The Art Of Lungeing: Part 2

By Lynn Palm | www.lynnpalm.com

Use Of The Whip

Initially, I have my students practice with the whip without the horse. This way you can learn how to use the whip without confusing the horse or the horse ignoring the whip because it's not used properly.

The first thing to remember is that the whip is to be held in front or to the side of the handler, not behind your body.

Here's how to use the whip in order to encourage forward motion:

1.The first step is to raise the whip's end, keeping it positioned behind the horse. The horse sees the whip and moves forward.

2.If you need more response, swing the whip toward the horse's hindquarter Keep your whip level as you swing the tassel.

3.If you need yet more encouragement to get the horse to move forward, swing the whip with more action and make the whip movement faster

4.If the horse needs more encouragement, make a snapping noise with the popper at the end of your whip. To do this, you must move your wrist forward and back very quickly, keeping the whip level, creating the popper to snap and make a noise.

5.If your horse needs more, swing the whip and touch the horse. Practice these steps without the horse, and when you are confident with the whip, use it with your lungeing lesson.

Developing Self-Carriage While Lungeing

Let's lunge your horse! My Golden Rule when lungeing a horse:

Do different size circles then go straight and start a circle at another area. Do NOT lunge the same size circle over and over, making your lungeing session a monotonous drill. Horses hate that!

Recognizing That Your Horse Is Falling In

All horses will fall in more than fall out. Falling in is recognized by the horse's head positioned to the outside and the horse is leaning in, speeding up his legs to keep his balance.

The only way to get your horse to straighten himself is to make the circle larger, making the horse move out. I use the lunge line and toss it toward his head to bring the head straight or inward and then send the horse out on the circle. Do not pull the head to come in, as the horse will just come in more and not improve his balance!

Recognizing That Your Horse Is Falling Out

Here's how to recognize a horse falling out. The horse will start to pull you, his head comes in too far, and his body swings out. The horse will slow down, break gaits, and the hind legs will lose power from swinging out. To improve this falling out posture you have to send the horse forward! This will straighten him out.

Falling In / Falling Out Tips

Remember where on the circle (or other configuration) your horse falls in or out. Improve the horse's forward motion before he gets to this place by asking him to move out to improve falling in and forward for falling out!

Change gaits often. Change the size of the circle. Go from a circle to a straight line, keeping the triangle configuration*. Go from a straight line to a circle. This is a great exercise for improving self carriage. (*To form the triangle: Stay parallel to the horse and make one side of the triangle with your lunge line. The horse is another side of the triangle, and the whip is the third side of the triangle. You are in the middle of the triangle.)

Voice Commands While Lungeing

Your voice is very important in influencing how the horse responds to lungeing. Horses don't know words, but they know tones of words. A deep tone is a command. The longer you stretch out the tone of the word, the more you want the horse to hear you and stay smooth and relaxed. A short word could be for the horse that is laid back or loses his attention easy A soft or mellow voice rewards the horse after a proper response to signals, and then helps him relax. Again, a word with a long, drawn out annunciation is very meaningful to the horse. A short word is also important if his concentration is on you! I use the words Walk, Trot, Canter, Whoa. If you over-use your words, your horse will ignore you.

Remember, where the horse's ears are focused on is where his eyes are looking If you want a responsive action from the horse, you have to read where he is looking before you give him a cue!

Controlled Play On The Lunge Line

This is something for when your horse lunges very, very well and you are confident that you can keep your horse in control. I like controlled play for when I take a horse to a show, where they are animated because of a new surrounding I always work on my In Hand and Lungeing when I go to a new place with my horses. This is the way I will ask for play. I always walk a circle first when lungeing When the horse is ready for play time, I lunge to the left to get some exercise. When I go to the right, I walk and trot for a while. Then I take the lunge line into two hands and make some sounds, or clap my hands. When the horse starts to run, buck, toss the head, jump up and down, I have my two hands on the lunge line, lean back to anticipate him trying to pull me, and use a give-and-take motion on the lunge line. I do not hold the line steady, as the horse can brace against me and could capture control from me.

I will ask him to play at least three or four times. When the horse shows me that he is not playing any more, I go back to the walk. I will do a short lunge to the right to get him to be obedient and responsive on command before I end my lungeing lesson.

Cyril and Lynn offer clinics throughout the country and abroad as well as online coaching. Join them on their teaching tours or their Palm Equestrian Academy European Journeys. Please visit www.lynnpalm.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.