Some lunging problems and solutions

Some problems I have encountered while lunging and what I have done to rectify the situation:

The horse is:

-          avoiding contact and the line is slack – or feels ‘empty’ in your hand

o       drive him forward with body language or use the whip and at the same time take contact with the rein by shortening it until feel him in the other end

o       when he responds by taking contact and line is not slack anymore, give him more line and take the pressure off

o       ready to repeat, if he decides to avoid contact again

-          sluggish and does not want to move forward properly (but is not ill, unlevel or have badly fitting tack, just lazy)

o       touch him on the hind quarters with the whip

o       start jogging or running with him, but keeping contact at the same time – no slack line… Jog or run also as in driving him on, not dragging him as in leading…

-          looking out and bringing his hind quarters inside the circle

o       take more contact on the line, bring him on a smaller circle, drive him on more, ask him to yield his hind quarters

o       this may at first produce a horse that is running faster than really required, but adjusting the aids and staying calm in the middle will eventually make him soften

o       the moment he softens and yields his hind so that the hind legs follow the front legs on the circle, release to a bigger circle or start walking around a bigger circle yourself

o       if he returns back to pushing hind inwards, repeat immediately

-          not staying within the gait you want

o       ask him to move on in the gait he gives and work well within it

o       after some rounds, ask to come back to the gait you were wanting to work on, if he refuses, drive him forward and work more, and then ask again

o       eventually he will want to come back a gear

o       important bit is to remain calm and not get irritated, just think:”ok, you want to trot instead of walking. Fine, then we trot and trot properly.”

-          leaning in and making the circle smaller than you want

o       use body language to drive him onto a bigger circle

o       may have to accept a slacker contact for a wile until he is established on that bigger circle

o       again this problem may need patience and staying calm

o       if he is cutting you off while you are walking with him on a bigger circle, stop walking or trying to push him off, just stop and take him on a small circle for a round, then ask for him to move on again to a bigger one – if he again cuts you off, repeat – eventually he will think it easier to do what you want… which is to stay on a bigger and more comfortable circle

-          running like an eejit head high and not listening at all to you

o       stay calm and let him have a really big circle to run around safely

o       keep him going, if he has decided to gallop around, then he should stay in the gallop or canter until you let him to come back to trot – he may have taken the initiative to run about like an eejit, but you take the control over when he is allowed to slow down

o       at some point he will start to want to slow down, keep him going still just a half a circle or so, and then ask for downward transition – don’t let him drop to slower gear on his own, it is vital that this is your decision, not his

-          keeping his head high and does not want to stretch it down and forward

o       asking for long and low on the lunge requires feel and lots and lots of lunging experience

o       with me it works such that I take a better contact on him with lunge hand while at the same time drive him on more, but this is not as easy as it may sound here… you have to be very observant and sensitive to remove any extra pressure immediately when he gives you better stretch so that he knows what you are asking him to do

o       in the very beginning I just waited until he lowered his head on his own accord, and this will happen, you just have to be patient, first time it took indeed something like 20min

o       later on, when he was used to the new lunging style, I took him to a small circle, creating more contact and more forward pressure, and when he gave his head, I released him to bigger circle immediately

o       nowadays cues are far subtler and just taking a certain amount of contact and more forward pressure usually does the trick

o       a chambon may be of a great help here, if the horse just does not lower his head at all. Chambon has been a vital part of our lunging success since our boy was that ex harness racer and learned to run fast with head high.

o       if using chambon, please do watch the video from Will of how to use it correctly

o       side reins used correctly (loose enough for the horse to be able to take contact himself as well as stretch) may help as well

-          spooking

o       ignore as much as possible and work on

o       if there is a spooky area in the school, take the horse there and lunge around there  in a smaller circle until he is calm – obviously if he is very spooked, don’t go too close to the spooky site, but gradually move him that way

o       however, do remember to stay safe yourself, don’t go too close to the horse’s kick area and be ready to collect any possible slack on the line, and never hold the line in you hand in such way that it may trap your hand or fingers in case the horse bolts; I always keep my line looped back and forth, not in a round loop, this way it is near impossible for me to get tangled in it with my hand.

These are things that I learned in practice during this year and a bit of lunging several times a week. Thought to jot them down in case my experience would be of help to someone out there.

I’ll finish this post with five things you should always mind in my opinion while lunging:

1. Always move only forwards. That is, never ever step even one step backwards. This shows submission to the horse and you are immediately below him in the hierarchy. Do Not Step Back! If the horse is coming towards you and makes the line slack, instead of stepping backwards, step forwards on a semi circle following him. That is, drive him forward. This he understands and it is not submissive from you – quite the contrary.
2. Always keep the horse going the direction you want. That is, never ever let the horse change rein on his own. Block him, and turn him immediately back to where you wanted him to go. You decide the direction of the movement, not him. Do not let him change rein and just do it without consequences, not even once!
3. Always when changing rein, ask him to stop on the circle, then walk to him, praise and pat him, then move to the other side and ask him to move off on the other rein. That is, never ever change rein via an S on the hoof… when doing ground work, fine, or long lining with two reins, fine, but when lunging and working with him this way, don’t do it! Teach him to stop and wait for you. Cues that I use are to put the whip away pointing away from him under my arm, stop walking myself, body language relaxing and of course the customary voice command. If he does not stop immediately, fine, you ask again, if he does not want to stop, ask him to move on, up one gear, then after a while a gear down and again ask for halt. Repeat in calm manner until he stops. Then great praise…
4. Always continue the session until your horse is calm. That is, never ever stop a session if the horse is still wound up or spooky etc. If you lead the horse out while he is wound up and unruly, he will most likely repeat the same next time. Always take your time (never be in a hurry) and take the horse back in only after it is calm – no matter how long it takes. This will pay off very quickly.
5. Always keep your and the horse’s safety foremost in mind – use common sense.