new to lunging, different ways? advice!?

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maisie1988

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Hey!

So i have moved to a lovely newvey yard with my horse on full livery. Today the owner lunged my horse and showed me how to do it.

Ollie was great and i enjoyed having a go too. just wanted to ask....

Ollie had his saddle and bridel on and then a bungee over the poll and then to the girth between his legs. He went great. but wanted to know how else luging can be done? If short for timedo ou have to put saddle on? Wht areside rains? Is hat different to the bungee? How are the diferent and which is better? What is a possoa and why is that different? Lunge cavesson??

Any advice is great, ill prob buy my own lunge stuff but what to get? He went lovely today and the owne wa great with him and me, just interested to learn more? hard to get answers on the internet when you dnt know what you looking at!!

Thanks
 
Hi!

Well, this is quite a topic and one that almost every one you ask will probably have a different opinion on! However, I would advise being quite careful with lunging. Despite many people's misconceptions, horses were not actually created to go around and around in tight circles and this can have quite serious damaging effects on their bodies. Lunging is extremely stressful on the joints of a horse and is something that I would avoid if possible, and if not possible to avoid it then I would be careful about limiting it.

A bungee puts pressure on he poll of the horse, to get them to create more of an 'outline'. Side reins, pessoas and other gadgets such as these also do the same thing, which is force your horses head and neck into an outline. The problem is that the outline that these gadgets create is not very natural, and will very often lead to the horse developing problems and often pain.

Lunging from a bridle can be very painful for a horse. If you do decide to lunge, I would strongly suggest using a head collar, or a lunge cavesson, but we really should avoid lunging from a bit. Generally people lunging from a bridle will loop the lunge rein through the bit and up and over the head piece and attach it the the other side. If the horse then leans on the lunge at all, considerable pressure is put through sensitive areas of the horses mouth and can become incredibly uncomfortable.

A bungee puts pressure through the poll of the horse, whereas side reins put all the pressure through the horses mouth, where they are attached to the bit. Either way, they both cause pressure and discomfort for the horse, an may result in an unnatural outline.

What I would suggest as an alternative to lunging is lots of ground work with your horse. This can involve moving in different directions, over poles, working on lateral (sideways) movements on the ground, and generally building your horses muscle up and also his/her trust in you. If you do decide to lunge, then no, it is not necessary to have to have the saddle on, and it must only be done for very short bursts of time. Absolutely no more more than 5 minutes on each rein, to minimise stress on your horses legs and to prevent frustration at going round and round in mindless circles!

I wish you all the very best with your horse - it sounds like you have many happy times ahead of you. Good luck!
 
I'm sticking my head out here, partially hi-jacking the thread, and asking what is probably a stupid question all in one - so be kind!:)

My experience of training (not necessarily horses) is that you progress in small steps. The subject (horse in this case) is taught to do some simple thing (e.g. lead by yielding to pressure?) and from this spring board it is taught something new (from responding to pressure, it learns to move forward on the command "Walk on").

I've been assuming that similar principles apply to lunging. The horse is encouraged to walk forward on the command "walk on", to stop to "whoa", trot to "trot on", etc., and to eventually learn that pressure on the mouth is linked to these triggers. Is that correct?

I ask because I seldom notice those who lunge following this (to me) logical progression and it mostly seems to be left to the horse to work it out for itself! It gets repeatedly kicked in the belly to make it go forward until it learns that it can "switch off" the kicking by doing what is required. Horses seem to be pretty smart in working these things out!

If the above is correct, am I thinking logically to imagine that the initially stages of training could be taught loose and without a lunge line in a round pen?
 
I'm lunging purist - Wels cavesson, lunge line, whip and nothing else. All control from the body and voice; the head will come down when it's ready not when it's forced. I was taught by a pupil of the late Pat Manning who was reputed to be a master on the lunge. In fact Pat was an amazing teacher all round.
 
pansymouse said:
I'm lunging purist - Wels cavesson, lunge line, whip and nothing else. All control from the body and voice; the head will come down when it's ready not when it's forced. I was taught by a pupil of the late Pat Manning who was reputed to be a master on the lunge. In fact Pat was an amazing teacher all round.
Click to expand...

What was Pat's/your recommendation to a horse that goes well up the transactions but not back down again... or when asking for down ward transactions stops and turns in?!?!?:p
 
It's counter-productive to forward movement to put pressure on a horse's mouth, whether it is being lunged or ridden or long-reined or driven.

Side reins should not put any pressure on the horse's mouth. If they do, it is because the person using them is using them incorrectly. Side reins should be adjusted so that they have no bearing on the mouth unless the horse seeks the contact. As the horse becomes fitter and practiced on the lunge, and is able to carry itself and exhibit some degree of collection for short periods, so the side reins can be adjusted (shortened) so that the horse is encouraged to work 'correctly' for slightly increased periods of time.

A Pessoa acts in a totally different way to side reins. It also should be gradually adjusted according to the horse's level of fitness and ability to 'go round', ie lift its back, drop its head, and work correctly, stepping well under itself and with impulsion.

Mis-use of either of the above will cause a horse to hollow its back, shuffle along on the forehand, and either stick its nose in the air or overbend and come behind the bit, with little or no impulsion.

I never lunge my horses with anything attached to the bit. I use a lunge cavesson, or a snug-fitting headcollar. The bit may be in the its mouth, but it shouldn't act in any manner which would interfere with the horse's willingness to go forward.
 
I have a great Philippe Karl book on long reining, in which he demonstrates double lunging. Bar the real baby horse, all of his horses are (I believe - don't have book to hand to double check so correct me if i'm wrong) shown lunged and LR'd in a bridle with lines attached to the bit. And isn't he widely recognised as one of the best in the world? Of course there is an argument that only someone so educated as he should be allowed to do it in case mere mortals get it wrong, but I thing lunging and long reining are invaluable.
 
chestnut cob said:
I have a great Philippe Karl book on long reining, in which he demonstrates double lunging. Bar the real baby horse, all of his horses are (I believe - don't have book to hand to double check so correct me if i'm wrong) shown lunged and LR'd in a bridle with lines attached to the bit. And isn't he widely recognised as one of the best in the world? Of course there is an argument that only someone so educated as he should be allowed to do it in case mere mortals get it wrong, but I thing lunging and long reining are invaluable.
Click to expand...

I thought the purpose of long reining, or double lunging, was to teach the horse to respond to the bit?

And why should having a bit in its mouth inhibit a horse from going forwards? Unless, of course, the trainer is heavy handed.

But Aengusog is an expert and will not tolerate any disagreement, let alone discussion!;)
 
Good questions DR. I would like to know too.

I just started lunging my mare in a bungee. I can't see the harm as it is loose unless she sticks her head up like a giraffe. Since looking like a giraffe is neither her natural or my preferred head position, I am thinking nothing but good can come of this!
 
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