Lunging

[StacyRz]

With show season around the corner, I'd like to start conditioning my colt. He won't be 2 years old until August, and I was wondering if he's too young to start teaching him to lunge? If not, how often and for how long?

If he is, what other types of exercise are safe for him? What about a jenny? I have been thinking about making one.

Looking forward to hearing your routines and advice!

I'd love to see a sample schedule!

 

[disneyhorse]

What is a Jenny?

Although I do teach two year olds the principles of lunging, it is just so I can let them stretch at shows. I don't feel a lot of circles is good for them.

I prefer to free lunge them in an arena or big space. Usually 20-30 mins a day. I don't feel horses need days off, although they get them on days I'm too busy!

 

[StacyRz]

My husband always calls them jennys, but I guess the correct name would be a horse walker

horse walker

Thank you for the advice! I'm looking forward to working with him

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I teach yearlings to lounge but wouldn't lounge them to condition them. I think its good for them to learn but needs to be done in moderation. Doing just groundwork exercises will build up muscle and teaches him something at the same time. Free lounge would be your best option to condition them.

 

[StacyRz]

Thank you! I will do that.

He had very good manners when I got him, and lately I haven't asked a whole lot from him, so I plan on doing more groundwork with him once we finish moving. Things have been so hectic around here with packing and travelling back and forth that all I have been doing with the horses is giving them each a quick groom each day lol.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Having a round pen I shall never lunge a horse again.

Lunging the Arabs and big TBs etc as I did all my previous life has given me sore shoulders and repetitive strain injuries everywhere I have places!!

This rather begs the question:

"If it has done that to you, what was it doing to the horses??"

A round pen, even one that is not too strong and therefore require a lunge rein fir the purposes of safety, takes all the stress out of lunging. It means you can relax and give the horse rein instead of constantly bringing it's head round, or leaning against it in the rein. A relaxed horse is a horse not building up too much muscle on one side of it's neck, and is also an unresisting horse.

My advice- build a round pen, even if it is just jump poles on milk crates!!

 

[Jean_B]

I am also in the camp of not lunging. I only taught my horses the basics so that I could work the kinks out if stalled for an extended period of time at a show. But lunging forces the horses into taking much too small a circle, causing uneven muscle strain. And you can tell which horses have been excessively lunged as they tend to "cross over" when trotting....which can be dangerous if they continue doing that while in harness.

 

[disneyhorse]

I agree. However, I do teach all my horses to lunge on a line. It's a good skill to have when you go somewhere like a show, where a round pen might not be available and turnout might also not be available, so the horse can still get the sillies out before being shown or driven or ridden.

 

[StacyRz]

Thank you all for your advice! Much appreciated!

 

[Riverrose28]

We show, alot, and the only time one of our horses has a lunge line attached to their halter is when we are at a show and they need to release pent up energy. Actually I start them teaching them as yearlings. I have two round pens, one indoor and one outdoor. this is what I do, I have a halter and lead and walk them around the fence line of the round pen, I teach them the word walk, then the word trot, and of course the word whoa, all in hand. Once the spoken words are learned, I let the horse off the line and try it using body language and spoken words, the horse is free and praised alot. Nothing is forced as all horses learn differently. I keep lessons short for the young ones, just enough time to basically teach them the english words and for them to respond. As two year olds they know what is expected but lessons are still short. I don't use lunging for conditioning. Some of my horses by the time I travel to a show are worn out and just want to get in a stall and rest, but there always seems to be one or two that are full of themsleves, so off the trailer they trot and into the exercise area to be lunged, therfore they have to have a lunge line attached, but with what they have learned at home, it's no problem. Horses really get enough exercise out in the field playing and just being horses, others may disagree, but I only use lunging at a show cause they are sometimes in a stall for days at a time and need to get some of that energy out.

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

I don't longe a horse under 2. There are lots of other things to expose young horses to and ground manners to work on as well just letting them be horses and grow up.

That being said, I don't use longeing as a sole means to burn off steam. Occasionally they need to let loose a bit but I make sure they get enough turnout that they don't feel like they need to explode. My horses are trained following dressage principals. They are longed in a cavesson. I had nice one made a few years ago through Janie at CHimacum Tack. Through longeing they develop suppleness, balance and obedience. We do a ton of transitions and this work really helps to better the horse. My mare Wish has developed a beautiful trot, she is a nice mover naturally, but for me ask her to work now and see her move into this powerful trot just amazes me sometimes. So to me longeing isn't just chasing a horse around, it's a means to train.

A great book on the subject is Horse Training In-Hand : A modern guide to working from the ground.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I would teach him to lunge, and possibly have a short session once a week once he's learned just to remind him. I am OK with round penning yearlings lightly in large areas, preferable ovals so they have a long straight side. The lunging isnt ideal on young joints, but is good for them to know. If you are at a show that spans over multiple days, they need to be able to get out of their stall to stretch their legs, which is when you'll need them to know how to lunge.

 

[susanne]

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I'll second drivin*me*buggy -- never with a horse under three years and not for conditioning, but it can be excellent for training, working over cavaletti, suppling, developing proper carriage, and other specific purposes.

I would not let my horse pull or lean on the longe line -- Mingus works on a relaxed line, so no muscle tension from that, and we make sure to spend equal time working in each direction. Flash, on the other hand, flops on the ground when asked to longe...