Lunging - how important is it and how often should you lunge?

[Slinkyunicorn]

How important is lunging as part of a horses excercise/training regime and how often should you lunge?

Opinions and discussion please!

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Lunging at my yard varies from every day to never and every thing in beteween!! The time taken also varies between about 5 minutes to 40 as does the euipment used - it varies from just a lunge line to pessoas, rollers and side reins. Some just seem to do the Wall of Death around the school whilst others have a definite 'programme' of what they are doing.

 

[spike123]

once or twice a week generally. It's a great way to work a younger horse to improve on the trot or canter. Also great for encouraging them to work properly without a rider on board when done properly.Aside from that it's a good way to just exercise them when time is short.My current plan is to spend approx 10 mins warming up and then 5 mins in side reins followed by another 5 to 10 minutes afterwards.

 

[cloptonpartridge]

Im trying to get my horse fitter for the show season and to do some show jumping unfortuantly hes a good doer and keeping the weight down is really hard.
I'm trying to lunge him for 10mins in the morning followed by a hack in the afternoon as i dont want to work him to hard and cause him an injury but i still need to excersize him.
This is of course work permitting so its just a plan of action not neserly the case

 

[posie_honey]

i try to lunge once a week - i like to see how she's going from the floor and i also think it's beneficial for her as i work her in a 'Kirelli special' contraption that is helping with her topline, balance and self carriage (it's not a specific training aid - its a mixture!)

 

[Kat]

Surely it depends on the horse and its stage of training and/or fitness as to how often you should lunge how long for and what you should do.

The equipment and plan can also depend upon the purpose of the lunging session. Lots of people lunge just so that their horse can let of a bit of steam before they get on, in which case no equipment and wall of death round the school is not entirely inappropriate.

10 mins might be fine for lunging a horse before riding or if the horse is unfit and being brought back into work but you would probably need a bit longer if you were working a fit horse with a specific aim. I think 40 mins on the lunge is rather a lot though as lunging is harder work and puts more strain on than normal schooling.

 

[Cash]

I had my first lesson with my new horse yesterday, and my instructor says it'd be beneficial to lunge him before schooling, as he's quite tense, and it would help him to relax and stretch- and also to progress to lunging in smaller circles to help with his suppleness and bend. I think it's a good idea, as he hasn't been lunged very regularly in his old home, and so if I do it fairly often (obviously gently as he hasn't done it in a while) he might decide it's not so exciting and doesn't require him bouncing up and down like Tigger!
With my old TB i did notice a definite improvement in his topline and general muscle development after using a Pessoa regularly.
I think it's a good way to see how the horse is working from the ground, assess any issues I might not have noticed when riding, and also to see how well the horse is carrying himself and moving.
Lunged my old horse 1-2 times a week.

 

[coen]

I am now lunging once a week for around 25min - 10min warm up 5min side reins each side and 5 min cool down. In winter with the dark nights and rubbish weather it was 2 times per wk.

 

[xRobyn]

He gets lunged less now than when he was younger but if I want to tackle something such as trotting poles and his confidence I will lunge him

 

[d_s]

I try to lunge my pony at least 3 times a week;

normally she is lunged before she is turned out.
I warm up on each side... just walk and trot for about 5 mins each rein
If she has relaxed and loosened up i then attach the side reins and she is lunged for at least 10 mins each side if not longer with the side reins.. but only in walk and trot
she is then cooled down for 5 mins each rein

she then goes out for about 5/6 hours, she is brought in and then i school/hack/poles/jump her for an hour +

if she isnt lunged then she goes on the walker!

all of this work = very fit mare!!

 

[Hullabaloo]

I lunge a couple of times a week in winter as its convenient but usually no more than once a week in summer as I've more time to ride.
My horse had a back problem 3 years ago and I had to lunge him in a pessoa 5 times a week for 3 months (no riding) so the novelty of lunging wore off for me a long time ago!

 

[brucea]

Sorry, but most of the lunging I've seen seems to do very little for the horse physically, and quite negative things for the horse emotionally and mentally.

 

[ironhorse]

I lunge once a fortnight or once a week in the winter - we don't have much safe hacking, so it gives my mare some variety. I usually include some pole work as she loves this; she can be a bit naughty on the lunge if she gets bored, and I feel guilty if she digs the school up too much (oh for the days when we used to be at a yard with a round pen!)
She is pretty fit, so a lunge session can be 30 mins or more, including 5mins on very loose side reins, 10-15 mins with them fitted to give a contact, 5-10 mins poles and then a cool down/stretching period.

In summer, she is competing so has more days off in between, and I tend to swap the lunging for a groundwork/in hand session.

One thing to bear in mind if you are lunging to 'take the edge off' - it does get them very fit, so could actually be counter productive!

 

[somethingorother]

I would say when breaking a youngster in it could be quite important and done a couple of times a week for very short periods of time. I would prefer long reinging to be honest as this gets the horse used to steering and the contact on the bit better than lunging, and also enables straight lines which are good to learn rather than always being on a circle, it's better for the young joints too.

In an older more estblished horse i never really lunge. I loose school, which for me is not hoolying around but trotting around the whole of the school, listening to aids for canter, trot, walk and halt and keeping a steady rhythm in these.

So i would probably never really lunge. If the lad is being a sod face i might lunge in tack (would never free school in tack) for a bit til he chills out before i school. This has only been twice since september.

