FALCON CREEK FARM NEWSLETTER
(November 2003)
LUNGING
How many of you
out there lunge your horse? How
often? For what reasons? I thought I would offer a few tips and ideas
on lunging to help answer these questions.
First of all,
lunging should never be done on a horse younger than one year of age. Lunging is very hard on a horse’s legs due
to the strain it puts on them. When a
horse lunges, it is not traveling in a straight line, which is the way their
bodies were designed to travel, so running them around in an arc shape, puts
stress and strain on their legs and body.
A young horse’s legs aren’t always strong enough to handle that. Young horses, under the age of 3 or 4,
should be lunged for a limited amount of time.
Many people
lunge prior to riding to work off the excess energy their horses have. It is a good idea to let your horse burn off
some steam before you ride, as you don’t want to ride a horse that is “full of
it”. It decreases the likelihood of
being bucked off and it also provides you with an opportunity to do some
groundwork with your horse. Lunging should
always include some form of groundwork.
It helps get your horse into a thinking frame of mind and ready to
listen to what you may ask of him.
Running a horse around and around in a circle is can get quite boring
for a horse, so giving him something to think about, keeps his mind working and
receptive, as well as his body.
First of all,
your horse should be outfitted with splint boots if he is going to be working
hard or fast or tends to bump himself with his feet or legs in any way. Splint boots help stabilize the legs and
support the tendons, ligaments and bones.
The horse should be outfitted with bell boots if he has a tendency to
overreach in the back end and hit his front feet or pull his shoes off. A chain or rope should be run under the horse’s
chin if he pulls on you or tries to run off while lunging. Never, Ever, Ever wrap or loop the lunge
rope around your hands. Always hold it
so quick release is possible if your horse should run off. If the end of it has a handle, do not loop
it over your wrist; hold it no farther back on your hand than the middle of
your fingers. If your horse takes off,
you could be dragged or seriously hurt.
I like to
incorporate multiple exercises that get the horse to focus on me and I have him
do several different things. I may ask
for direction changes at all three gates, walk, trot and canter. Quick direction changes at a canter can
start your horse learning flying lead changes. I may ask for a stop and stand, which can be surprisingly hard
for many horses to do. This will help
teach the horse to stand still when you are riding. I may ask the horse to back up while he is standing still, from
20 feet away, or I may ask the horse to follow me with his head and body in the
center of the circle as I walk around him.
All of these can be taught to just about any horse and it really sets
them up for a better ride after you are done.
There are many other things you can do on a lunge line; the options are
as limitless as you want to be creative.
Some tips on
lunging include:
Always make
sure your horse is calmer when you finish than when you started.
Never let your
horse crowd you or cut in to close to you or run you over when changing
direction.
Never let your
horse come to you after you stop him on a lunge line. He should only come to you when invited in, not when he decides
to (see previous newsletter on “Groundwork”).
He should stop and face you but remain out on the circle.
If you are not
comfortable working a horse at lunging and groundwork or do not know how, don’t
attempt it. Get professional help with
it. It can be dangerous.
Falcon Creek
Farm offers ground training and lunging lessons. If you are interested in learning more about it, please call or
email us! Thank you!
Happy Riding!!!
Comments and feedback are always welcome!
Leslie @
Falcon Creek Farm
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