Lunging. How important is it to you?

TicTac

TicTac

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 April 2008
Messages
3,109
Location
Bedfordshire
Visit site
How often do you lunge your horse and what are your main reasons for doing so? Do you think it can improve your horses way of going and can you also over do it?

I probably lunge my horse about 2 times a week but her work on the lunge varies greatly. For instance on tuesday I lunged her over jumps and today she worked in her bungee and I did lots of transitions with her.

Lunging with variety has been a great fitness booster for my mare, especially after her kissing spine operation and at most I only ever do 30 minutes per session. I keep my circles quite large and move about the school alot, incorporating smaller circles and transitions to keep her thinking.

I am lucky at my yard that there are only 3 liveries and my YO has no objection to us lunging in our manege. We have a sand and fibre mix surface which is lovely in winter as it doesn't get deep or churned up but it can be a bit soft during the summer.

I do find it very usefull to be able to lunge my horse but am well aware that it can put a strain on the legs if done too often. Would be interested to hear your views on it.
 
Very I lunge them once or twice a week at times I lunge them more when they are younger.
During their holidays I lunge for short periods 10 mins 15 mins at the most twice or three times a week it good for there feet while they are unshod stops their muscles going to jelly.
I often lunge in the morning and ride in the afternoon or vice versa when I have in hard work.
 
Apart from a short lunge to get my youngster used to a saddle and stirrups - I haven't lunged for years. I will do some more lunging with her as part of her backing process but once she's riding properly I'll slowly ease off it until it's not needed. I wont lunge my mare when she's bought back into work either. I've known her long enough to know that it's best to just take her for a little potter down the lane with someone on foot for company.
 
Faracat said:
Apart from a short lunge to get my youngster used to a saddle and stirrups - I haven't lunged for years. I will do some more lunging with her as part of her backing process but once she's riding properly I'll slowly ease off it until it's not needed. I wont lunge my mare when she's bought back into work either. I've known her long enough to know that it's best to just take her for a little potter down the lane with someone on foot for company.
Click to expand...

I don't do it because I can't get staight on them I do for their training which ongoing throughout their whole lives.
 
I free school rather than lunge 2 or 3 times a week. sometimes its just transitions and sometimes its with poles and sometimes jumps. Two reasons I do it the first is he needs exercise and I don't have the energy for riding so its easier for me. Second reason is I only backed him last summer so he's still learning basics and the pole work and jumping gets him thinking
 
Goldenstar said:
I don't do it because I can't get staight on them I do for their training which ongoing throughout their whole lives.
Click to expand...

I have no trouble with others finding lunging to be a useful training or fitness aid. Maybe it's because it's so flipping hilly round here - I have found that it really isn't needed for fitness and I'd much rather go out and about anyway. ;)
 
I try and vary Kal's work so a typical week for him will include being ridden in the school, hacked out, long-reined around the gallops/fields and lunged in the school . . . it's important to keep his work varied b/c otherwise he gets bored (and then gets naughty), plus I sort of see it as "cross training" - lots of different forms of exercise to work different parts of him in different ways.

When I do lunge, I move around the school alot so he's not working on tight circles, incorporate lots of transitions to get him thinking and listening to me and usually use poles - both on the ground and elevated. Sometimes I double-lunge him, sometimes I just use one lunge line . . . I often use side reins.

I also do work in hand with him - again, to vary his work and engage his brain and body in different ways.

I do find that lunging, long-reining and in-hand work is very beneficial for establishing our relationship/trust . . . often after I have worked him in this way he follows me around like a puppy . . . you could almost call it "join up" ;).

Very lucky to have a YO who is happy for us to lunge in the arena . . . as long as we don't stand in one place and wear a circular track. Also lucky to have a decent surface - plenty of spring but not too deep.

P
 
I used to lunge for the vets, and that was all really, I used to do long reining with a youngster I had because I had to re back him essentially, at 6 (tbf, it was kinda my fault, though the seller didn't tell us that he had his selling shoes flung on, a day's out hunting and was 'backed' irish style) and I lunged him, but I was put off lunging when horse reared up, fell over backwards and died, because the owner went to take the side reigns off to get on. Much more fun being on top :p
 
At least once a week, maybe twice, but only for 20 mins tops with a little time to warm up first. I think its so important for improving the horses way of going without any rider issues messing it up &
 
Phone decided I was done. You can assess your horse so much better from the ground. And that's without listing all the reasons its essential Imo for starting youngsters.
 
Lunge daily for no more than fifteen minutes. I need to take the edge off him before I ride because they're only allowed a few hours turnout this time of year.

Would love not to have to though! If I don't ride I lunge for about twenty ish minutes but with more canter work.
 
I am a shift worker and on the days i am working lates and havent got time to ride, i find lunging a great way to exercise my boy for 30mins. He currently needs to build more muscle and he really stretches on the lunge which is helping him.
 
