I've been thinking a lot about lunging because I am presenting a clinic about it at the Equine Affaire. Its something that I have always done, all the way from being a pony clubber trying to avoid getting bucked off in the hunt field (very embarrassing!) to an attempt to improve my dressage score a couple of points, by encouraging long, low and relaxed. Or at an A show as a way to allow horses who have had no turn-out to work off excess energy safely. I am not much of an equipment person, having said that I have probably tried every gadget know to man and beast out of curiosity, but none have worked for me. They all take too long to put on and adjust right, they all need maintaining, cleaning and storing and most important they are all designed to make the horse take on a shape that he doesn't want to be. I would rather encourage a good shape by allowing him to discover it himself. For instance, a lunge circle is easier with head down and an appropriate bend. I've tried side reins and check reins, I've seen bitting rigs and harnesses, I've looked at magic strings and fancy surcingles and while I'm sure that in the right hands they are all worth their weight in gold, in my hands I prefer to keep it very simple. The one exception is the chambon which, in certain special circumstances, I have found to be useful, but I'll save that for another post. All I take with me to lunge a horse is a cotton line, either with no chain and a swivel snap or with a short chain and a swivel snap depending if the horse has a bridle or halter on, a lunge whip that I can easily crack, and gloves. (I actually skip the gloves quite often and have rope burns to show for it, so I don't advise it.) I have various clever ways to tie up reins and stirrups and attach the line so that nothing is in danger of being stepped on or tangled but I don't want to get into those details now. Come and watch the clinic :) The things that I DO want to explore now and in the next couple of posts are safety of both horse and handler, uses and abuses of lunging and why I think that it is an INVALUABLE tool for any horseowner or handler to have. Lunging is fairly difficult to learn and takes some patience but is not out of reach of ANYONE who can stand and walk. You can be young or old, short or tall, skinny or round, you don't have to be an advanced rider, but if you are you too should know how to do it. It works no matter what your specific discipline is and is useful for ALL ponies and horses no matter what their breed, size, shape, age, or intended use. First things first: Safety -----It is very important that you and your horse take the time to learn how to lunge properly before you head out to the middle of a large field. It is true that the big advantage of lunging is that it is totally transportable, you can take a lunge line and a whip anywhere, and pull it out when you need it. In a field, at a show, at a new barn, at a hunter pace and so on, but when you do, you and your horse need to know what you are doing----- There a few nightmare scenarios that can and do happen and that have made people very wary of lunging. The thought of a horse running through the show grounds or across an open field with a lunge line trailing is enough to terrify any horse person with even a smidge of imagination. Another nightmare is the image of a horse running around at mach 100 with his head yanked in at a near 90 degree angle, legs akimbo, skidmarks appearing, while the poor handler hangs on for dear life. Yet another nightmare, perhaps less dangerous but nevertheless frustrating and not useful, is the image of the horse lunging the handler. The handler tries to get behind the horse waving her whip while he turns to face her, matching every step, with a quizzical look on his face. Next installment; Uses and Abuses of the lunge line. |
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CategoriesDressage/flatworkEnjoying Older Horses General Horsemanship Journal Lunging Showing The Horse Nanny
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