Ways to Improve Your Horse Lunging

Most horses start their training on the lunge line as do most riders. It's a necessary skill for you and horse as it allows you to train the horse and check for lameness yourself without the aid of another person. If your horse doesn't particularly care for lunging, you have several options on how to improve his lunging skills.

  1. Purpose

    • Before you begin to lunge your horse, ask yourself why you are lunging him. Suitable lunging reasons include training and conditioning. If you lunge to tire him out so you can ride him, seek the help of an experienced trainer to find a more effective method of meeting this goal. By lunging your horse in this situation, you are only making him stronger and harder to control.

    Control

    • If you're having problems in the saddle, then it's likely translating into problems lunging. You need to step up and control him on the lunge line. Keep him about 15 feet from you. Use your body, voice and whip to communicate with your horse. Don't back down. Aim on achieving one thing and keep lunging until you get the results you want. Start with a reachable goal, such as moving around you calmly at the walk.

    Counter the Behavior

    • If your horse has a singular problem, such as turning towards you when he stops instead of facing straight, then counter the behavior with a consistency and patience. For example, if your horse has the problem described, you would tap him on the inside shoulder with a dressage whip until he moves that shoulder away from you. Eventually, you won't even have to tap him, but just point with the whip to correct the shoulder.

    Your Skills

    • If the problem persists, consider that the source of the issue isn't the horse, but you. Ask an experienced friend to lunge him. If he lunges well for your friend, then seek the help of a trainer to teach you the proper lunging technique and help you fix the horse's lunging problems.

    Start Over

    • If you're not sure that your horse has any lunging training, start at the beginning. Ask a friend to lead him around the circle with a lead rope while you maintain your position in the middle of the circle with the lunge line attached to the horse. Eventually, your horse will understand and you can remove the lead rope and helper from the equation. Teach him to lunge at the walk, using soft motions and voice. Your body language tells him what to do. He's used to reading body language from other horses, like the lead mare or gelding of his herd, and will respond to the position of your shoulders, arms and legs.