Lunging

[MegaBeast]

Idle musings on a Saturday afternoon whilst sipping horlicks (feel free to have some ).

Do you lunge regularly?
Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse?
What do you aim to get out of a lunging session?
What equipment do you lunge in?
Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise?
What does a typical lunging session consist of for you?

Been pondering the importance of lunging and wondering what others think!

 

[wellsat]

Do you lunge regularly? Yes, usually once a week
Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse?Yes, I like to see him moving without me sat on top, I can see if he's moving well and I'm told its good for them to work without a saddle on.
What equipment do you lunge in?Pessoa
Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise?Yes
What does a typical lunging session consist of for you? 20 mins in walk to warm up and then a fair amount of trot, lots of transitions in and out of the pace as well as within it. May stick to a tight circle or may go around the outside track to encourage extension.

 

[Chloe_GHE]

Do you lunge regularly? - once in a blue moon
Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse? - nope
What do you aim to get out of a lunging session? - raise the heart rate and use a gadget to make them work, but I always feel it's so much less effective than riding that I usually prefer to ride instead
What equipment do you lunge in? - pessoa, or elasticated side reins
Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise? - no way
What does a typical lunging session consist of for you? - little walk and trot round to warm up before gadget activated, pop gadget on then w t and maybe c but mainly just w and t. swap reins repeat. take gadget off walk to cool down and stretch

 

[Ginn]

Do you lunge regularly? Yes, usually 1-3 times per week depending on work commitments etc.

Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse? Ish... some weeks, when I have the time to ride most days, then riding takes priority but otherwise yes, use it for fittening/strengthening

What do you aim to get out of a lunging session? Calm happy horse working effectively over her back, pushing from behind in a round outline (i.e. no giraffe impressions) to help build and train the correct muscles without bumbling idiot on top interferring!

What equipment do you lunge in?Depends on time and whether I'm getting on afterwards... either draw reins or saddle and a make-shift bungie type thing. Always lunge off the headcollar and will vary between attaching contact to bit or headcollar depending on how fresh she is and how lazy I'm feeling! Also, if lunging over poles or fences I rarely both with a bridle as she can be a madam and she only ends up gobbing herself with the excitement of it all!

Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise?No, but can be a useful tool and add variety to the work she does

What does a typical lunging session consist of for you? Drag in from field; tighten headcollar slightly and pop on OR boots (to keep shoes on!); chuck draw reins over back and clip to headcollar; grab whip and drag back out to field; walk on both reins for about 5 mins (each rein), then trot on one rein with a few transitions but mainly work on forwards and round for another 5 mins; repeat on other rein; then another 5 mins on each rein doing loads of transitions including direct ones and transitions within the pace and sending her in and out on the circle; finally remove drawreins and walk off either around field or still on lunge for another 5-10 mins until heartrate returned to normal etc. Might do some lateral work, backing up, stretching etc in this time too. If pushed for time then I'll scrap the transition work. If feeling like a change will chuck some poles and possibly a few jumps out to have a play over and will move straight onto transition work straight after warming up in walk; taking any reins off before jumping if that's what we;re doing

If you go back over my recentish posts there is one or too with pics/vid of various examples of lunging madam!

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

Do you lunge regularly? Yes, once a week

Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse? Yes, normally he is lunged the day after his day off. An easier way to get back into work, so to speak

What do you aim to get out of a lunging session? Horse working nicely over the back, calmly but full of impulsion, in a good, correct outline (not deep)

What equipment do you lunge in? Side reins

Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise? A very useful tool, essential for some horses, not for all

What does a typical lunging session consist of for you? Ten mins of walk (in hand, not on the lunge). Then 20 mins (total, both hands) of trot, canter, transitions between trot and canter, some transitions within canter (collected and working). After this we work on half steps (I need somebody to help me for this, though -- if I am alone I have to skip this). Then ten more mins of walk in hand.

 

[Santa_Claus]

Do you lunge regularly? no could happily count on one hand the amount of times I have lunged in the last year!

Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse? as above no!

What do you aim to get out of a lunging session? horse working forwards and over the back.

What equipment do you lunge in? depends often just bridle and lunge line, but do also use side reins if put saddle on

Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise? as bove no.

What does a typical lunging session consist of for you? won't write it down as no one should copy but basically walk a bit then trot then few canters bit more trot then walk. But prob 20mins max total!

Lunging has its place especially with young horses and I find it useful to see how horse is working/moving without rider. Used to lunge Dan far more than I do Fleur as it was useful to see how he was moving behind with his hock issues.

Fleur though I don't tend to lunge as she gets very bored very quickly and it doesn't tend to be a productive exercise even though I use lots of transistions both between and within paces to keep things changing and interesting for her. Basically with Fleur the only times I lunge are if I have forgotten my breeches (i go direct from work to yard) and I seriously have prob lunged Fleur about 2 or 3 times in the last year.

