Lunging a horse is to move him around you in a circle on the end of a long rope. Lunging can be used as a positive and reinforcing training tool. But, it has pros and cons to be considered before deciding whether lunging is right for you and your horse.
Exercise
Twenty minutes of lunging is roughly equivalent to an hour exercise under saddle. So, if you can’t ride for some reason, it can be an alternate way of exercising your horse. Always make sure that you work your horse evenly on both reins, so that he does not become one sided.
Foundation Training
Lunging is often used during horse’s initial training. It helps build strength, develop balance, create obedience and understanding of some of the aids. It also helps horses get accustomed to a variety of riding equipment before the rider is onboard. As the initial training progresses, the horse is also encouraged to lower his head and neck in the lunging phase. This helps to develop the correct muscles and strength to carry the rider’s weight comfortably without pain.
Back to Work
A horse that has been out of work may have lost muscle tone. Lunging may be one of the methods used to rebuild muscle prior to the added strain of carrying a rider. Once the horse is in work, regular lunging can be used to improve horse’s suppleness. The use of trotting poles when lunging will encourage the horse to lower his head and neck, lift his spine, improving the top line muscles. This work will also improve the engagement of his hind leg, as he has to lift his legs a little higher to work over the poles.
Brings Focus
Lunging is a perfect way to calm down an excitable horse. Lunging will deal with any resistance and will get the horse thinking and paying attention to what it’s being asked to do. If you have trailered out for a trail ride, horse show, or to some other new venue, and your horse acts up and will not listen to you, you can use lunge exercises to get the horse’s attention back on you.
Medical Assessment
Lunging allows you to view horse’s movement, and to assess how his or her paces are developing. It is commonly used during a vet assessment to check for lameness that is more evident when a horse moves on a small circle.
Hard on Joints
Constantly being on a circle puts stress and strain on the horses’ joints. It may cause excessive wear and tear on a young horses’ joints, particularly if done too soon. Older horses may also not be good candidates for too much lunging as it may put added stress and irritate any existing arthritis.
Not as Easy as It Looks
Horses do not naturally know what is required of them when they are attached to the end of the lunge rope. It requires an expert to teach a horse to lunge. You need good coordination skills to handle the lunge rope and lunge whip. It takes knowledge to determine how much to ask of the horse, and how to correct problems that may occur. If you are unable to correct the horse effectively and to maintain obedience to the aids, you may be effectively “untraining” the horse.
Relaxation
Some horses find it very exciting being on the lunge and will be much sillier than they ever would be under saddle. They can end up with much more adrenalin in their system after a lunge than they had before. You don’t want to run the horse around on a lunge line for the sake of running around. What you are looking for in the horse is relaxation in the gaits.
If you want lunging to have a positive influence on your horse’s training, it should be used with the same objectives as your riding. It is one of the ways you can begin to form a bond with your horse. It can also be one of the first places you may become aware of any pain or discomfort your horse is experiencing. Lunging is a good skill for any rider to develop. All horses should be taught to lunge as part of their basic education. This way if lunging is necessary at some stage, it is able to be safely carried out. Once the horse and handler are able to carry out lunging reasonably well, they should have a little refresher every now and then, so that neither forget these skills.
Here is a great video by Riding Warehouse demonstrating how to lunge a horse safely:
