So... long reining wasn’t a success 😳

[Carrottom]

I never long rein as I don't have a safe place to do it, and because I don't do it I'm not very good at it. I tend to agree with you about lunging, the temptation for endless circles isn't good for a horse who has had a leg. I tend to just play around on a long rope. Also I don't want to get a new horse, who hasn't been sat on for a while, fit before I get on.
Usually I put tack on and just lead them out down the road for about ten minutes and back, hopefully only meet some cars and no tankers. If that goes okay I probably get on the next day and ride out with husband on the old boy for about 20-25 mins. However, I have never knowingly taken on anything known as a bolter.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Can I borrow your husband and old boy? 😉
I was pretty much 99.9% certain he wasn’t a bolter. People over use the term and he and his rider didn’t get on particularly well. I always suspected he was running from him and the arguement if that makes sense.

 

[Carrottom]

Can I borrow your husband and old boy? 😉
I was pretty much 99.9% certain he wasn’t a bolter. People over use the term and he and his rider didn’t get on particularly well. I always suspected he was running from him and the arguement if that makes sense.

I am lucky there I know.
It is really difficult without help, even if just someone to open and close gates. Also for safety reasons when you are doing stuff with a new horse. Is there anyone you could get to help?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I am lucky there I know.
It is really difficult without help, even if just someone to open and close gates. Also for safety reasons when you are doing stuff with a new horse. Is there anyone you could get to help?

No not really. We moved a few years ago away from friends. Not far but too far to ask people to pop over really. My daughter was the plan but In fact she’s never here and not really interested anyway.
It’ll be fine. I know he go’s out alone and will lead him off my other horse a bit too. I led him round the farm last week and that went ok

 

[Hallo2012]

I know it was silly! I really truly didn’t expect that reaction. He’s perfectly ok to touch all over, he’s used to being lunged. I had no inkling he’d be bothered when I took him tacked up in a lunge line the pervious day.
It was a mistake, a big one. I won’t be doing it again
I don’t have any help so just won’t try it again.
I’m not keen on lunging as he has had bit of a leg, hence I thought if I could long rein round the farm a bit it would help in getting him out and about and used to the feel of the saddle.

i actually wouldn't avoid it-it shows you hes got a big gap in his training and knowledge that you need to work on to be safe.

if he reacted like this to a lunge line he will react like it to something else, so now is the time to work through the issue.

 

[paddy555]

i actually wouldn't avoid it-it shows you hes got a big gap in his training and knowledge that you need to work on to be safe.

if he reacted like this to a lunge line he will react like it to something else, so now is the time to work through the issue.

totally agree. It may not be possible for some reason to be able to long rein your horse but I would want to be sure of the reason why before I was on his back especially if it was triggering memories. Being able to wander around calmly with 2 long reins against their sides is not rocket science for a horse and even if the owner doesn't feel up to long reining on the roads (or just doesn't want to LR) I feel the horse should be able to cope with this very basic exercise.

 

[millikins]

I sympathise. First and so far only time i have tried to long rein my small pity buy pony much the same happened. I'd got him lungeing, had thrown ropes all over him and had daughter to assist but he just kept spinning to prevent me getting behind him. Decided to give up and lead back into the yard, holding him close by his shoulder when he spun and touched the electric fence and I lost him. He did several circuits of the paddock before making a rather nice shape over the electric fence to join the others. Like you I felt slightly cheered by the fact that although he ran, he didn't bolt and came to me eventually to sort things out but I think it's unlikely he'll ever be safe to drive. It's a shame, in all other respects he's a happy, biddable willing little chap but some bar steward has ruined him as a driving pony.

 

[Red-1]

i actually wouldn't avoid it-it shows you hes got a big gap in his training and knowledge that you need to work on to be safe.

if he reacted like this to a lunge line he will react like it to something else, so now is the time to work through the issue.

I agree with this. That is why I have done long reining with mine. Her reaction was off the scale and I did not want something blowing up her jacksie when ridden to cause a panic reaction. She also reacted unhelpfully to side reins. I don't even like side reins, but she had to be OK with them, who knows what the reins will catch on one day and I need her to know to stop, relax and wait for assistance if trapped. I also teach them to lunge with a rein on the back leg, so if I pull on it they stop and wait. I don't actually lunge them off the rein on the back leg, I lunge them with a normal one, but if I pull on a back leg they stop and await help.

She is not the finished article yet, I have had other stuff on this winter with mum being ill, but my previous horse Jay Man was 100% put through my system. One day I was riding out on the main road in high winds when a 4 ft square of insulation material flew at him and hit his front legs. He stood still, it fell over, it blew away, we were safe. Jay was extremely sharp when he came, had been through pros, was cheaper because of his 'isms' but became very reliable - but not by avoiding stuff.

I think the key is in allowing them to be able to move, not to scare the poo out of them, to have them realise that the safe thing to do is slow down and wait.

 

[Hallo2012]

I think the key is in allowing them to be able to move, not to scare the poo out of them, to have them realise that the safe thing to do is slow down and wait.

yep!

not flooding them in to submitting but allowing them to move away in a controlled manner(in an enclosed environment) and removing the pressure when they stand(or slow) and wait for human help.