Its been said that lunging is an art. It is a skill that needs to be learned.
What is the reason for lunging? In my mind the most important is for training a young or uneducated horse. For training, the horse should be lunged in side reins. Side reins are necessary to balance the horse. Without them, the horse could build incorrect muscles. The side reins should never be too short. If you are just beginning training, you can start with side reins loose, then gradually shorten until the horse's nose is on, or a little in front of the vertical; but never behind the vertical. You can also shorten the inside rein to create bend. I always lunge a little without the side reins at first to warm the horse up.
You can lunge to take the freshness off. For example, you feel your horse is tense, or may take a buck or two, lunge before you ride. Chances are the way he behaves on the lunge is the way he would have been under saddle. Once he settles on the lunge, you can feel more confident to mount.
If you think your horse may be lame, lunge him in walk and trot.
Lameness normally shows up more in the trot. If it shows up noticeably in the walk, call the vet!
To see lameness in the front legs, trot your horse and watch his head. If he is lame, his head will go down on the good, or weight bearing leg. His head will rise on the sore foot. If you had a pebble in your shoe, when you came down on that foot, you'd say ouch! And lift up when that leg came down. Same with the horse. My veterinarian taught me this. Hind legs are trickier, because there is no head to watch. In this case lunging may not be helpful, because you need to watch the horse from behind. You should have a friend trot the horse away from you. Watch his hind end. Watch the butt cheeks rise and fall. If one rises higher than the other, that is the lame leg. Same principle as watching the head.
One of the most important reasons for lunging is to teach beginner riders! All of my beginners start this way. Even if they are young, or have never been on a horse before, they usually can rise the trot in the first session. They can hold on if they need to and there are many exercises to teach the student balance. Even seasoned riders can benefit from a session on the lunge.
Finally, if you are injured, or can't ride for whatever reason, you can lunge if you feel your horse needs exercise or to be kept in training.
Happy Lunging!
What is the reason for lunging? In my mind the most important is for training a young or uneducated horse. For training, the horse should be lunged in side reins. Side reins are necessary to balance the horse. Without them, the horse could build incorrect muscles. The side reins should never be too short. If you are just beginning training, you can start with side reins loose, then gradually shorten until the horse's nose is on, or a little in front of the vertical; but never behind the vertical. You can also shorten the inside rein to create bend. I always lunge a little without the side reins at first to warm the horse up.
You can lunge to take the freshness off. For example, you feel your horse is tense, or may take a buck or two, lunge before you ride. Chances are the way he behaves on the lunge is the way he would have been under saddle. Once he settles on the lunge, you can feel more confident to mount.
If you think your horse may be lame, lunge him in walk and trot.
Lameness normally shows up more in the trot. If it shows up noticeably in the walk, call the vet!
To see lameness in the front legs, trot your horse and watch his head. If he is lame, his head will go down on the good, or weight bearing leg. His head will rise on the sore foot. If you had a pebble in your shoe, when you came down on that foot, you'd say ouch! And lift up when that leg came down. Same with the horse. My veterinarian taught me this. Hind legs are trickier, because there is no head to watch. In this case lunging may not be helpful, because you need to watch the horse from behind. You should have a friend trot the horse away from you. Watch his hind end. Watch the butt cheeks rise and fall. If one rises higher than the other, that is the lame leg. Same principle as watching the head.
One of the most important reasons for lunging is to teach beginner riders! All of my beginners start this way. Even if they are young, or have never been on a horse before, they usually can rise the trot in the first session. They can hold on if they need to and there are many exercises to teach the student balance. Even seasoned riders can benefit from a session on the lunge.
Finally, if you are injured, or can't ride for whatever reason, you can lunge if you feel your horse needs exercise or to be kept in training.
Happy Lunging!
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