OldDog/NewTricks
Well-known member
Lunging
http://www.horseproblems.com.au/horse_problems_australia_lunging.htm
Is a long and good article but there are places I have trouble with it, so I'll ad my thoughts as we go along.
LUNGING THE HORSE "BY" John O'Leary "Horseman" © 1999
Lot's of horse owners lunge really well. The horse trains them that way.
Just watch them where ever you go. The horse runs around at the end of the stiff lunge rein whilst the owner runs around a smaller circle but lunges just as well. The whole time fighting against the pull of the horse. Well I suppose it is good for their health at least. Seriously though, it is your choice how your horses is trained to lunge so here are a few basic rules to go by. Here is a recent 'Tip of the Week' that I sent out to my mailing list:
"The lunging process is the time when the young, green or newly owned horses examine, probe, test and label us as the owner. Their decision will then directly impact upon their behavior, ridden and ground, going forward. Ignore lunging rules at your peril and have your horse assess you as a 'Bunny', for you are making a 'Rod for your own back' in the future"
. Lunging endlessly to control behavior of a horse is a complete waste of time and all you achieve is a much fitter horse that has more energy to misbehave in the future.
. I agree with this in princeable.
. Lunging to exhaust horses before show competition is idiotic and cruel. It is a scam that 'hackies pull here in Australia and I have heard of people lunging horses an entire night to quieten them for the next days comp.?
. I agree
. If you do lunge, gain some benefit out of it by having the horse wear your chosen equipment to ensure it works 'Round' somewhat. Improve muscle tone as well as exercise the horse.
. Can't hurt?
, If you lunge in a round yard, there is no point using a rope or a lunge rein. Train your horse to stop or turn via the use of your voice and body language.
. I disagree - - a lunge line can be a good training device and has it's time and place – as a training device you can easily teach a horse to Stop, Face You [No Butt], Go Left [Go By], Go Right [Way To], Voice Commands, in less than ½ the time. Then Show Off!
. If you do use a rein or rope, never use a webbing halter. These train horses to lean and pull on the handler. A rope halter gains much more respect and will assist you to keep the horse light.
. I agree in part – I beleave in the right equipment – the Ol timer that taught me had a piece of ¼ round stock bent in the shape of a "bosal" made with a headstall. You can buy something like it in a saddle shop call a Lunging Headstall.
. Lunging Caveson also will heavy a horse up in the head department as well as give you little control should something go wrong should you be out in the open.?
. If you use a rein, never let the horse go around leaning on it. This teaches resistance and causes the handler to be fighting with the horse. Check release to maintain the desired circle for your horse. Of course, if it is in a Round Yard, the wall should be the direction and position of travel.?
. From the point of view of ruining the lightness of a horse, the lunging rein does just that as it is like a large elastic band. No bump can travel down it to the head of the horse should they get ignorant.
. I'm assuming we are training a green horse. A round Pen does not allow any of this if you'll just let the fence work for ya - - Being from the old school I believe a round pen fence should lean out by 40% +/-. This teaches the horse to stay 'Off The Fence' [because the horses feet hit the bottom of the fence but at eye level the horse is about 1' off the rail] and gives you Leg Room when your riding the horse.
. Do not let a horse cut corners whilst lunging. This is a try on and disrespectful to you. They will regularly cut the corner which is furtherest from the gate. Don't allow it and flick them in the shoulder with the whip should they try. They must be more respectful of staying out of your space than the desire to be out of the yard and to the gate. Flick them in the shoulder every time they come around to cut the corner and send them out to the track where they were sent.
. Keeping a strict and constant rules regime when in the Round Pen is highly important. Horses are assessing you all the while. If you don't Police the rules to the enth degree, they will judge you as weak and try to exploit you more in the future. In more ways than you can imagine and yes, right up to riding. Even bucking you off. I meet them all the time. Two during the last week. Complete ridden careers that have come to an end due to a lack of lunging regime and by playing stable games.?
. You should never have to move from your pivot point when lunging. If you are having to walk around, your horse doesn't lunge well enough.?
. I believe that the only reasons for lunging are to exercise a stabled horse, to prepare a girthy horse that may buck and then only briefly or to work a competition horse when you haven't time to ride. To maintain muscle or fitness levels.?
. Never let a horse change direction whilst lunging, without permission. This is an evasion, it is ignorant and the horse being the boss. A major No, NO. If one does it to you, immediately leap to the front of the horse and flick it in the shoulder to send it back the way it was going. Some do it to be smarties, others do it because it is not their chosen way of going, others because of a one sided body muscle development problem. It matters not, other than a Veterinary investigation perhaps, what their reason. They should not be allowed to get away with it. I have seen horses use that as a way to basically get out of lunging and to completely run amok.
