Lunging...

[diet2ride]

Hi, i was just wondering what your lunging routines were?
How long? How many rein changes? that sort of thing. I have also heard you shouldn't do much canter work on the lunge.

On my yard it's not unusual for them to lunge their horses for over an hour... I try not to go over 30mins

 

[spotty_pony]

Over an hour! That is far too long as lunge work is very intensive as the horse has to work on a small circle so they have to work harder. They will ruin their legs lungeing their horses for that long. I think half an hour is the absolute maximum length of time any horse should be lunged.

I usually lunge for around 20 minutes. It roughly works out something like this:
First five minutes - A quick walk round and then a trot on each rein
Middle ten minutes - Attach any side reins/bungee.market harborough etc if necessary and then work on both reins in trot and canter. If no 'gadgets' being used I just do another ten minutes of trot and include some canter.
Last five minutes - Walk on a long rein

 

[kezimac]

i can lunge for upto 40 mins - but mine consists of lunging in walk 5 mins, then trot then back to walk ask for inside flexion and get inside hind to step under - bith reins, then trot again - this time asking for medium trot then back to working then on and back on and back, i dont stick on a circle i move around the arena and get her to do medium down long side.
I then do shoulder in, leg yield all in hand - this takes 10 mins then i finish getting her to stretch down in trot - then walk again.