ROPE HALTER LUNGING
Lunging can seem to involve tying the horse down with a lot of kit, and then letting them mindlessly track around and around.
Horses are not designed to spend hours tracking around in circle. And, when tied up with training aids, they can develop one of up to seventeen evasions. Learn how to simplify your lunging and make it more effective.
When I started out as a riding coach, I spent many, many hours lecturing Pony Club – all the levels from E (the pony has 2 ears, 4 legs, 1 tail) through to A, which is considered a professional exam. In this time, I became Chief Instructor for a large branch and then Head of testing for another region. And it was by seeing both sides of the coin – the prepping of child riders, the repetition and clarifying of understanding, and then the gaps in knowledge (the brain freeze moments) in a test situation, that had me writing and then re-writing notes and handouts constantly, into mountains of ring binders and folders.
Long Lining Basics
Do you feel that there is a missing element in your work with your horse? Maybe you have done the ground work but it just isn't transitioning into your ridden work? Or you think that you "should" lunge your horse once a week, but finding lunging boring or limited? Or, maybe your horse has been injuried or sick and is needing careful rehab to bring him back into work. Long lining (or long reining) could well be the answer.