Lunging help!

[ownedbyaconnie]

Hello!

Bit of background. I bought a connie in at the beginning of the year who is pretty green at schooling. Great hacking (she did a lot of hunting) and bold and brave over the logs we pop out hacking and xc style fences on sponsored rides, but pretty useless in the school (and not helped by my best impression of a potato when riding in the school).

So over winter I concentrated on straightness and rhythm in the school with weekly lessons and monthly pole clinics. Then over our glorious summer we just hacked and hacked and hacked, building up loads of muscle by trotting and cantering up hills. We also did some sj clinics which she absolutely loves and has really improved loads.

So now I've got her basic schooling up to scratch and helped her build the correct muscle (she has the physio every 3-4 months and she is very pleased with her progress), I'd like to really crack on with her schooling. I work in tax so I am working long hours at the moment until Jan plus revising for exams so I'm struggling to ride during the week and was looking into all these lunging aids that are on the market.

So my actual question is...are the Pessoa style lunging aids good or bad? I don't like the idea of forcing her head down but I don't see how normal lunging is going to stop her just ploughing on on the forehand. At the moment I lunge for 5-10 mins on each rein and do lots of transitions, trying to get her to sit back.

Or am I worrying too much and doing a decent schooling session with poles twice in the week, a lesson on a sat and good stretching hack on a sun OK?

Apologies for the ramble!

 

[be positive]

If you concentrate on keeping a good rhythm, her well balanced and doing loads of transitions there is no reason why she should be ploughing along on her forehand, even lunging on a headcollar can be useful if the horse is working correctly, I am not keen on lunging aids as a short cut and a horse can often be working just as badly, if not worse, when they are in them.

I would use poles on the lunge for extra activity, try lunging with 2 reins so you can do more straight lines and changes of rein, you can spiral in and out, get her to stretch down in all paces encouraging her to lift her back and engage her core, do some closer work on her straightness and also do a bit of long reining to mix things up, all with no need for gadgets to hold them in an outline, just for the cost of an extra rein and some imagination.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Excellent that is just what I wanted to hear! I like to keep things as simple and natural as possible.

Lack of imagination is my downfall but I shall use those ideas! Our lunge pen isn’t very big which limits me a little but I might ask my YO nicely if I can lunge in the arena.

 

[flying_high]

I would have a lesson with her on lunging for gymnastic benefit, which regular instructor.

 

[{108361}]

Use poles in the lungeing - seems to help mine get off the forehand, though Im not a fan of lungeing tbh. If you have time to lunge then there's time to ride surely (just short session)?

 

[MonkeyTheNF]

I have to admit to owing a pessoa BUT I only used it lightly when I first got my 5 year old because he was a giraffe. However I personally find with youngsters it engages their back end and does teach them correct head position and now I wouldn't be without it. But I also agree that long reining would help her too. Poles are also a great help as I find it slows mine down and helps them balance.Transitions definitely help too! Also when schooling try doing serpentines, figures of eight,circles etc(if not doing so already) as this will all help too.But it all depends on the horse and owner and what suits them best.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

My mum would lunge for me whilst I’m at work! But thanks, will def try some poles!

Use poles in the lungeing - seems to help mine get off the forehand, though Im not a fan of lungeing tbh. If you have time to lunge then there's time to ride surely (just short session)?