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Issue Thirty-six, Part 1 of 1
Lungeing a Horse: How, When & Why
The greatest training advice you'll receive from reading this material comes here in this first paragraph. Ready? It's this: Lungeing is for training, not for "tiring out" a horse. (I'll get to the "how to" in a paragraph or three but first the sermon.) Put briefly, lungeing is for folks who don't have access to a round pen. Word up: When you lunge a horse to "get the fresh out," do you know what's really happening? Your training is turning him into a bigger, stronger horse that can run even longer tomorrow. Remember how "Rocky" couldn't run up the stairs in the beginning without hacking up a lung – but just one montage later he's not only bolting to the top, but dancing around when he gets there? Like Sly, your horse will be more of a fighter after succeeding workouts, not less. He certainly won't be any "less scary" weeks from now when he can run for half an hour without breaking a sweat then turn to you, muscles rippling, with an "Is that all you got?" look on his face. Unless... unless you've used your time lungeing time to train his brain. Working your horse at the end of a lunge line can offer great benefits, but you gotta use the time wisely.
Truth be told, if I've got a horse, fresh from his box stall, a horse that's been cooped up for 22 hours, I may very well turn him out in a paddock to "get the bucks out" before – or even after – our ride. But I see that as his opportunity to exercise a little freedom, the obvious difference being that I'm not controlling (or pretending to control) his movement. I don't lead him out, hook him to a line and ask for mindless loping, then ride off "where I want to go," only to pitch him back into solitary before heading home for the night. Like any office worker, he's got his free time and he's got his "office hours." So if you want to let your horse "blow off steam," turn him out, don't ask for endless 40 foot circles hoping he'll be "too weak" to put up a good fight. The most tired horse you've ever seen could still buck you off if a grizzly bear appeared in the pen (or a plastic bag, for that matter). When he's under saddle – or attached to you via lunge line or lead rope, then expect compliance – and be training all-the-while. If he's free in a paddock, he gets to call the shots; if he's with you, you call the shots.
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To a large extent, lunge-lining simply mocks round pen work. It allows you to teach your horse to read your body language and to begin seeing you as boss without ponying up the big bucks a good round pen might set you back. With that in mind, you can see that it does little good to simply send your horse to the end of a rope and ask him to run off with no rhyme or reason (let alone proper manners). If he's out there spinning like some rabid dog chasing his tail, pulling on you all the while, then he's "practicing wrong" and your time spent is actually reinforcing bad, bad habits. How many times have you seen a horse being lunged, the horse spinning around, nearly pulling the owner's arms out of the sockets? What's the horse learning there beyond "Ignore pressure"? He's learning "Pull on the lunge line today, pull on the reins tomorrow." He's learning "Run faster the harder that guy pulls on the line." (Read: "Speed up when he pulls on the reins"). We've already seen that the horse is growing stronger with each rep, so put it all together and you've got a wreck.
Whether you're first teaching a youngster to lunge – or giving some remedial training to an older horse prone to spin at Mach 6, you'll begin in the same way. You'll begin where you do have control and that's "near the horse." It does little good to "start with our goal" of having the horse run around a big circle if we know we're going to lose control sometime after he moves away. To remedy this, halter your horse and take the lead rope in your left hand several inches below where it clips to the halter along with a dressage whip (or the end of your lunge line) in your right. (We'll use "to the left" in this example; obviously you can simply reverse things later. Tip: You'll find your horse will "soften up" quicker if you move from one side to the other often.) We'll need to first teach the horse the "go forward" cue, so apply a small amount of pressure with that left hand, sort of "suggesting" that the horse move around you in a tight circle. (In a matter of minutes you won't need to "pull" at all – but every little bit of communication helps here in the beginning.) Kiss and raise your right hand above the horse's hip. When/if he doesn't move off (this being his first time), tap him once on the rump. We want to build in a system of pre-cues ("I raise my right hand."), cues ("I kiss") and motivators("I tap and keep annoying you until you move.") so it's critical that you follow a pattern and always begin with the least amount of pressure "you want it to ever take" to get your horse to move off.
