HELP FOR HORSE

Things you didn't know about lunging

Round and round we go - but what for? Put yourself in the horse's shoes and make it a constructive exercise.

Lunging (or longing as it is also known) is a training tool. I use it mainly in the early stages of training a young horse for riding, but also for correcting bad behaviour.

The beauty of lunging is that the horse is free from all constraint and yet entirely under control. Personally, I lunge in a simple head-collar with the rein clipped to the appropriate side ring. I use nothing else. I want the horse to have the freedom to give his true response.

I also want him to be free to carry himself as he chooses. Only in this way can he be completely calm and relaxed. And it is only when the horse is fully calm and relaxed that he can be easy and responsive.

When the horse is calm and relaxed, he is able to 'listen' to what we want. He may not understand at first, but that's another story. In a state of calm relaxation he will give his best.

Obedience
Fundamentally, the purpose of lunging is to obtain obedience through the paces, primarily in walk and trot. It can be quite difficult to bring a horse to halt on the lunge. They do get fixed on the idea of forward motion and seemingly don't want to stop. If your horse is unwilling, halting can be omitted. Certainly, there is no point in making as issue out of it. In fact, we should never make an issue out of anything.

Cantering on a circle is hard for any horse. They are designed to run on the straight line forward - more or less. The bigger the horse, the harder it is. And the smaller the circle, the more they feel they may lose their balance and fall over - which is why horses don't like cantering on a circle and may sometimes rebel. Cantering on the lunge therefore should only be attempted when the horse is comfortable and familiar with it.

Where to do it
Personally, I prefer to lunge in a field or large paddock. If the horse is constrained by walls or fences he is not necessarily giving his true response. He knows he can't escape and therefore has no choice. Equally, he may feel resentful and fight or resist because he feels trapped. This is only a minor point, but one worth considering. Horses like to feel that they can run away if they need to.

Perversely perhaps, it is the freedom to run away that makes them feel safe and secure. The more safe and secure they feel, the more likely they are to give you their cooperation. If they don't run away, you are half way to obtaining what you want..

What to do
The theory is to a form a triangle between the lunge whip, rein and the horse. The whip is the driving aid, held roughly at waist height and pointing just behind the rump. Normally, the whip is held still, but can be flicked to reinforce a command.

The rein is the restraining aid, keeping the horse on the circle. Ideally, there should be a slight dip in the rein. If it is taut, it means the horse is resisting, even if only slightly. The triangle should be maintained at all times.

Voice commands
Voice commands are essential, particularly for downward transitions. The whip aids required are so subtle that it takes time for the horse to get used to them. I use them for all transitions, as they clarify the command. A voice command should only be used once, although may need to be repeated if the horse is slow to respond. When he is doing what you want, there is no need to keep reminding him.

Keep your voice commands firm, clear and above all consistent. If you keep using different words, there is no point in using them at all. The horse does not understand the language or meaning, but responds to the sound and the tone.

How to start
Assuming the horse has never done it before, you start in walk on a very small circle. This gives you greater control and implants the idea of what you want. Point the whip towards his rump and tell him to walk on. As he understands and relaxes into it, gradually let the rein out and extend the circle.

At this point, the accuracy of the circle is not important. It will doubtless have dents and bulges as the horse benignly looks for an exit from this activity. Your only concern is that he stays in a quiet, relaxed walk. Adjustments to the shape of circle come with time.

Trotting
Any work on a circle is extremely boring for a horse. When he has done 2 - 3 circuits in walk and seems reasonably relaxed and 'listening', ask for trot. Most will go into trot quite nicely, but if he shoots off at speed, bring him in on a much smaller circle so he is forced to come back to walk. He's not ready for trotting yet!

Start him off again on a smaller circle. Get him walking quietly, then ask for trot again. He must start off at a reasonable pace.

Change is the essence of good training. After a few circuits of trot, remove the driving aid by dropping the point of the whip so it points towards the ground and ask for walk. At first, this may take a little while to achieve. In trot, there is an element of running away. From the horse's point of view, lunging is a meaningless activity. If he can run away from it, so much the better for him. Consequently, once trotting, he may appear reluctant to slow down.

On the plus side, all horses would prefer to walk than trot. Theirs is an intrinsically lazy nature which seeks to conserve energy at all times. They may need it later for an emergency. Reminding him that he prefers to walk may be another matter - but we have another aspect of his basic nature to fall back on!

We can let him trot himself out. We let him trot on for as long as he wants to. We do nothing and say nothing but wait patiently until he gets tired of trotting. Eventually, he starts slowing down of his own accord. Wait until he is trotting quite slowly, then ask again for walk. In the end, he will give it.

If, on the other hand, his trotting escalates and breaks into canter, he is truly running away and must be brought back towards the centre to slow him down. Next time you start him into trot, keep him on a small circle. As long as you are patient and use the tactics in the right way, he will understand in due course!

The transitions
Your horse has understood that he must walk, trot and come back to walk on command. He is beginning to get the idea. Spend at least one session (of about 15 minutes) going through and perfecting these transitions. Eventually, you should be able to change the pace after a few strides.

Now is the time to bring in cantering. Again, it should be controlled. Any running away and the horse must be brought back towards the centre and into trot again.

Then, if he is amenable and towards the end of a session, you can try for halt.

Choose a place on the circle where he is most likely to respond. This is likely to be when he is going away from the gate or exit. Drop your whip downwards and use your voice command. (I use 'and stand' in a long, soft, drawn out tone.) You may need to give a little tug on the rein. If you can't get the right response, don't worry about it. Let it go and try again later.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.