 

[TarrSteps]

I'm going to go off mission and not answer the questions specifically because my answers vary.

Yes, I do longe regularly. How often depends on why I'm doing it, ranging from every other work day to once or twice a month. I don't consider it "essential" but I do consider it important, even if just as a skill for the horse to have. Equipment ranges from a halter to various "gadgets", depending on what I want to achieve and what the horse needs.

I think there are lots of useful things horses can get out of longeing, ranging from discipline and an intermediary educational step in young horses, to a chance to move freely but under a bit of push, to a chance to find balance, to work without carrying weight/having a rider interfering with the back. I also find it a very good way to LOOK at a horse, especially if I never see it working or there's something I can't figure out. I believe we often don't spend enough time observing. It can also help me figure out discomfort issues and sort out what might be rider/saddle related. In order to serve that purpose though, the horse has to longe decently and I need to know what it looks like when it's right.

I love having a round pen or a small square pen for longeing/loose schooling but unfortunately that's not always a possibility.

 

[kirstyhen]

I hate Lunging, bores me with an absolute passion! Obviously Mally has been lunged fairly often for her education, but now we have reached the point of me be able to get on without lunging first, it's not something I do often.
Mainly because it bores me, but also because our arena is brand new. We were left with strict instructions NOT to lunge in it for a year!! Luckily my lovely YO and Boss allowed me special dispensation to lunge provided I constantly moved, so we didn't tread in a circle. So now I don't have to lunge, I feel a bit cheeky continuing to do so.

 

[MegaBeast]

All interesting answers, for some reason I thought more people would consider it essential. I swing between both camps as my mare goes into speedy llama mode on the lunge even with side reins and is going through a phase again of being positively evil in the pessoa and Kerilli's draw rein method seems to achieve nothing so have a feeling I'm wasting my time. I want to get her working over her back into a consistent contact in a rhythm but her rhythm is somewhat faster than mine so feel we're not getting anywhere. However at the moment lunging is essential the day after jumping in order to keep a very close eye on her soundness after PSD as am convinced her leg will drop off!

 

[millitiger]

I don't think Millie has been lunged for about 3 years (since she was broken in).

I would rather be on her back working her and don't see any benefit to lunging for her.

Vinnie was lunged at least once/twice a week but he was a big, weak horse who needed to be able to build up without a rider's weight.

Pilfer used to be lunged with 2 reins instead of flatwork at home as he was tricky on the flat and this meant we didn't get into fights= worked really well for him and his dressage at events improved 10 fold.

 

[Hexe]

Do you lunge regularly? Yes I try once a week and after she had some days off before riding
Is it part of your weekly routine/fitness programme for your horse? yes to engage hindleg activity
What do you aim to get out of a lunging session? relaxed horse with engaged hindleg (building up muscle)
What equipment do you lunge in? saddle, boots, running side reins, bridle, lunge, whip, etc.
Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise? yes as she is fairly young
What does a typical lunging session consist of for you? warming up in walk (not lungeing), walk, trot, canter, transitions, extended trot, using the whole arena not just the circle

 

[PucciNPoni]

Do you lunge regularly?
Yes, I aim for once or twice a week. Depends on many factors, weather and work load (we're only allowed to lunge in the outdoor arena at my yard, and if it's peeing down I can't seem to be very enthusiastic about standing out in the school for thirty minutes)

What do you aim to get out of a lunging session?
Engaging from behind, working through his back and also getting some much needed exercise in that is part of our weight loss programme (which has been essential for the last year).


What equipment do you lunge in?
Sometimes if I'm just wanting to get his exercise in it'll just be a bridle and lunge line and whip. But I tend to get told off for this by my RI who would rather I lunge with a roller and side reins.

Do you consider it an 'essential' part of a horses exercise? Yes, my horse gets bored doing the same thing all the time so I try to lunge outdoor once or twice per week, ride in the indoor once or twice per week and then hack in between. As I'm meant to be working mine (for fitness purposes) seven days a week, sometimes I just haven't got time to ride so lungeing is a quicker option. I am better on the ground than I am in the saddle, so it would probably do me the world of good to ride more...but I also really like to see the horse working.

What does a typical lunging session consist of for you?

Several minutes in walk (more if it's first thing in the morning after being stabled and a bit less if he's been out in the field and walking about) with no rein contact, just long and stretching. Ask for a bit of trot and canter on both reins without rein contact then once sufficiently warmed up (15-20 min) will attach elasticated side reins long and low. Lots of transitions and keeping forward both reins. If I feel he's listening well and accepting the bridle well, I may end the session early by removing the side reins and hand walking for another ten minutes. If I feel there is resistence, we might carry on a bit longer til I feel he's listening and soft - and then remove reins and allow a long low walk out.

If I'm not using side reins, I will just bang on a bridle and boots, and more or less just have a play on the lunge line but keeping him moving forward and getting his heart rate up and then walking out after. This session will typically be 20-30 minutes versus 45...