LEARN TO LUNGE

Lungeing is a super valuable tool for working on all of the things you do under saddle but without the weight of a rider. It also allows you to watch your pony move and work and see how what you feel under the saddle translates to what your pony is doing with his body.

Equipment

To lunge your pony safely, you’ll need:

• A bridle with the reins removed, or a specific lungeing cavesson

• A lunge line

• A lunge whip

• Your helmet, gloves and sturdy shoes

• A safe, enclosed area such as an arena or a round pen

Where to start?

As with all things with your pony, the most important consideration is safety for you and your pony. This means wearing the right clothing, using the right equipment, and starting slowly, so your pony understands what is being asked of him. Even if your pony is generally very well-behaved, he might find lungeing exciting, so start by leading him around the arena and practise stopping and starting using just your voice. You should walk next to his shoulder and hold the lunge line roughly a hand’s width from the clip that attaches it to his bridle or cavesson. Once you know your pony has understood the exercise and will stop when you ask and move on when you want him to, you’re ready to try lungeing.

Your position

The first thing to think about is you and your pony’s positioning. Imagine a triangle with you at the point and your pony as the base. Your lunge line and whip make the two sides of the triangle. You should be positioned roughly at your pony’s shoulder, which keeps you safe if he kicks out. If you move too far ahead of your pony, he will want to slow down or stop, and if you fall too far behind his shoulder, he will think you are driving him forwards and may speed up.

Lungeing

Once you understand your position relative to your pony, you can start lungeing. Here are the basic steps:

1. Start by walking your pony on a small circle around X.

2. Once he’s walking confidently, allow him to make the circle a little larger and gradually stop walking with him. You want to stand as close to X as you can, staying level with his shoulders. Let out the lunge line as he moves further away from you. If he is slow to move away, you can point your whip towards his side (around his ribcage) to encourage him to step away from you.

3. Use your voice and the whip to move your pony forwards. If he drifts in, gesture with the whip towards his ribcage, and he should step out again.

4. You want to keep constant contact on the lunge line without pulling on your pony or letting the line become so long that it drags on the floor.

NOTE: Never wrap the lunge line around your hand, as if your pony gets a fright, you could end up with your hand stuck and may even get dragged.

5. After a few circles, try getting your pony to stop. Use your voice and relax your body to show him that he should slow down. If this doesn’t work, you can put a little bit of pressure on the lunge line, but be careful not to pull him in towards you or unbalance him. Once he has stopped, you can walk towards his shoulder, looping up the lunge line as you go. Praise him and then repeat the process on the other rein.

Top tip

If you struggle to keep your lunge line neat, practice with it away from your pony the first few times. You can clip the lunge line onto the back of a sturdy chair or other fixed object and practice creating and letting out loops of the line.