The Lunging Process

Riders lunge their horse for many reasons, including training, fitness and energy release. Lunging is more of a process than an observer may view at first glance. The technique involves the whip, body of the rider and horse. Lunging can benefit most horses, and riders should also learn, in order to teach young horses.

  1. Body Position

    • The position of your body communicates and commands the equine as it circles you. If you hold out your arms as the horse moves around you, it should form a V with the one hand pointing at the horse's nose and the other at its tail. When your body moves from the V position, the horse knows to speed up or slow down. Moving the whip or stepping forward in front of the horse will force the horse to change direction. Voice commands like "whoa," " walk," " trot" and "canter" are reinforced or taught during lunging.

    Tools

    • Generally, to lunge a horse you need a lunge whip and a lunge line or round pen. The round pen is used for free lunging. Depending on what you want to achieve, you make also saddle the horse or use a surcingle with side rein.

    Benefits

    • Lunging can help adjust a horse to saddle. It teaches the horse to flex, relax and coordinate its limbs. It improves the horse's balance and introduces it to basic commands, such as "walk," " trot," "canter" and "whoa." The surcingle can teach the horse the correct headset or to trust the rein.

    Warnings

    • Some riders believe that lunging calms a horse down and makes the horse easier to ride after a long lunging session. While this may be true, the downfall of lunging a horse before every ride is that it only masks the problem. You need to address the problem head-on while in the saddle. It's also believed that lunging the horse to calm it down actually makes the horse stronger and more able to act up while riding. If you are just learning the art of lunging, use an experienced horse. It will be the best teacher. Unless your properly secure the reins, don't put a bridle on the horse to lunge, as the horse can get tangled in the reins or flip over with too-tight reins.