. I call 'sided body muscle development problem' lack of coronation – Left or Right Leads – a horse needs to develop this.
. If the horse has a chosen way of going, "LEAD" and a lot do, lunge them twice as much in the opposite direction than their preference, to fix the problem. That way, it will be a better ridden horse.?
. I see and hear of a lot of instances of horses charging their owner whilst lunging, cutting a corner and side kicking at the owner or just doing a threatening pass by at close quarters with the ears flat back. These horses are all out of control, have no respect and have elected themselves as No. 1 with you being No. 2. They do not like you because they do not respect you because you are weak. At the risk of being blunt, such horses should be simply attacked back by the handler and basically hit anywhere there is hair and with complete gusto. (strength and commitment) They must be shocked out of their attitude and instantly. It takes 5 seconds only and works every time.
There are DANGERS to the Horse amd You in my fixs for this so I'll edite them out.
Just change Your and Their attitude in the future as you have been told by the horse that you lack strength of character basically. Horses "ANIMALS" love assertive "Strong" people, they hate "DESRESPECT" weak people. These horses are the ones that will buck you off and you have caused your own disaster, in the lunge ring.
If a horse is asked to change direction and it does so by turning towards the fence and giving me it's bum in my face, I see that as ignorance and I will not allow that on any horse that I work with. It shows disrespect and after all, we are trying to get respect in our training, surely. To fix this you can go through the following exercise.
In Training - - This is why I use a round pen/lung line/lunging headstall - - a horse is never allowed to turn it butt to me. A quick snap to a Lunging Headstall through the lung line make the horse " Face Ya" turn to you.
[ Horses are smarted than most people give credit for - - Most horses will learn to take oral commands – Whoo / Go-by / Way to]
My Reasoning on [Go-by / Way to]:
With Dogs I was always getting mixed-up - - I was at 12:00 O'clock and my dog at 6:00 O'clock and the livestock in the center. I'd want the dog to move to his left but that was my right- command???
I find that it's easier to say "GO-By" for go clock-wise or "Way-To" for go counter-clock-wise - - it always works "For ME".
End of part one
http://www.horseproblems.com.au/horse_problems_australia_lunging.htm
Is a long and good article but there are places I have trouble with it, so I'll ad my thoughts as we go along.
LUNGING THE HORSE "BY" John O'Leary "Horseman" © 1999
Lot's of horse owners lunge really well. The horse trains them that way.
Just watch them where ever you go. The horse runs around at the end of the stiff lunge rein whilst the owner runs around a smaller circle but lunges just as well. The whole time fighting against the pull of the horse. Well I suppose it is good for their health at least. Seriously though, it is your choice how your horses is trained to lunge so here are a few basic rules to go by. Here is a recent 'Tip of the Week' that I sent out to my mailing list:
"The lunging process is the time when the young, green or newly owned horses examine, probe, test and label us as the owner. Their decision will then directly impact upon their behavior, ridden and ground, going forward. Ignore lunging rules at your peril and have your horse assess you as a 'Bunny', for you are making a 'Rod for your own back' in the future"
. Lunging endlessly to control behavior of a horse is a complete waste of time and all you achieve is a much fitter horse that has more energy to misbehave in the future.
. I agree with this in princeable.
. Lunging to exhaust horses before show competition is idiotic and cruel. It is a scam that 'hackies pull here in Australia and I have heard of people lunging horses an entire night to quieten them for the next days comp.?
. I agree
. If you do lunge, gain some benefit out of it by having the horse wear your chosen equipment to ensure it works 'Round' somewhat. Improve muscle tone as well as exercise the horse.
. Can't hurt?
, If you lunge in a round yard, there is no point using a rope or a lunge rein. Train your horse to stop or turn via the use of your voice and body language.
. I disagree - - a lunge line can be a good training device and has it's time and place – as a training device you can easily teach a horse to Stop, Face You [No Butt], Go Left [Go By], Go Right [Way To], Voice Commands, in less than ½ the time. Then Show Off!
. If you do use a rein or rope, never use a webbing halter. These train horses to lean and pull on the handler. A rope halter gains much more respect and will assist you to keep the horse light.
. I agree in part – I beleave in the right equipment – the Ol timer that taught me had a piece of ¼ round stock bent in the shape of a "bosal" made with a headstall. You can buy something like it in a saddle shop call a Lunging Headstall.
