lie introducing each piece of harness and buliding it up on the horse once they are happy with the previous lesson so to speak and then once long reining then thats not on the lunge obviously.. i guess it depends how quick each horse accepts each piece of harness as to how much lunging they actually do :)
 
Never lunged mine specifically breaking them to harness -They were already happy with roller so did it long reining from there, expect you could too if you're worried :)
 
Breaking him myself :)
Have previously broken a coloured pony (that im trying to trace if anyone reconisges him)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=106099396096266
with the help of an experienced driving friend and it took me 5 months start to finish and you could drive him to every sound or situation and would 99% not put a foot wrong.

So with the help of a experience friend and some drivng lesson on well broken ponies i hope its going to be a good start to alot of good harness drives!! :)
 
Lunge as many times as you like as long as the horse is not motoring round splitting tendons left right and centre.

I used to lunge some horses twice a day if stabled and they could not be ridden (no rider). Not saying it's the IDEAL but it's possible.
 
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