Lunging

Halfpass

Halfpass

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Had my new horse about 6 weeks now and she is coming on great I try to include schooling lunging and hacking every week.

Since I have been at the yard I have watched various people lunge and everyone does it so differently.

Personally I am a fan of a loose pessoa, I clip the lunge line to the roller then up throught the bit to encourage some correct bend (she tends to bend the wrong way). I start off in walk without the pessoa attached and give her a few circles of trot before I attach it. I attached it loosley between her legs and then work her like this for about 10 mins on each rein. I mainly trot her in big circles lengthening and shortening the stride with transitions to walk every now and then. I also spiral the circle in and back out again to encourage her to use her inside hind more. She then gets cooled down trotting for a bit with out the pessoa then being aloud to stretch down in walk. I will intrdouce some canter work and some trot poles when she has built up more but the actual work part of the session will never be more than 20 mins.

What do you do and what 'gadgets' or lunge aids do you use?
 
I also use a Pessoa
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Whats your lunge plan though - how long for and what do you include?
I've seen poeple lunge for well over an hour and others for less than 10 mins!!
Just wondering what works for others really!
 
I sometimes lunge in just a cavesson if its just a quick 20min exercise to get some energy out of her. But i use an Equiami which acts like a pessoa to get her stretching long n low. I do walk, trot, canter on each rein. Quite a few transitions and spiral the circle in an out. I normally do 20-30mins but the last 5-10mins is a cooldown where I slowly loosen the equiami off. I also start with it loose and increase the tension when she is warmed up.
 
I warm himup first by letting him stretch whilst walking and trotting round on the circle on both reins. Then I attatch the Pessoa and will spend between 5 and 10 mins working him with that on each rein. I suppose it all depends on how much they need, how often it is done and how fit the horse is.
An hour does seem excessive
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I was always told that horses should only be lunged for a maximum of 1/2 an hour due to the pressure that is put on the horse from being on a constant circle
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I lunge in a pessoa, I start off with it between Axels front legs and warm him up in trot for about 5-10 mins each rein. I then move it up to the side and then canter him. I do lots of transitions and lengthening and collecting the canter. I then do some very slow trotting, the other day he was almost doing passage!
I then take it off and let him walk and trot round to cool off. I must lunge him for about 25 mins, but he's fit and used to the pessoa.
 
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