. Lunging Caveson also will heavy a horse up in the head department as well as give you little control should something go wrong should you be out in the open.?
. If you use a rein, never let the horse go around leaning on it. This teaches resistance and causes the handler to be fighting with the horse. Check release to maintain the desired circle for your horse. Of course, if it is in a Round Yard, the wall should be the direction and position of travel.?
. From the point of view of ruining the lightness of a horse, the lunging rein does just that as it is like a large elastic band. No bump can travel down it to the head of the horse should they get ignorant.
. I'm assuming we are training a green horse. A round Pen does not allow any of this if you'll just let the fence work for ya - - Being from the old school I believe a round pen fence should lean out by 40% +/-. This teaches the horse to stay 'Off The Fence' [because the horses feet hit the bottom of the fence but at eye level the horse is about 1' off the rail] and gives you Leg Room when your riding the horse.
. Do not let a horse cut corners whilst lunging. This is a try on and disrespectful to you. They will regularly cut the corner which is furtherest from the gate. Don't allow it and flick them in the shoulder with the whip should they try. They must be more respectful of staying out of your space than the desire to be out of the yard and to the gate. Flick them in the shoulder every time they come around to cut the corner and send them out to the track where they were sent.
. Keeping a strict and constant rules regime when in the Round Pen is highly important. Horses are assessing you all the while. If you don't Police the rules to the enth degree, they will judge you as weak and try to exploit you more in the future. In more ways than you can imagine and yes, right up to riding. Even bucking you off. I meet them all the time. Two during the last week. Complete ridden careers that have come to an end due to a lack of lunging regime and by playing stable games.?
. You should never have to move from your pivot point when lunging. If you are having to walk around, your horse doesn't lunge well enough.?
. I believe that the only reasons for lunging are to exercise a stabled horse, to prepare a girthy horse that may buck and then only briefly or to work a competition horse when you haven't time to ride. To maintain muscle or fitness levels.?
. Never let a horse change direction whilst lunging, without permission. This is an evasion, it is ignorant and the horse being the boss. A major No, NO. If one does it to you, immediately leap to the front of the horse and flick it in the shoulder to send it back the way it was going. Some do it to be smarties, others do it because it is not their chosen way of going, others because of a one sided body muscle development problem. It matters not, other than a Veterinary investigation perhaps, what their reason. They should not be allowed to get away with it. I have seen horses use that as a way to basically get out of lunging and to completely run amok.
. I call 'sided body muscle development problem' lack of coronation – Left or Right Leads – a horse needs to develop this.
. If the horse has a chosen way of going, "LEAD" and a lot do, lunge them twice as much in the opposite direction than their preference, to fix the problem. That way, it will be a better ridden horse.?
. I see and hear of a lot of instances of horses charging their owner whilst lunging, cutting a corner and side kicking at the owner or just doing a threatening pass by at close quarters with the ears flat back. These horses are all out of control, have no respect and have elected themselves as No. 1 with you being No. 2. They do not like you because they do not respect you because you are weak. At the risk of being blunt, such horses should be simply attacked back by the handler and basically hit anywhere there is hair and with complete gusto. (strength and commitment) They must be shocked out of their attitude and instantly. It takes 5 seconds only and works every time.
There are DANGERS to the Horse amd You in my fixs for this so I'll edite them out.
Just change Your and Their attitude in the future as you have been told by the horse that you lack strength of character basically. Horses "ANIMALS" love assertive "Strong" people, they hate "DESRESPECT" weak people. These horses are the ones that will buck you off and you have caused your own disaster, in the lunge ring.
If a horse is asked to change direction and it does so by turning towards the fence and giving me it's bum in my face, I see that as ignorance and I will not allow that on any horse that I work with. It shows disrespect and after all, we are trying to get respect in our training, surely. To fix this you can go through the following exercise.
In Training - - This is why I use a round pen/lung line/lunging headstall - - a horse is never allowed to turn it butt to me. A quick snap to a Lunging Headstall through the lung line make the horse " Face Ya" turn to you.
[ Horses are smarted than most people give credit for - - Most horses will learn to take oral commands – Whoo / Go-by / Way to]
My Reasoning on [Go-by / Way to]:
With Dogs I was always getting mixed-up - - I was at 12:00 O'clock and my dog at 6:00 O'clock and the livestock in the center. I'd want the dog to move to his left but that was my right- command???
I find that it's easier to say "GO-By" for go clock-wise or "Way-To" for go counter-clock-wise - - it always works "For ME".
End of part one
