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Advice on feeding a laminitis-prone horse
Q
I’d like to start long-reining my horse, but I have no idea how to begin. Tash Young, Norfolk
Claire says... Long-reining is a very valuable addition to your horse’s training and is the closest you can get to riding without actually being on board.
Before starting to long-rein, you should be confident lungeing your horse and doing close-up in-hand work on short reins. You can do this by walking alongside him, positioning yourself by his shoulder and holding the reins of the bridle as though you were riding.
Practise walk and halt transitions on both reins, and work in an enclosed space to avoid the risk of your horse running away. If you get in a mess, simply use the inside rein to gently and calmly turn your horse in a circle, but avoid pulling or he may spin around. Once you progress to long-reining, walk beside your horse with the outside rein passed over his back, holding the reins as for riding. A roller is useful for attaching the reins to. Gradually lengthen the reins so that you’re further away from him, but don’t go directly behind him until he’s totally relaxed with you walking to one side of his haunches. Practise everything you do on both reins, only work for a short time in walk so that you both remain nice and relaxed, and don’t push yourselves out of control.