If the horse ignores your initial light tap, then tap with that same intensity ten times in ten seconds. If he still ignores you, tap a little harder – again, ten times in ten seconds. Increase your intensity (never going beyond "really annoying") until the horse moves. If a swarm of flies can cause buffalo to stampede, you can certainly get a step or two here with enough patience. Don't haul off and whack the horse as you might get more than you bargained for in the shape of a good swift kick. The very instant you feel him lift a foot to take a step (or even think about taking a step), drop your arms, release your pressure (on the lead rope) and pet him. Be sure to take at least a three second break (but not much more) before asking again. (I always say "Pause just long enough to hear the birds tweet or the wind blow. The forced pacing will help you keep things calm, paced and objective.) It's a simple thing from here to repeat this process (raise arm, kiss, tap till he moves, release pressure, pet) until the horse realizes the pattern and continues to move around you, following your guiding left hand.
Ideally, you'll ask him to move in smooth circle around you, the back feet traveling on the same track as the front. (You want to move as little as possible. Make him walk around you, not the other way around.) If the back feet are too close or the front feet too far away, then apply enough pressure on the halter to ask the hips to step away (nose toward hip) then guide him back on track. Tip: You'll find it easier to disengage those hips if you ask him to pick up the pace a couple beats beforehand. If the hips stay too far away, (very common) carefully guide him around you (left hand, as you've been doing) and ask him (with your whip and/or body stance) to move a little faster. The very act of speeding up a little bit while guided on a circle will align his shoulders and hips. You'll find that simply going through the rest of the training procedure will usually bring those hips in as he becomes less frightened and more in tune with your requests.
When the horse will dutifully move off on cue, pacing around you on an even track, begin applying enough pressure to ask the horse to keep a bend in his neck. We just want a slight bend; his head should only be tipped toward you by a few inches. Think of it this way: If his neck were made of glass, ask for just enough bend to "break the glass." Glass doesn't bend, so you can see we're not looking for much "bow" here. When you first apply this additional pressure the horse may slow or stop completely. It's important that you keep him moving (tap, tap, tap) and insist that the neck soften. Not only is this more correct physically (How can he move fluidly with a stiff neck?) – but the soft neck says he's working with us, not rejecting or fighting our commands. See the soft neck as an "attitude litmus test." (Big Benefit of Lungeing Alert: You're teaching your horse to "give to the bit," to "travel flexed," and to move in a more relaxed frame. To put this in context, a horse that rears is the ultimate picture of a horse fighting pressure; he goes up rather than softening and flexing any part of his body.)
If the horse doesn't seem to want to soften that neck, you can try increasing your pressure (on the lead) slightly. He may react by pulling harder himself, of course – so if you need more motivation, try "disengaging" his rear end. Pull his nose toward his hip (causing his shoulders to slow up and his back end to swing away) to say "wake up and try something to relieve this pressure." Keep your pressure steady on the lead rope throughout this "fix" and immediately get him going back on his circle again. repeating until you feel some release, however slight. His "give" might be very small at first, so accept any try, however small, however quick, when you first begin. Tip: Move back and forth, from one side of the horse to the other more frequently and you'll soften him up faster.
If you think about it, you now have the horse lungeing – we just need to add a little space between us to complete the picture. From here it's a simple thing to gradually "reel out" the horse. If you're holding the lead 6 inches from the clip, hold it at 12 inches and re-teach the horse to move out and around you upon request. Repeat this simple step-by-step "unraveling" sequence until your horse is moving around you comfortably and politely at whatever distance you desire. If your horse doesn't want to move off, do what it takes to get him away from you. It's not cute for a horse to ignore your command and to instead "hang out with you." It's very dangerous because it creates a very large, very spoiled child, one that may learn to kick and bite to get his way. He won't hold it against you if you're tough and enforce the rules – but he will grow increasingly belligerent if allowed to do as he pleases. (Big Benefit of Lungeing Alert: You're teaching your horse to respect your personal space.)
Teach the horse to turn through your body language and by simply allowing him to "hit the end" of the lead rope. If you've been moving to follow his motion with your hand and body, then simply halting your own movement will cause him to "run to the end" of the lead line, causing him to turn back in toward you. (You'll find that taking a sidestep (not a direct step) toward the path of the oncoming horse will offer further encouragement.) Switch the lead line from one hand to the other and, as he swings around, put pressure on his hip (the one now closest to you) asking him to move off in the new direction. ("Put pressure" means staring at it, motioning toward it, smacking it with the whip if you must.) Note: Keep him moving through the turn smartly, don't let him lose his rhythm or fluidity as he comes across. In short order he'll start reading your body language and you'll find that a small movement from you will signal "turn" to the horse. (Big Benefit of Lungeing Alert: In short order, your body language will begin telling the horse to turn and also to turn and face you. Also, you're teaching your horse to travel fluidly through his exercises and to not lose momentum (critical for future training); and, when he hits the end of that line and comes back to you, he's starting to realize that your commands are more than something nebulous like "run to the left forever." He's starting to realize that he needs to pay attention to you because you may want something else. If you think this is just "touchy feely" nonsense, think of the horse that's traveling to the right – and how much work it is to abruptly change directions. The horse that's thinking "What's he gonna want next?" can make that turn on a dime. A horse that's tuned out and just going through the motion will drift and turn only after you "wake him up.")
