Teaching a horse how to lunge

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Carrots&Mints

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Has anyone got any tips and advice on how to teach a orse tha has never been lunged before how to lunge?? All m previous horses have been able to do it, how ever I dont know where to start how to teach them :) Thanks
 
Walk them round in a large-ish circle and when they are comortable walking beside you (with you on the inside) gradually lengthen the line and move away, then progress to standing still in the middle with them moving around you. Alternatively, stand in the middle and get someone else to walk round with them, gradually moving away etc.
 
jenni999 said:
Walk them round in a large-ish circle and when they are comortable walking beside you (with you on the inside) gradually lengthen the line and move away, then progress to standing still in the middle with them moving around you. Alternatively, stand in the middle and get someone else to walk round with them, gradually moving away etc.
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Thankyou, will be dragging my sister to the yard to walk on the outside of him :)

cheers!!
 
I've just got my baby horse lunging properly, here's what I did. First make sure that the horse is happy being led from both sides. Then I got a friend to help by walking the horse on a circle on both reins, with the person on the outside, while I stood in the middle giving the verbal commands. At the appropriate command the friend got the horse to walk, stand etc, so that the horse learnt to associate the command with the action. After a couple of successful goes (baby horses take a while) I finished the session with the person either no longer in control or moving away entirely. After a few goes we could do it on our own.

I would advise ensuring that you are also rigorously disciplined in your own positioning relative to the horse, otherwise things can go wrong quite quickly. Also hat and gloves. Especially gloves!
 
Magnetic Sparrow said:
I've just got my baby horse lunging properly, here's what I did. First make sure that the horse is happy being led from both sides. Then I got a friend to help by walking the horse on a circle on both reins, with the person on the outside, while I stood in the middle giving the verbal commands. At the appropriate command the friend got the horse to walk, stand etc, so that the horse learnt to associate the command with the action. After a couple of successful goes (baby horses take a while) I finished the session with the person either no longer in control or moving away entirely. After a few goes we could do it on our own.

I would advise ensuring that you are also rigorously disciplined in your own positioning relative to the horse, otherwise things can go wrong quite quickly. Also hat and gloves. Especially gloves!
Click to expand...

hankyou for your help :) I need to go buy some gloves keep getting told off for not wearing any!! lol :D
 
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The problem with teaching Shy to lunge was that we had already done join up, So he thought that me sending him away on the lunge line was part of it, and that turning in to try and follow me was the result. He was confused.

It took me a while to suss this, and we had some very dangerous moments where Shy would have a full on tantrum. Whatever you do, have gloves on, a hat on, and someone to watch over you. Keep your eye on his eye and you can read what may happen. Take every step forward as an achievement, and only do a minute each side, then build up. I had to use a bridle and bit to stop him getting away from me, and really use the whip to keep him out (not on him obviously), but can now use just the cavesson and my voice.
 
We had a few issues getting ours to lunge - started using 2 lines instead of 1 & shes a different horse when lunged x
 
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