What are the benefits of horse lunging?

• Lunging your horse is one method of teaching him that you’re the pack leader and to understand and respect your instructions to him through your body language, with the assistance of a lunge whip, and well as your verbal commands.
• Even in the later stages of your horse training and riding, lunging is a very affective method of using up excess energy prior to your mounted ride should you horse be ‘full of spirit’!  But be sure you don’t overdo it prior to your ride. Ten minutes covering a short ‘walk’,  a short ‘trot’,  and possibly a short ‘canter’. Possibly five minutes in both directions.
• When you are just too busy to get the ride you want, a period horse lunging  is a great way to to provide exercise for your horse, which ideally he should be getting every day.

Should I lunge my horse with, or without a saddle?

This is purely your choice. If the lunging is for exercise only, I ‘d suggest you go with no saddle, just a halter. If you’re going to ride after the lunging I’d suggest you tack your horse up with the saddle and a snaffle bridle.  But be sure  the stirrup irons are secured up at the top of the leathers to prevent them from bouncing about.

Getting started

When you commence your  lunging session, start by working slow, smooth and easy.  Think of your horse as being young with a short attention span and still developing his knees. So keep your sessions short ~ no more than 10 minutes.  But this isn’t to say an older horse won’t benefit from lunging, too, he will.

Communicating with your horse and setting up the pecking order.

First, your horse must know what is being asked of him and ultimately, both of you need to be on the same page while “communicating” with each other.  So start the lunging to open the lines of communication and create correct movement with your horse.  While it may sound odd to have your horse working in a circle it actually teaches him something. It sets up the pecking order between you and your horse by controlling your horse’s space.  It also acts to condition your horse no matter what his age. 

Pecking order communication starts with your horse reading your body language and vice versa.  Over time, and with lots of patience, your horse learns to wait for your signals rather than run in tight little circles.  Once commands are learned on the ground, it makes them easier for your horse to understand while you’re mounted. 

Start with the right lunging equipment.

You’ll need to start with the right equipment. This should include a properly fitted halter, lightweight lunge whip, a lunge line that you can work with in comfort and boots for leg protection in case your horse happens to have an over reach.  The lunge whip by the way, is an aid only and not your primary training tool. 

Where to lunge your horse. 

Try to lunge in a round pen or an enclosed area of some sort with rounded corners, and flat ground.  Remember the goal is to keep control of your horse at all times, so don’t try this in an area without fencing.  When you start your lesson, always start with one direction and stick to it.  If you choose to work on the left side, then always hold your lead in the left hand with excess line in your right (and the whip as well, if you choose to use one) and keep all body positions the same.  You start to the left, pointing to the left, leading the horse’s nose to the left and move your feet, swing your rope end (or lift the whip) towards the horses hip to ask for forward movement.  Should your horse keep facing you then guide him  forward by swinging your rope/whip toward his shoulder.

 So now your horse is moving in a circle to the left.  Move with him, staying in the middle of the round pen with sufficient line played out. Keep the whip low, or your rope end low and walk quietly.  The thing you want to teach your horse is, that if YOUR feet are moving, his feet need to be moving.  Keep your body behind his withers to ensure forward movement. If you get in front of the withers, your horse will probably stop. If he does, calmly keep moving and touch the whip or rope end to his hind legs to keep him moving until YOU stop your feet.

The major reason this approach will work, and work well, is that this is totally natural behavior for a horse.   If you lunge in this manner, your horse will understand your body language almost immediately.  So initially use body language, then you can add voice to the body language.

Adding the verbal command.

Once your horse has your body language learned you can add your voice commands to match your body language.   You’ve already laid the foundation for him to understand what you are asking with your body. By combining a verbal command with your body language, it’s relatively easy for him to make the association between body and voice.   You’re doing all the pre-preparatory work so that when you do saddle your horse, he can make the transition from ground body language and voice commands to the same language in the saddle.  Your body language and position are crucial when communicating with your horse.  Once you are in the saddle, if your body language matches what you gave your horse on the ground, you will build confidence in your horse that you are a trustworthy leader and he’ll listen to you. 

Teaching your horse to stop.

Now you need to learn how to teach your horse to stop.  As simple as it sounds, all you have to do is stop all forms of communication.  Stop walking, lower your head, and softly say “Whoa!”  If you want a nice stop, quiet and relaxed, you have to give your horse the right language to do that.  If your horse doesn’t stop, just keep on walking and try it again.  He’ll get the idea so long as you have the patience.  Bottom line is if you want a nice quiet and obedient horse, you have to be all those things yourself.

Positioning your horse.

Remember to keep your horse ‘on the fence’, not into the middle of the circle with you while you’re lunging him..  Should he drifts in, point your the whip or swing the rope at his shoulder to move him back out.  Just keep doing that until he does a few nice clean rounds staying in a circle.  Then you can stop him and praise and pet him.  Once this positioning is almost automatic, you can then change direction and work on the other side.  So if you started on the left, switch to the right and work on that side.  What you will be doing on the right side is exactly what you were doing on the left side. 