Test yourself to see the least amount of pressure you can use to get a great turn. See if you can't get the horse to change direction based solely on your body positioning and not a pull on the lunge line. Build your ability to control your horse by picking two spots and getting it to stop and turn exactly at those two points. Once you've built this sort of control, you'll find that the horse has begun to keep an eye on you at all times; he's begun thinking "What's this guy gonna want next?"
Teach speed control by understanding (and applying) a very simple concept: Taking pressure away from a horse as it begins to move sensitizes him to that stimulus. (Pop a balloon once, he runs off, afraid of balloons.) Conversely, taking the pressure away from the horse only after he calms or stops dulls him to that stimulus. (Popping balloons over and over until the horse grows bored will cause him to start ignoring popping balloons.) If you want to speed him up, (and he's off at a distance), follow the same routine as when he was close: Kiss, raise your hand, throw the lariat or crack the whip. Keep your pressure up till he makes a "noticeable change of leg speed" and immediately back off, removing the pressure. Don't be afraid to bring him in closer for improved control if need be. (And remember: "Energy in, energy out.")
If he starts moving too fast, slow him down by applying pressure to the lead, asking his hip to move out of the circle, (away from you) by a step or two for one or two beats. (Don't allow him to stop here. If he does, get him going again immediately and try asking the hip to step out again if or when he speeds up. "Fluidity" trumps everything else.) If you need more motivation, ask for a series of turns, then send him back out and see if he isn't more obliging. Make sure that you take every opportunity to allow the horse to understand that "cooling out" is okay – that the lunge line does not mean "go really, really fast." (You may need to take your own temperature and ask yourself if maybe you're not applying too much pressure or being too scary.) He has to slow through his turns, so turn him and see if you can't "convey slow" by literally stepping back and quickly relaxing your posture in that short moment when he's actually changing direction. (That'll be when his head swings around toward you as he rotates across.) Try being a little more hesitant before sending him back off. Most horses are looking for any excuse to slow down so reducing their speed is usually a simple matter of reducing our pressure. Regardless, even the most energetic horses will slow down, ordered through enough turns. If you're thinking "Hey, he said this isn't about tuckering out the horse"... True, but when necessary we do use the lungs to tell the brain "Running isn't working. Try something else!" Once they learn that what we're asking for is a simple thing, (far simpler than running and turning) they'll readily oblige. It's getting over the initial resistance that's the trick.
Alert: Be sure to always insist on that "soft neck." Don't throw away your improvements by allowing him to speed up and brace against you. Keep actively training here. If he braces or pulls on you, add pressure to the rope and give back the moment he does. (Remember, if he pulls on the lead, he'll learn to pull on the rein.) If he ignores you and you need to add more motivation, ask for a series of turns to see if that doesn't wake him up. Repeat as necessary but absolutely do not allow the horse to brace more as he speeds up. He'll soon learn that it's much easier to take it easy, drop his head and relax then it is to continually change direction (turning takes a lot more energy; it's simple physics). (Big Benefit of Lungeing Alert: Insisting that your horse remain soft through his neck in his turns will help (partially at least) develop the habit of not "tipping" through his turns later, when riding at speed.)
Don't allow distractions to throw you off your steady flow. If the horse resorts to bratty behavior like craning his neck to whinny to buddies, dropping his head to eat grass, or otherwise fall out of your work pattern, do your best to ignore it and apply necessary "motivational pressure" to his posterior via the lariat, , or stick in your hand. Concentrate on keeping your horse moving fluidly and with a predictable pattern through this material despite any obstacles, real or perceived. The more he tests you (that is, the less you seem to exist in his world) the more you're going to need to keep him practicing maneuvers. Ask him to do more and more (disengage, slow, stop, turn, back, etc.) until he clues back into you. It's not that the filly no longer exists in that nearby paddock, or that he's lost interest in her – but you're giving him so much to do that he can no longer focus on her. Keep business-like and see this as a positive: Know that working through distractions is a great way to gain the improved control you'll need later out on the trail, (another Big Benefit of Lungeing).
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