Past Article:

Lunge Work to Improve the Riding Horse

There has been much discussion about whether to lunge your horse or not.  I am writing a "Steps to" booklet about the advantages and disadvantages of work on the lunge.

This is a horse working at  novice  training level eventing and first level dressage.  These pictures are from our first session on the lunge.  We started the horse with no side reins in order for him to find his own natural frame.  After a short warm up he is ready to wear side reins.  However, side reins should be used to encourage the horse to remain straight within his body and ARE NOT USED TO PULL THE HORSE BACK INTO A SHORT RESTRICTED OUTLINE.

In this first picture, you can see the side reins are having no effect.  The horse has a short stride and is stepping deeply down into the sand.  If the side reins were shortened to get the contact, his back would never stretch into the round frame we all want. Look at the length of the horse's stride.  He  cold be reaching forward to a longer stride. If  you push him into a faster pace, he will get tense and even more hollow.

Now just look at the improvement!  The horse is beginning to find his own natural stride.  He is stepping forwards with a longer stride.  The hind leg is not yet tracking up all the way into the front foot, but what a difference.  This trot would give you a much better mark in your dressage test.  The horse will develop the correct top-line muscles, will have better balance for jumping and has more chance of remaining sound.  All in all a great improvement in one session.

When the horse was next ridden, we continued working him long and low to develop strength across his back.. He is happily swinging forward onto a nice long stride.  Look at how the hind foot is stepping toward the front foot and how well he is using his shoulders.

Lunging Can Be Used for a Variety of Reasons

• The most common reason given  is to get rid of excess energy before riding.  This is however the worst possible reason for lungeing a horse, as there is a high risk of both the handler  and the horse getting injured..  If your horse needs to be lunged before you ride, check if the feeding program is balanced for the amount of work and exercise.

• A young horse may be lunged to allow him/her to get used to some equipment.

• The older horse may be lunged when the rider has insufficient time to ride.  Generally around 20 minutes work on the lunge line will be sufficient.

• The most interesting lunge work is part of a training program which systematically builds up the horse's suppleness and self-carriage.  It is this type of lungeing that I intend to discuss

Where to Lunge

Firstly check that you have a suitable safe area to lunge your horse. You will need either an arena or a round pen. The surface has to be flat and allow the horse to work comfortable. If the surface is deep, hard or uneven you will create leg problems which could lead to lameness.

Close the gates - just in case your horse becomes frightened and gets away from you!

It is good to wear gloves to lunge. If you have ever had your hands burnt with a rope or lunge line you will certainly know about it!

I like to lunge a horse with a bridle, lunge cavasson and side reins. If you don't have a cavasson, try to find an attachment that will allow you to lunge from the front of the horse's nose. Lungeing from the bit will encourage the horse to tip his head and give conflicting contacts when you use your side reins. The side reins should be used to help the horse remain evenly bent through the whole of the body, and to give the horse something to work into. THE SIDE REINS ARE NOT TO FIX THE HORSE'S HEAD INTO A FRAME.

It is best to have some form of protection of the horse's legs. You can use either a saddle or a roller depending on whether you intend to ride after lungeing.

A good training program will follow a progressive pattern. The first thing to look for is how relaxed the horse is. Send your horse away from you in a circle on the rein he/she is the most comfortable (normally to the left). Watch how the horse moves. After a few circuits to the left, change the rein and allow the horse to work in on the right rein. Observe how the horse carries him/herself is saying "Yes I can", "No I can’t", "No I can’t yet", or 'No I won’t"?

Having a successful relationship with your horse and the achieving of your goals depends on taking the time to study your horse’s conformation and muscle development, and learning his/her language. Listen, take small steps and consolidate each step before moving on and you will have a safe successful relationship with your horse.

• The size of the circle should be big enough to allow the horse to find it's balance.

• The horse should step forwards with the same length of step behind and in front.

• In trot he/she will probably track up into the front hoof print.

• The tail should be carried out behind, and swing evenly from side to side.

• There should be a soft 'U' shape under the horses neck.

• The nose should be slightly in front of the vertical.