My horse keeps turning in when lunging?

P

ponyforever

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 August 2010
Messages
102
Visit site
Whenever i lunge my 6yo she will continuously walk a few strides or attempt and a slow trot before turning in and looking at me

I have attempted to move away, use a lunge whip and use vocal encouragement but she seems always turn in after a few circles and is lazy on the lunge?

Has anyone got any ideas on how i can teach her to stay out.?

also when she turns in and i step back, she will step forwards and try to follow me and if i push her out she will walk for a few strides and turn in again, that's if i can even get her out on the circle!
 
I prod mine in the shoulder with the hard end of the lunge whip if he's close enough.

If he's further out I try and use a dominant stance and make myself look as big as possible to 'scare' him out. Other than that coudl you try with two lines, then you could control her direction more? :)
 
Quite possibly he has only been longreined and is completely confused by what you are doing . Is he Irish by any chance?
 
I started my mare by 'lunging' her on a very short line, getting her to move away from me but so that she was close enough to touch, then I gradually moved out. She still turns in occasionally, If I allowed her to drop back so I'm in front of her shoulder, I need to lunge her in a more driving position - behind her mid line. When she does turn in I send her away, no matter what direction she goes in, although I'm lucky that she never goons off. Then I ask her to stop on my terms, sort my lunge line out and get going again.
None of this is probably very BHS, but it works with her, although she is pretty special! :D
 
If your horse has any sense, she probably can't see why she has to run round the outside whilst you stand in the middle. There are certainly ways of encouraging her to play ball, not least of which are praise, bribery and fun, but frankly when it comes down to it lunging can be a very dull thing to ask a horse to do (just as trotting them in circles is when your riding), is hard work for them and if there is an alternative I would generally take it.

My first "proper" (i.e. huge and Irish) horse hated lunging - he would lunge at you, more vigorously the more you pressed the point. We eventually reached an agreement where he would work well but briefly on each rein, without needing undue encouragement, and then stop resolutely, at which point we would finish!! Another horse I had was comically lazy when out of reach of the whip so I didn't lunge him for at least a year. When I tried again he was fine, though he still thought it dull.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top