Once we get into riding our horses, ground work can easily be left to the wayside, in preference to getting on and going places and doing things. But really, the quality of your ground work is a great indicator of how well your rides are going to go, and a reliable way to work on the basics without being on your horse's back - even once in a while.
These days, people get all worked up about fancy ground work that requires years of education and practice. In contrast, lunging is accessible, easily learned, needs just basic equipment, and can be done anywhere there is good footing and room for a circle.
If you can add a lunging session even once or twice a month in place of your regular rides, you might find that your horse does so much better later on when ridden. Here are nine ways lunging can add to your regular horsing around routine. While I can only get into a brief description here, I hope you can use these ideas with a little help from a mentor or instructor.
1. Movement without the rider.
First off, lunging allows the horse the opportunity to move freely without the weight (and influence/interference?) of a rider. There are many times in a horse's riding career when he will actually benefit from not being ridden, and rather, be allowed to move on his own.
When you feel that your horse will benefit from a little walk/trot/canter, bring out the lunge line, even if you think you'll get on afterward.
2. Controlled spiciness!
While some people let horses run loose in the arena to get their "heebie-jeebies" out, there may be times when it's in the horse's best interests to NOT get worked up or overly romping and lunging is a great way to moderate the amount of spiciness while still having the opportunity to move actively.
3. "Legging up" after a long winter's break.
I make it a rule for myself to include more lunging after a lay-off, just to let the horse find his own strength, balance and suppleness before I ever get on. I might stick to lunging only for a number of sessions, then lunging for a shorter time before riding, and then finally, riding without any lunging at all.
The horse will benefit from the straight-forward exercise, get used to moving again, and get a little huffing and puffing workout. You'll also notice that he's much better to ride after the lunging sessions than if you were to just plop on and try to get him going.
4. Evaluation.
Use lunging any time you feel you need to evaluate the horse's movement, or condition. There's a lot of information that can be gained from observing the horse as he works in each gait. You might want to watch a horse move on the lunge for a pre-purchase exam, or to learn more about his particular movement, or to assess a physical problem.
5. Transition workout.
Transitions are the best, even WITHOUT the rider! Work on the quality of both the up and down transitions, do progressive and non-progressive transitions, and make sure you do them both ways. Ask for transitions at random times, don't stay in one gait too long (or do the opposite and stay longer than usual, just to develop stamina), and get this one - you can even work on transitions within each gait, just to work the horse's hind end!
6. Communication/responsiveness to the person on the ground.
It goes without saying that the more you work together from the ground, the better your communication is going to be. You'll have to learn enough voice and body cues to get your horse to do all the things we're talking about - from the middle of the circle!
Over time, all the body language will become second nature to both of you. There is such a thing as "great" lunging.
7. (Riderless) hind end striding under/half-halts.
Now we can get more into the training aspects of lunging. One of the things you can work on from the ground is getting your horse to reach underneath better with the hind legs, and respond to half-halts from the rein. Better yet - you get to be on the ground where you are stable, and watch the effect your aids are having!
Use the lunge whip lifted upwards to ask for "forward" and the lunge line attached to a "bit
converter" to have even pressure on both sides of the bit. Then ask the horse to move forward, and "catch" the horse with the lunge line and ask the horse to half-halt. Teach the horse to NOT run faster with a go cue, and rather, become more powerful in the gait. See if you can influence the quality of the gait right there from the middle of the circle.
8. Moving straight on the circle.
We talk about this all the time when riding, so why not start from the ground? Add a pair of side reins to help keep the shoulders of the horse straight, even while moving on the circle. Make sure they are even length so that the horse can use both sides of his body evenly.
Some horses will bulge one shoulder or the other, even with side reins. In this case, ask the horse for more impulsion (#7, above), and see if you can get him to straighten out with that extra energy. Work the hind end to straighten out the front end.
9. Rounding over the back/stretching to the bit.
This one takes a little more explanation than I can give here, but it can be done. Once again, you can play with energy from the hind end, sent forward so that the horse learns to reach to the bit. If the side reins are long enough and allow the horse some room (not too long), you can teach the horse to stretch in a gait, right on the lunge line. I have a great demonstration of this in one of my Ground Work Sessions in my Practice Sessions group. Click here to learn more about the Practice Sessions.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should go out and lunge day after day, hour after hour. In fact, too much lunging can be detrimental to the horse's tendons and legs. But adding lunging into your regular riding and training routine can be of great benefit to you - and your horse!
Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!
