Megs1409
New User
I’ve got a youngster who I will be starting to back in the summer. She has never been lunged or long lined. I have tried but she doesn’t understand not being right by my side. Any tips? She’s my first youngster ?
Lunging/long reining
- Thread starter Megs1409
- Start date
smolmaus
Well-Known Member
I was in the same position and started lunging with someone at her head so she got the idea. I also stand slightly too far behind her shoulder and drive her forward and away from me with the lunge whip or a swung rope. It is quite difficult to find information on how to teach a horse to lunge though!
She still wants to run in beside me if anything worries her and I'm on my own though so hope giving this a bump will help both of us ?
She still wants to run in beside me if anything worries her and I'm on my own though so hope giving this a bump will help both of us ?
Gloi
Too little time, too much to read.
Get someone to help you get her going. It's a lot easier with two people until she understands.
Megs1409
New User
I do have a friend help me who is the one holding the lunge lines and I was a head of her. Tried with a lunge whip and swinging the rope and it doesn’t bother her at all. She just stands looking at it ?.
I can’t always have my friend help so would be handy to get her doing it with just me x
Megs1409
New User
I do have my friend come and help me. But she refuses to follow my friend. So I have to walk ahead with her. Trying to break that habit so I can start lunging/ long reining without any help
Cortez
Tough but Fair
Get someone who is experienced with young horses to show you how to get her moving forwards and around the centre. Lunging is a complicated thing to explain to a horse (and often also the human), but it's important that the horse understands from the very start to go forwards.
smolmaus
Well-Known Member
Yep same! My wee mare had never been asked to go forward any way other than to follow on a lead rope so I had to explain moving away from pressure before we did anything else. I started with "back" which she already understood as a verbal cue and then asked her to move her hindquarters using a lightly swinging rope and then a schooling whip and she made the connection that way.
This is the absolute best thing to do though.
Rocky159
Member
I would start with long reining and forget lunging for now. Wear gloves. Only walk. Helper at head starting by leading by the bridle whilst you are behind with loud voice commands. The horse should soon get the idea and you are left behind going on lots of nice walks with halts and walk ons. Later on you can lunge by dropping the inside rein out of the stirrup to act as a lunge line and keep the outside rein in place around the rump for extra control and you can now move up to trot and canter. Good luck.