 

[VioletStripe]

For me lungeing is important, but that's because being a student I didn't have much time to ride my loan pony, so would lunge him for 20 mins instead, around 1-2 times a week. I think it's a very good way of exercising because it makes them think about what they're doing, and is good for their muscles if not over done. Though to be honest my loan pony liked it because it meant he could jump around like a loony for once! xx

 

[*hic*]

My little AA mare was turned away last October after finishing her season's eventing. I brought her back into work in January with the aim of getting her fit for her rider by around this time. I am far too big for her so lunging is the best option for us. She has been built up to 35 minutes in trot and canter. I have been working mainly on her fitness and am using as large an area as possible so she's doing 17 x 25m ovals rather than tiddly little circles. I've also been working to get her more forward and to improve her medium trot (which seems to have happened). We've also been working on transitions within the paces, so tiny little trot then stretching out to medium.

She's now fit enough that although she'd only been ridden four times since October she was able to gallop round a cross country course on Monday and return non-sweaty and only breathing slightly.

She enjoys working and doesn't seem to get bored with lunging five or six days a week. I do loose school her as well but she finds that far more stressy and is much happier to be loose schooled with a friend - which isn't really that fair on the 25yo Welsh who is her companion even though he's usually keen to keep going long after she's had enough. She stands in the corner looking beautiful whilst he's still going round trying to encourage her to go with him, silly old sausage.

 

[saddlesore]

[QUOTEand only breathing slightly.QUOTE]

 

[amandaco2]

normally once or twice a week
i will lunge if i dont have time to ride
or just to see how well shes moving etc.

horse is 6 and fit, normally exercised everyday for 40-60mins

normally lunge her with the draw rein method-(from bit tied between front legs and behind the wither) or in pessoa

start off doing walk trot canter each rein (about 10mins) with no schooling aids on.

i do tons and tons of trans incl direct, move up and down the school and vary the circle size and the session normally lasts 20-30mins with plenty of walk breaks.

end the session with no schooling aids in walk trot and canter on each rein and shes normally really stretching down by then.

shes very good and i lunge her almost entirely from my voice and body position.

my older mare no longer lunges- shes 20 and has a tendon injury from 5 years ago.
when i did used to lunge her she was a nightmare- spending lots of time rearing up and generally acting like a divv!

the 4 year old will be getting backed this month and be lunged most days for short peroids.

 

[Faro]

Never.

Mine do, however get long reined every so often, on a large circle, or out and about (if it's too muddy in my grass "school" to work).

 

[Rollin]

I don't single line lunge! I work with two long reins.

 

[BayJosie]

depends on the horse really.

I don't lunge as often as I should but I do try to do it once a week if I can. Mare's really good on the lunge so I should probably do it a lot more cos she really enjoys it and works well.

Hmmm I may do it more!

 

[*hic*]

[QUOTEand only breathing slightly.QUOTE]

*giggles*

*spells it out*

... and only breathing slightly more heavily than normal.


*giggles again*

Mind you had it been me on top she'd have only been breathing slightly (hopefully not quite her last gasp) and I'd have been frantically trying to gasp down lungfuls of air to make up for not having breathed all the way round.


*and breathe*

 

[Katie__Connie]

every other month or less... i only do it if I haven't got time to ride or if i'm injured so I can't ride... I don't know if it's important... my mare seems fine without it

 

[Dizzle]

I lunge a couple of times a week at the moment as he's out of ridden work due to a bad back, I've also taught him to free school and long line this week and I had a little go at two line lunging which tbh I think I prefer. I'm currently not using any 'gadgets' but I'm going to start lunging in a chambon over the next week or so.

 

[TallyHo123]

I lunge my mare about once or twice a week. If i am trying something new or getting her confidence maybe more. She works well on the lunge and seems to get alot of confidence from being being on the ground with her.

I also think its a great way to be realistic about your horse. You can see exactly how they move/ what they are doing etc. which may be something totaly different to what you think when your on board!

 

[Sparkles]

Everyday or 6x's a week if I can

 

[stencilface]

Once a week/fortnight at most I think.

I don't think lunging is very good for the legs really, although I have started to notice a difference (I think!) in my horses topline after only doing my lunging 'programme' for a couple of months. I don't think I ever lunge for longer than 30 mins - mainly because i get bored by then! My horse finds it all terribly exciting and will spend the first 10-15mins ignoring me and generally having a good time, bucking/cantering/farting

I have been lunging in a school atm, but will be going on a sloping grass field as soon as its dry enough. I lunge in a chambon (although not all the time), and I think the combination of lunging, chambon and hillwork does him the world of good

 

[natalia]

I don't lunge mine. Was always taught that your better to school from on top. I really don't like it and think that its asking for trouble, mine get very excited and tend to go a bit silly when they dont think they have riders on their backs, and I don't think it does any favours for joints.

 

[moneypit1]

I hardly ever used to lunge until Fly had a bad back and had to be lunged in a pessoa everyother day for two weeks for 20 mins. The difference in his top line was remarkable. He is inherantly lazy (especially in the school) so lungeing is a good way to 'giddy him up' and get him moving and working correctly. I do not hardly ever lunge my 5 year old because he is the opposite, off the leg and yielding of the contact. I worry also that it would put too much pressure on growing bones! Horses for courses and all that.