I try and lunge once a week. I like to see what is going on and that's easier from the ground than onboard. I also like to try and persuade him to work through his back with no weight on the muscles as I think it's good for building them up.
 
I went thro a stage of lunging every day before I got on my mare as we were having behavioural problems where she would turn herself inside out and get me off, lunging helped to get to listen to me and to get the broncs out of her without me on it!! Don't have to do as often now as touch wood she is started to behave again, will prob never know what caused her to do it, had all checks done x
 
I free school. On a lunge line he will go mental and generally bronc his way around and if not in a lunge ring he will rip the line out of my hands and tear around the paddock (I tried to hang on once and stop him and nearly dislocated my shoulder).

I have recently fenced off a 40x25 arena and have been free schooling him and the difference is amazing. He started off with his mad bronc sessions but I kept settling him and re-working at the sections where he'd go nuts and at the end of the first week I can school him easily, any direction, speed without so much as a head toss.

I am also a very wonky person and I know my 'conformation' issues interfere with our riding, I find it very beneficial to free school v's mounted work.

He too follows me around like a puppy dog after our sessions.
 
Have only lunged if I need to see whats going on from ground ie if something doesnt seem right but I had a lecture about the strain it puts on their joints going in circles etc.(& my brain gets dizzy and bored too)!! I think mine was lunged to death and would rather go out for 15 mins in the saddle if it had to be a quick ride.

But I am happy hacker anyway and dont like menages.
 
I lunge 2/3 times a week - I work perm nights and struggle to get them all done in the mornings so I'll lunge them if I'm on shift to save time.
Failing that they get chucked on the walker whilst I muck out.
 
ATM I lunge once in a blue moon!! My mares a rising 5yr so the less stress on her joints the better and she progresses more with ridden work anyway. So to me, not very important. I used to lunge my tb once a week in a bungie. It really helped him build topline and work over his back, so was important for him :)
 
Very useful. I use it if I'm short on time or if I want to help my horse develop muscle etc without me screwing things up. Also find it easier to keep him going forward and the like. It's a useful tool for developing fitness too and for letting a horse find it's own balance. I do think it helps instill respect too.

Only used to lunge about once a week, but now I'm overseas and there's nobody to ride the horse so he lunges 3-4 times a week. It's not for long, and it's on a big circle, but he needs the work otherwise he starts getting naughty and generally a bit down...and he needs to be kept fit!
 
My Clydie gets lunged most days as I cannot ride her myself at the moment.
She works for about 30 mins and mostly in trot on a big circle - the full lunge line length. We work on transitions rhythm and with side reins for contact and half halts.

A couple of times a week I work her on two reins and we do a lot of turns and transitions. She has almost sussed changing the rein in trot on the two reins.

So long as the going is good and the work sensible - I rarely canter on the lunge. It definately improves her suppleness and obedience making it easier for her rider who doesn't get to ride her too often.
 
mine get lunged for -
helping fitness
suppling work
to see how they are moving

normally they lunge in a headcollar or a pessoa plus bridle with hedacollar underneath. lunge line always goes on the headcollar

i do between 30-45minutes and do at least 10minutes in walk and 'little' trot without the pessoa on so they can warm up.

usually 1-3 times per week on a sand and rubber arena that isnt deep.

sometimes i will add poles, cavelletti etc.

the circle is normally about 25m but often will lunge on the track so they are going in straight lines and into good corners, which helps balance.
circles can vary onto smaller ones for the more collected work so about 7m.
i do as many transitions as i would when riding, and the majority of the work is in trot and canter once warmed up.
 
I lunge my boy most days, and always before I ride as he can get quite excited and I would prefer he got it out of his system before I am on board! He's on very limited turnout so it's understandable, I let him have the whole length of the lunge line and I always begin by just letting him do what he wants to get it out of his system. After that though we do a lot of transition work to get him listening etc. I walk around the school to keep it interesting for him too (even though it's not very big it all helps). I lunge for about 10-15 mins if I'm riding after, and about 20-30 mins if I'm not. I like to see how he's moving too because he's had lameness issues in the past.
 
The horse I ride I only ride twice a week but this past week I lunged him both times before I rode as he's only been exercised at the weekend recently as has too much energy!

To begin with I just send him forwards and let him do what he fancies for a bit to get rid of the bucks and then I'll work him a bit, getting him to listen to me and chill out a bit! I lunge in bridle and saddle as I'm going to ride after so the lunge line I put through the bit, over his head and clip on the other side. I loop the reins under the stirrups to keep them out of the way and a little bit of a contact, I don't have a bungie or anything to work him in yet and really I'm not sure how much longer I'll need to lunge him before I ride so don't want to invest in anything!

I lunge for about 10/15 minutes depending on how he's feeling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top