Lungeing – a useful way to keep horses under control

Being able to lunge a horse is a skill which always comes in handy. There are so many reasons for lungeing:

• Getting a horse quiet enough to ride
• Keeping a horse fit if the rider is unable to ride
• Keeping children’s ponies under control, especially ones too small for an adult to ride
• Improving a horse’s rhythm and way of going
• Preparing horses and ponies for backing and riding
• Working horses over trotting poles and showjumps

Yesterday I had to get up on a horse which hadn’t been ridden since before Christmas. He looks a lively horse to people who don’t know him as he gallops around his paddock, leaping and bucking at the slightest whim yet, with a short lungeing session before a rider gets onto his back, he’s soon quiet and well behaved. A very good example of how useful lungeing, or loose lungeing, is. Some horses need to be lunged for a few days in a row before being mounted so know your horse and don’t take a risk if you’re unsure. Lungeing a horse with a cold back (one which bucks when he feels the rider’s weight) is always a good idea before getting up.

I decided to loose lunge him yesterday which meant I lead him into the arena and then took off the lead rope to allow him to go around on his own. This was greeted with enthusiasm by him and his usual displays of evasion which involve cantering around the arena, jumping into the air and bucking, and then running into a corner and refusing to move! I get plenty of exercise too as I run after him waving the lunge rope in a non-violent but persuasive manner. I never get near enough to hit him with the rope and I certainly don’t want to. After about 15 minutes of loose lungeing, he gets bored, walks back to me and I can get on his back and know that he will concentrate on his work.

Most other horses and ponies are easier to loose lunge than this horse as they will continue around the arena without trying to stop in the corners. Working a horse on a lunge rope is a good way to teach them words like ‘walk’ ‘trot’ ‘canter’ and ‘halt’. They soon learn the transitions and will then be easier to control off the lunge loose. Loose lungeing provides variety in training and can be good fun for both horse and trainer. As well as practising transitions, horses should also be asked to change direction regularly to exercise them on both reins. If a horse is used to side reins, they can be fitted for loose lungeing but should be taken off for trotting poles and jumping. It’s safer to lunge a horse over trotting poles on a rope rather than loose as the handler has more control and can circle the horse away from the poles if he approachs them too fast.