There’s a good chance that you aren’t and it’s hurting your horse…or at the very least you aren’t getting the most benefit.
I grew up at a performance hunter/jumper barn in the Northeast. To say lunging wasn’t a regular occurrence is an exaggeration. I never even saw it until a returned to riding in my 30’s. Even then, lunging was something most people did for a horse that was too spooky or excited before a ride. Hey, sometimes a little focus helps.
However, as an equine and canine sports massage therapist with two horses of my own, I’ve found there are some best practices to lunging that will set your horses up for success biomechanically but also mentally.
Does Your Horse Know How to Lunge?
I realize this may seem like a trick question. It’s not. Neither of my horses, who were hunter/jumpers and had a show record, had any clue how to lunge correctly. My pony knew the basics and could fake it nicely but the Thoroughbred doesn’t fake anything and hates not knowing the answer. We had a few rears and even dropped shoulders to come into the middle when he and I started. I’ve taken horsemanship lessons to learn how to communicate more effectively and we’ve learned along the way. It’s more difficult (and easier) than I realized.
If YOU are learning, I recommend starting with a round pen at liberty so you and your horse can learn together. With a lunge line, your mistakes are more easily felt and can lead to frustration and slow work. But, assuming you both know what you are doing I have these recommendations to fine tune your time and improve your horse’s proprioception and balance!
Do Use Large Circles
If your horse is a pro then use a long lead, 25 feet is good, to keep a large circle. The more wide the area, the less strain on the joints and pressure on the inside shoulder.
Horses that need to learn how to lunge or improve their ground manners should be on an 12 to 18-foot lead so you can focus on learning direction and how to respond to your communication. However, this should ONLY be done at the walk.
Do Keep Your Session Short
The best sessions when working with animals is short and sweet. Keep your lunging time to 10-15 minutes and don’t go beyond 30 minutes at a time. You can accomplish stretching and warming up the muscles in 15 minutes. Second, less is always more. It’s a good rule balance, warm up and wellness in general. Third, your horse will likely lose focus after that time. You want to end on a good note!
Don’t Use Corrective Equipment
I know, I know. Everyone has their love of the training systems and side reins. I’ll give you a hint that will help you and your horse: you don’t need them. I said what I said.
Teaching a horse to carry themselves from behind naked except for a rope halter or lunge halter will be infinitely more valuable for their foundation long-term. Not only is this the most natural approach, but it will create correct movement using their hind end and allow them to stretch down and forward naturally, without being falsely put into a hold that many training systems do. For muscle to build, it actually needs to be used.
Do Start Slow
So many people underestimate the walk and want to push to faster gaits. Don’t be that person! Not only is the walk incredibly important for building muscle, and strengthening tendons and ligaments, but it makes it much easier for your horse to hold themselves correctly at the trot, then the canter. Perfect one before moving on to the next.
Patience is the key to working with these animals and building a long-term foundation. If you put in the time in the beginning, it will benefit you both.
Don’t Lunge with Your Saddle On
Many people love to do this, I get it, it saves time. NO. Sure, it saves a little bit of time between lunging and riding but did you know that it can cause damage to your horse? A saddle, even while girthed, will bounced on your horses back and move constantly, creating bracing and tension in the muscles of the back and over time, compression of the spine. The saddle needs the rider’s weight to keep it from hyper mobility. Save the saddling for later, trust me your horse will thank you!
Do Incorporate Ground Poles
I am a huge fan of incorporating ground poles and grid work during exercise. Not only does it improve proprioception (or your horse knowing where their body is in space), but also lifts the core, encourages movement from behind, and strengthens the thoracic sling. Start with one or two on the ground, then slowly increase the number of poles, change the patterns, or even use mini risers to elevate them and increase the difficulty.
Do Use Both Directions (But Not Always Equally)
Most horses in the United States are overdeveloped on the left and weaker muscularly on the right. That old adage of tracking both ways equally can fly right out the window. For a horse that is weak on the right, start lunging in that direction at the walk and then trot, switch too the left, and then finish on the right. This way you will get more time working the right side than the left to help you create a more balanced horse?
The canter? Well, if you have perfected the other gaits then you will want to canter to the left (left lead) twice as much as the right to help your horse on the opposite hind strike off and become stronger. Trust me, you’ll see less hopping into the canter and definitely less kicking out.
Humans are naturally imbalanced, the same as horses. Lunging is a wonderful way to build muscle tone and improve posture when done correctly two days a week for approximately 15 minutes. I love to alternate lunging and riding with my Thoroughbred who gets bored easily. For my neurological pony who has trouble warming up with a rider, I lunge for 10 minutes at all three gaits in both directions then tack up for a less frustrating ride for the both of us.
Take a moment and look at lunging as a skill to master as opposed to something to get through so you can ride. You are missing out on a wonderful training and exercise for your horse, mentally and physically!