Lunging in a head collar??

[DappleGreyDaydreamer]

I have a youngster who definitely needs to improve his lunging skills, as he can be very silly and I worry about him hurting himself. However, as he can be so silly (bucking, bolting in canter, pulling away from me etc) I hate having to lunge him in his bridle as every time he misbehaves, I feel so bad that the bit is tearing his mouth out. I'd like to lunge him in a head collar instead, but is this a wise option? I've heard of them slipping and rubbing and I certainly don't want that, but I also don't want to damage his mouth. Would a lunge cavesson be better to use? I don't own one currently, so would a head collar be okay in the mean time?

 

[Paint Me Proud]

Yes use a proper lunge cavesson, they're designed exactly for this purpose. Head collars are okay if you fit them securely and fairly close fitting.

 

[Sukistokes2]

I lunge in a head collar but lad is good and doesn't pull or try to ****** off. It has never slipped or rubbed and I MUCH prefer it to a bridle. Why not give it a go and see.

 

[Mrs G]

I used to lunge in a head collar and most of the time horse was fine BUT if he decided to, he could pull me over/pull the lunge line out of my hands far too easily...

 

[SO1]

I lunge my pony in his head collar but I would say if you horse is prone to bolting, bucking and pulling away from you or leaping about then you probably won't have enough control in the head collar.

 

[Feival]

I ALWAYS lunge in a bridle, better control and will teach them some manners.

 

[HashRouge]

If he misbehaves the way you describe, you may struggle to hold him in a headcollar. I do lunge in a headcollar but it doesn't give you a huge amount of control so it is really best with horses who can be relied upon to behave.

 

[catroo]

How are you attaching the lunge line to the bridle? Over the poll and clipped in?

 

[Wagtail]

I lunge with a rope halter. It gives more control than a normal head collar and works really well. I would never lunge a youngster from the bit and prefer not to lunge older horses from the bit either. The only exception is when using two reins, but even then, I start bitless. A micklem is useful for this.

 

[sav123]

I quite often lunge established horses in just a headcollar, have started several youngsters on the lunge in one, and always do if I'm jumping a horse on the lunge. I always clip the lunge line to the side ring (rather than the underneath one where you'd normally clip the lead rope) - I find the head collar doesn't slip round their head then, and also, it can be a bit easier to keep hold/bring them back to you if they do decide to mess about.

If your horse is generally well-mannered for leading in a head collar, you could start off by doing 'extended leading' rather than actual lunging and then gradually let him out, just to ensure you do have control. It might even be that he behaves better as he won't be having the discomfort of the bit being pulled around in his mouth.

However, if any horse really wants to get away from you, it will, regardless of what it has/doesn't have in its mouth!

 

[Nappy Croc]

A tightly fitting headcollar can do the job For what you describe you'll likely need more control than this though.

 

[Dry Rot]

We lunge in a round pen. End of arguement. Then we can use whatever suits the occasion, sometimes a cavason, sometimes a rope halter, sometimes a bridle, and sometimes free lunging just using body language. But then I come from training other species and try to start by thinking about what I'm attempting to achieve which is probably all wrong -- but it works for me.

 

[Illusion100]

Resisting.Giving.Opinion.

*Going to get a nights sleep on this*

 

[planete]

Teach him to lunge politely. Lead him in a circle and work on basic commands. Walk, halt, stand, until he does it all reliably. Then give him a little bit more rope and practice some more. Then give him a little bit more rope. Only when this is well-established, go back to a shorter rope and introduce some steps of trot, always coming back to walk after a few steps. You are of course doing all this on both reins equally. Out of control lungeing is bad training and an accident waiting to happen. The training should control the horse, not the equipment. I know this point of view is probably going to be unpopular but it worked every time for me.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Have someone teach you how to lunge with two reins, aka long reining on a circle.

I would not use a head collar, but you could use a dually with two reins.

 

[rowan666]

Lunge cavasons are really very inexpensive, I would purchase one and instill some basic manners and voice commands before continuing to lunge. Stay patient he will get there in the the end

 

[Cortez]

I start everything lunging in a headcollar, but if your horse is pulling away you should use whatever it takes to keep him under control, and if that means he jobs himself in the mouth then so be it.

If you run the lunge line through the bit ring, up over his poll and clip onto the opposite bit ring, then if he is pulling it will lift the bit up in his mouth and off the bars so he is unlikely to hurt himself. I find the standard lunge cavesson too blunt and inaccurate in its action to be effective and prefer a Portuguese version that is a little sharper and attention-getting for the really naughty ones.