Pep up your lungeing
QI find lungeing so boring! What can I do to make it more interesting?
Jo Hopkins, Coventry
ADecide before you begin whether you’re lungeing for work or exercise, and what you’d like to achieve. Lungeing is a great way to get a fresh perspective on how your horse is working and feeling. It’s a time when you can discover a lot about your horse’s personality and see from the ground his physical strengths and what he finds challenging. Lungeing can include polework, lateral work, lengthened strides, transitions and you could even put the radio on for an added element to see how your horse reacts to different music. Take your time to help him relax on the lunge and watch carefully to see if you can see the large muscle groups interacting. One of my favourite exercises is to ask for transitions where I try to make my aids as quiet as possible to see how attentive my horse is. This training can be a fun way to develop your bond with your horse.