Your horse may have a ‘good side’ and a ‘bad side’.

 And here’s some good news, in many instances once your horse has learned what you want on one side, you probably find that it won’t take as long to train on the other side.  Having said that, it’s important to note that many horses do have a good lead/side and a bad lead/side and it may seem your horse is have trouble with “getting it right” on that bad side.  You will be able to tell if this is the case with your horse once you have had the chance to work with both sides.  If this happens, don’t be discouraged about it.  You’ll find it will just require a bit more patience on both your parts to work through this. 

Moving on into change of gait.

Having  mastered the start, walk, and stop, add in the trot and then move on to the canter/lope. To trot, raise the whip a couple of feet higher. Raise your shoulders and trot ~ yes, you trot too. If your horse doesn’t trot, cluck to him.  If that does not work, crack the whip. Once in the trot maintain your body and whip position. Your horse should keep trotting until you drop your arm/whip position and slow your trot to a walk.

Moving to the canter. 

 For the canter, raise the whip a bit higher than for the trot and cluck to your horse. And yes, you will be running as well.  The nice thing about this process, aside from the fact you will be in great shape when the two of you are done, is that your horse will have learned to listen to you and respond to body and voice commands. 

 It’s always a very special feeling to see the end results of patient and loving training.

And one parting point. It’s been established that the most subtle and precise cues that can be given to a horse is by the astute use of the rider’s seat and legs, something you you will probably have to be taught by a well qualified instructor.

Recommended reading:    The New Rider’s Horse Encyclopedia by Elwyn Hartley

Related posts:

1. Horse Language: Here’s Why It Is So Important
2. Mistakes New Horse Owners Make.
3. How to Catch a Problem Horse.

Now that you’ve got your very own horse, it’s time for you to get to know him. And to learn how to teach him to get to know you.

Horses really are beautiful and sensitive creatures. Be aware, however, that horses observe the herd system. Their instinct in the wild is for immediate action, as action for them can mean their survival. Any sign of danger, they take flight.

Bearing this in mind you must now learn how to effectively communicate with your horse. Know that horses have a language of their own and that, unfortunately, many owners are not as aware of this as they should be.

Your horse’s BODY LANGUAGE means something.

Every swivel of an ear, each hip movement, tail flick and facial expression means something. This is the language horses use to speak to other horses – and to us – so if we are to get to know our horse, we must listen.

Your horse will love you if, first and foremost, you treat him fairly,  and secondly, if you allow yourself to develop a relationship with him in the same way you would a human partner. There are too many owners who will look after their horse’s material needs but put nothing back into developing the partnership itself. A horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. Such a relationship with your horse requires, amongst other things, trust coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

YOUR body language is equally as important.

You need to know what your body language says to your horse before you can really understand him. Flapping your arms while trying to get his halter on will cause concern. Running up to him in a pasture rather than walking up to him calmly can make him think – is this a predator chasing me? We’ve all heard about ‘bombproof horses’. Sorry to say, this is just fiction! Something, some time, will spook your horse … any horse. So keep your body language quiet, slow, easy and calm. If you are calm, this will also help to keep your horse  calm.

Horses speak to us with all body parts and that includes both their front and back ends. So beware, both ends can cause us untold grief if we do not pay attention to what our horse is saying to us. For instance, most of us know that when a horse has both ears pinned back flat something is really wrong. Chances are that your horse is either frightened or angry. You’ll find that in most cases it is anger. So watch your horse’s front and rear very carefully. Caution is best even if you think your horse may be listening to something behind him or that he’s just bored. Once you really get to know your horse well, you will know what his ears are saying.

If your horse has his ears perked up and forward this means that he’s focusing his attention on something and is either up to some mischief or he’s on high alert about something he is seeing, hearing or smelling. So remind your horse you need his attention, especially if you are out riding and his ears whip forward.

Horse communication through grooming.

Brushing and caring for your horse is a major bonding experience between humans and horses. Don’t ever under-estimate how powerfully you’re communicating with your horse about you when you brush him.

At all times, keep your horse clean. Be sure his entire coat is free from dirt, mud, sand and sweat. If you can, brush your horse every day. Pick out his feet before and after every outing. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad and girth after each work-out or ride. Apart from communication, a clean horse and tack is a major step towards keeping a healthy horse.

Finally, don’t overlook the value of verbal communication. Talking to your horse in a quiet, calm fashion is a major step in having him get to know you and to respect and respond to your instructions.

Related posts:

1. Lunging a Horse ~ How To Go About It.
2. Grooming Tips For Horses ~ A Major Part of Easy Horse Care.