Proper Lunging – Part 2

Proper Lunging Part 2 – Correcting Alignment Issues

By Lisa Wieben and Birgit Stutz

In part two of our article on lunging we are adding pieces of equipment as well as talking about correcting alignment issues with the use of the whip to help shape the horse more on the circle and develop bend and relaxation.

Pirro, 7-yearold Warmblood gelding, wearing a cavesson (owned by Lisa Wieben)

Birgit helps a student find the correct lunging position while lunging Miho, a Quarter Horse/Arabian cross gelding owned by Falling Star Ranch.

Additional equipment for lunging

Additional equipment for lunging includes a surcingle or saddle, a lunge line used as a Vienna rein, as well as side reins. Protective boots for the horse are also recommended. Don’t forget your gloves! Instead of a bridle you may want to use a lunging cavesson.

For a simple and effective piece of lunging equipment, the cavesson has many benefits. The cavesson has rings along the nose piece which when the line is attached to the middle ring (centre of nose piece) it can guide the horse on the circle, encouraging the horse to maintain true bend rather than counter bending. With the horse in true bend it is easier to shape the horse’s body with the use of the whip and body language. Throughout a lunging session the horse can be encouraged to stretch down as well as move more uphill through the use of body language and the whip (see below corrections with use of whip).

Why we lunge with a Vienna rein

If a horse is chronically inverted (high-headed with hollow back) or counter bent we prefer to lunge with a Vienna rein. The Vienna rein is a combination of a draw rein and side rein but it is not hooked up static and therefore encourages the horse to stretch long and low into a proper frame. The horse will feel better while stretching and bending. To attach it, run the lunge line from your hand through the snaffle bit ring from the outside and then attach it to the d-ring of the cinch, the buckle of the girth, or the ring of the surcingle.

Do not use a Vienna rein if you are unsure of your body position as you could send conflicting signals to the horse (see previous article Proper Lunging Part 1 on using the wheelbarrow turn).

We sometimes use an outside side rein, but only in order to prevent the horse from overbending through his neck. The side rein should be adjusted fairly loosely so it only engages when the horse starts to overbend.

If your horse lunges well, carries himself properly without inverting and counter bending, and is not prone to bucking or bolting (being silly), you may lunge your horse directly off the bit using a D-ring or full-cheek snaffle bit.

Contact

The lunge line should never be slack, but instead there should always be steady, elastic contact between the horse’s mouth and the lunger’s hand so that the horse cannot flip his nose out/change his bend or make an unwanted turn.

The lunge line should never be used to pull the horse into a turn. The contact with the horse should be giving, taking and blocking, never pulling (imagine a bungee cord).

Hold the lines in folds rather than loops as they will unravel easier if the horse were to jump, bolt, or spook.

Counter bent Haunches to inside Shoulder to inside Correct alignment of the horse

Corrections with use of whip

If your horse is shaped like this (diagram Counter bent) point the whip to the girth to ask for bend, flex the lunge line by rolling your wrist as the horse’s inside front foot hits the ground (the horse is more balanced to bend as the head and neck are balanced over this foot at the moment of contact), keep your core toward the girth. Alternatively, use the whip low along the ground from back to front in a sweeping motion so that the lash pushes the barrel of the horse out on the circle (the horse will see the lash along the ground). Or, if the horse ignores this, allow the lash to touch the belly as you make a soft arc with the whip and lash. The horse will feel the lash and move the barrel out of the circle bringing the head and haunches onto the track in true bend. (diagram - Haunches to inside) - As you are walking the circle, keep your core pointing at the girth to continue to ask for bend; flex your wrist as the outside front leg hits the ground (this asks for the horse to turn back into the circle), and at the same time push your hips toward the horse’s hips to ask the hips to move out of the circle (maintain core alignment with the girth to prevent the horse’s shoulders from falling in). Depending on how much push is needed you may point the whip toward the hip. The lash is not needed, only the energy of the push out. Ideally the horse will move forward with the inside hind stepping between the footsteps of the two front footsteps. If you find that as you push the hips out and flex to create bend that the horse overbends then you can add a side rein to the outside to prevent over bending. (diagram Shoulders to inside) - Check in with your alignment. Keep the whip pointing toward the shoulders to prevent them from coming in, core to girth. Sometimes the handler is walking too much toward the hind end. This can cause the hip to push out and shoulders to come in. Maintain a small walking circle and review the wheelbarrow turn. Adding an outside side rein to prevent over bending to the inside can also be helpful. Asking for more forward energy can also be beneficial. (Pic- Inverted horse) - The horse is likely unbalanced and tight. Use the Vienna rein to encourage the horse to flex down to level and encourage the horse to bend on the circle by using the whip long and low from back to front with the lash reaching out toward the horse or touching the barrel. In our next article we will discuss moving the circles on the lunge line which helps to 'unlock' a high-headed horse. Work with this horse in-hand to encourage bending and suppleness before moving on to lunging. This will greatly reduce any stress the horse will feel on the lunge circle.

Avoid holding the whip high as that will cause stress in the horse as the horse reads the whip as an inverted or rearing horse. Raising the whip high is very dominant and should only be used with a very aggressive horse who challenges the handler.

In general, keep the whip low to level and send impulsive energy towards the horse’s body from back to front as needed. Avoid sending energy from the whip towards the horse’s neck and head.

Don’t use a whip until your body language is correct.

Sometimes a horse will see our pressure as too much push when we are making corrections so always start with subtle energy first, then build up. If the horse bucks or speeds up, ask the horse to stop, and then send out calmly and try again. It is much better to keep the scenario calm than to increase pressure and stress for the horse. Using body language and whip cues you will be able to learn to shape the horse effectively. Happy lunging!

If you are unsure of where you are heading it is always a good idea to connect with a coach who knows the sport you want to prepare for. We (Lisa and Birgit) are both available for online and in-person lessons.

Lisa Wieben’s passion is empowering women in becoming confident and healthy riders. As an Energy Medicine Practitioner and Clinical Somatics Practitioner she addresses pain, tension, hormones, stress, and the issues that appear as a result. As a Centered Riding Instructor and Irwin Insights Master Level 7 Trainer she works with riders incorporating awareness exercises both on and off the horse. Balance the rider, balance the horse! Book a clinic that incorporates all the modalities! www.somaticrider.com

As an Irwin Insights Level 6 Master Certified trainer and coach, Birgit Stutz helps riders of all levels and backgrounds advance their horsemanship skills by developing personal and situational awareness, focusing on in-depth understanding of equine behaviour, body language, psychology and biomechanics. Driven by her passion for both equine welfare and performance, Birgit believes that facilitating effective communication between horse and rider is an approach that fulfills our responsibilities to the horse and elicits great results. fallingstarranch.ca.

(See their listings in our Business Services section under TRAINERS)

Inverted horse: One of Birgit’s students lunges Twister, a Quarter horse/Arabian cross gelding owned by Falling Star Ranch. She is using a Vienna rein to encourage the horse to flex down to level and encourage the horse to bend on the circle by using the whip.