Personality: Lunging vs Riding

Foxford

Foxford

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I was just having a think about the behaviour of my horse and horses I've had in the past. Whilst they have all been quiet and mannerly to ride, they ALL get fizzy and excitable on the lunge!!

I don't chase them round with a lunge whip before anyone suggests that's where I may be going wrong!!

I was wondering if it's because lunging is a bit more confrontational - as in, it's the opposite to Monty Roberts join-up type thing where you reward the horse for coming in. Or if maybe they think without a rider on they can kick up their heels a bit more?
Just interested to see if anyone else finds this??
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I find my cob is a complete lazy ass on the lunge and I do more work then he does (think jumping up and down, shouting canter, canter), I can slap him on the bum with the lunge whip and he doesn’t even bat an eyelid. Think I might have over done the bomb proofing when I backed him. Hence I don’t do much lunging with him now, which is naughty. Riding wise he is lovely though, not lazy but not silly either.

The Fjord is lovely to lunge, not silly at all but more forward then when being ridden (except when my Mum rides while on the lunge) he goes back into plod mode then. You can stand in the middle and he will just keep trotting round you.
 
I'm with you here! FB is a gent to ride - almost too laid back. Put a lunge line on him and he is like a horse posessed! I always blamed it on the fact that he is used to working at liberty in a round pen - which he does perfectly with just voice commands and body language. It's the line that drives him mad. He has made me cry on more than one occasion, he gets so frustrated that I don't bother anymore.
 
I have found plenty of horses that I lunge can be like this to begin with. As in as soon as you put them on a circle they just shoot off into trot. I have always put it down to them not being taught how to lunge properly, cause I have found that after lunging them for a period of time and teaching them that I expect them to walk out and only go faster or slower when I ask that they behave perfectly.
 
Ours are quieter on the lunge than riding/driving TBH
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All the section B's are really responsive on the lunge and do exactly as asked, riding they are the same but the look like they are sharp although they never do anything. Pip is chilled on the lunge, and usually chilled ridden/driven. When he is in a stupid mood I think he would be stupid whatever you did to him TBH. Ginga is like clockwork doing anything, with minimum energy, and Ajay is lazy and won't go on the lunge atall!
 
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I have found plenty of horses that I lunge can be like this to begin with. As in as soon as you put them on a circle they just shoot off into trot. I have always put it down to them not being taught how to lunge properly, cause I have found that after lunging them for a period of time and teaching them that I expect them to walk out and only go faster or slower when I ask that they behave perfectly.

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Mine have always walked fine - it's not like they go "oh, a lunge line - waheey!". I just find that once they get going into the faster paces, they just get full of it! They will then come back to you, but they will certainly go off on one again at several more points in the session.
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