Lunging...different methods...your preferences?

madhector

madhector

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My sister kindly offered to lunge Spooks (3yr old welsh A) for me (as I am not really able to manage that from a wheelchair
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) The last time I lunged him all was fine, and he had really got the hang of it, the method I found that worked best with him was to really make sure you were behind the movement at all times, otherwise he had the very bad habit of turning in and staring you out. I told her this before she began and let her get on with it.

5 minutes in and she still hasn't managed a circle, so I repeat what I said at the beginning and she ignores me as sisters do
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A few more attempts and she starts to do as I suggested and all starts to go well (note smug grin on my face at this point
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All is fine till she finished, where she lets him turn and face her and then proceeds to wait for him to walk in towards her. At this point I had to speak out, and pointed out to her that surely that is just re-enforcing his bad habit of turning in, and rewarding it by stopping work? This leads to a big debate and eventually she agrees to lunge him my way, and after a while manages to get him to halt standing straight, but I know she didn't agree with it
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So, which do you do? Or do you have another method of ending the session?



Edited to correct spelling
 
Hmm... I admit I tend to let my horse turn and walk in towards me when I've finished lungeing, but saying that, he is usually an angel on the lunge and doesn't turn in until after he has halted and we've finished. I would be inclined to agree with you and make him stand on the circle if he did turn in of his own accord though. It's probably better practice, I'm just lazy
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i make my youngster wait on circle, sometimes he turns to face me but i move so that he isnt if you get what i mean?!
 
Same as you, one of my horses would not trot on right rein - kept halting and facing in towards me, so being behind the movement is very important with him too.
 
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yep, exactly what I do, I then make him walk on again, till he halts and stands still without turning in

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Thats what I do with maddie as she has a habit of caming in when she things its time to stop even if its at canter she just just cames charging at you and stops dead infront of you
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so i push her back out and do the same as you make her walk a again then ask for halt.
 
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yep, exactly what I do, I then make him walk on again, till he halts and stands still without turning in

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Same. Both my horses when I got them had a horrible habit of turning and walking towards you when halt. I now do a lot of halting then continuing working so they don't no when they are stopping to finish.
 
I do the same with the making them wait on the circle.

I also like to get behind them on a circle. Current one i'm teaching has to be lunged with two lines and a quick handler... and no whip! But I think getting behind them teaches them so much more in preparation of being ridden and going off the leg. I may be way off the mark though...
 
I do the same as you. My lad is brilliant to lunge but if you are not paying attention to your job then he will turn in and try and come towards you (only once you asked for hault). Sometimes I just think he wants a cuddle from his mummy
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but I always get behind him (not litterly) and chase him on if he does this even if I am about to stop lunging until he halts and doesn't try to come towards me. I highly doubt it will happen but I just think if I let him do this in walk it may progress to him running inwards at a faster pace.
 
I make mine stand and wait on the circle until I go to them, if they try to turn in I make them walk on again.

I lunged Destiny the other day for the first time since we got her so I wasn't sure what she'd do. She was fine but every time I asked her to walk she tried to turn round and go the other way, she might have just been being naughty but I think probably someone had taught her to, a bit strange!
 
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I make mine stand and wait on the circle until I go to them, if they try to turn in I make them walk on again.

I lunged Destiny the other day for the first time since we got her so I wasn't sure what she'd do. She was fine but every time I asked her to walk she tried to turn round and go the other way, she might have just been being naughty but I think probably someone had taught her to, a bit strange!

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was proberly my sister
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Waiting on the circle is about all Bert does nicely on the lunge. We go from not listening and trundleing around in a thunderous trot to cantering like a loon and taking off down the school with me on the end of the line
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