At the end of the line TACK AND EQUIPMENT
MENTION lungeing, and many people think of it as a way of starting off a horse when breaking in, letting off steam before riding or as light exercise. And yes, it is great for all of those purposes, but there is so much more you can do.
Just think Spanish Riding School. Airs above the ground may not be a realistic (or an intentional) goal, but there is much to gain from working a horse while on foot.
LUNGE WITH PURPOSE
DICKIE WAYGOOD, one of Britain’s most successful military event riders,
World Class performance director and eventing performance manager, says: “Understand what you want to achieve. Are you teaching the horse to understand aids? Do you want to improve the horse’s way of going? Do you want the horse to learn polework without the weight of a rider on top?”
The next consideration is the horse, says Dickie: “I always do this before starting any new type of work; stand back, look at the horse’s conformation and take into account his strengths and weaknesses, so you can understand his physical limitations.”
WEAR AND TEAR
TO minimise wear and tear on the horse, you have to take many factors into consideration, not least the arena surface.
Dickie says: “I like to lunge little and often – everything in moderation – and I frequently mix it with hacking and flatwork. There are no hard-and-fast rules, but as an example, three or four circuits in canter are more than enough for a young horse in the first instance. Then increase this over the coming weeks, depending on the horse’s balance and what you are trying to achieve.
“You need to spot fatigue. Understand how fit your horse is and how balanced. Think of how long you work a horse in terms of a sliding scale according to age, temperament, fitness and stage of training. As a general rule, I would never lunge for more than 40 minutes, in most
“Take into account a horse’s strengths and weaknesses, so you can understand his physical limitations”
What you use will depend
on your goals. Training aids such as side-reins, a chambon or Pessoa are valuable tools when
used correctly.
cases between 20 and 30 minutes.”
Dickie adds: “Be careful you don’t teach the horse to go on the forehand. Lunge the wrong way, and you put the horse on the forehand.”
One of the country’s leading show producers, Katie Jerram-Hunnable, agrees: “I do 10 minutes on one rein, 10 on the other. And make sure you always work the horse evenly on both reins as well as in balance and self-carriage at all times.”
LONG-REINING
KATIE is an exponent of lungeing with two reins (see box, right) and starts all her youngsters this way, as soon as they’ve grasped the basic concept of traditional lungeing using one rein.
“It is so important in a horse’s early education as I don’t believe in getting on a horse until I get a mouth on a horse – when I can stop and steer him. But you can do so much, everything, in fact,” she says.
“I long-rein as soon as the horse accepts the lunge rein around his quarters. I start on a circle, get the steering going and practise stop-start. I can work the horse as I would under saddle as I have control of the hindquarters with the outside lunge rein.
“It allows me always to work them in the correct outline. My horses always walk forward with energy – they don’t slop about, not even out hacking. I do a lot of work in walk, sometimes up to 20 minutes – serpentines and walk-halt-walk transitions are so important. Once the horse has the strength and balance, you can practise canter transitions, but only ever work in a controlled canter.
“I never stand still when I’m long-reining; I’m walking up and down the school, behind them, next to them. I do as much exercise as
“The more time you spend beside your horse, the more he will understand when
you get in the saddle”
KATE JERRAM-HUNNABLE
the horse, changing reins, always talking, so he gets to know my voice commands.
“I read the horse’s eye – is he terrified or calm? You are looking to read what he is thinking, to judge when to take the next step. Don’t push him on too quickly. You are building a rapport; you need that rapport. The more time you spend beside him, the more he will understand when you get in the saddle.”
Katie adds that a good surface is paramount: “Damage is done when working too fast on bad ground.”
Done correctly, working on the lunge can help your horse make huge progress. H&H