Young horse lunging problems!

R

RebekahW

New User
Joined
12 February 2013
Messages
6
Visit site
Hi guys,

Just been to help a friend with her new pony, few issues have cropped up that I wondered are linked.

She's a 3 yo Welsh Sec D and just started the breaking process. Has nice manners though still young and a little bolshy at times, lunges fine on one side but on the other will turn in and stop. She has a wolf tooth on her bad side for lunging which is causing indentations on her happy-mouth (snaffle) bit. So do we think that the cause of her lungeing badly on that side is due to the discomfort the tooth is giving her or just a cheeky youngster trying it on a bit?

Any thoughts gratefully received :D

R x
 
get the dentist tsraight away before you work the horse further.. it will give the horse a very bad experience if it associates working with pain. It's also going to stop it working evenly on both sides if its evading discomfort. It's not fair to work a horse with a bit in it if it's in pain in some way. It will cause more issues once you start riding as the horse will either start head tossing or have no brakes on that side. I'd never start bitting a young horse without the dentist giving it the all clear tooth wise.
 
Agree with paddi22, get the dentist out and get her mouth sorted before any more work is done with this horse.

We have started very very lightly lunging our 3yo (think 2 mins in walk on each rein) just to teach her the basics of going away from us and stop/start. However, we are doing this in a headcollar and will not work her with a bit until the dentist has been early next year.

It is imperative that a young horse being started is comfortable so that they have as good an experience as they can get. Otherwise, you are making a rod for your own back.
 
She's only been doing a little bit of groundwork with her and is 4 in the new year so not too much. She's had the dentist and a vet out who assured her it would be fine for now, obviously not!

But yep wonderful, yeah this is what I thought.

Thanks very guys, I shall relay this back.

R
 
My Welsh A hates to go round one way. I have always assumed that when he was prepped for an inhand showing career he was only trained one way and has got one sided. I can get him to go the other way but have to get slightly behind him and walk around more. I try to long rein him where I can as he accepts this more readily and its better for him
 
Lunge her without a bit to eliminate the bit as the cause, but I wouldn't be putting a bit in her mouth until her teeth have been seen to. The last thing you want with a youngster is bad associations with the bit - she needs to like it and be comfortable with it. Then look at which side she is happy on,if she is happiest on the left rein then probably she has no idea about seeing people on her off side, so practice leading her from the off side for a few days.
 
I did wonder if she was rather one-sided also, as she wont lunge on that side with a headcollar on either. Probably all linked. Dentist on way!

X
 
Apart from the teeth issue bear in mine she is possibly weak on that side. I started my four year old at the end of his third year just gentle longreining and walking on the lunge to teach vocal commands and he was perfect one way but would spin if I put him on the right rein. Teeth had been checked so I preserved and it did improve. Once backed and riding him I realise he's very weak on the nearside hind, which I think led to him not wanting to use it as much. Its vastly improved with a bit of light work and will work equally on both reins now he's built up a bit of muscle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top