I always used to think that lunging was a great idea for the right reasons, but I have to admit, my attitude towards lunging has changed. It always seemed like a good warmup for the horse—or even a warm up for the rider’s courage before they hop in the saddle. However, over the years I see that lunging can be a great way to set the tone for the day. A pilot check, if you will, of what the horse’s attitude is and what’s in store.

Key Takeaways

When I lung a horse now I come at it from the perspective of a trainer. Not just in that I’m training a horse, but training an athlete. If you were an athletic trainer working with people, what kind of things would you keep an eye out for? You’d watch for their form, how much strain they’re enduring, where that strain is located, what muscles are being worked, and how the athlete feels about their performance. This is exactly what I keep an eye out for when lunging horses now.

In lunging in a different direction and watching the horse’s performance, I might see that they aren’t cantering so well on either their right or left side. This helps me decide what we will focus on when riding. I may not even saddle the horse after lunging if I see something is causing them pain or discomfort.

There are some common mistakes I see in lunging. The first is when the person on the ground is moving a lot, sometimes more than the horse. This sets the tone in the horse’s mind of, “Wow, I must be the leader today because this trainer is following me all over the place.” In horse hierarchy, the leaders are the most efficient, the followers do all the extra work.

Another mistake I see is people lunging a horse on too long of a line. But there are some simple physics involved here: you can’t control a horse as well from 10 or 20 feet away as you can from 3 feet away. So I may start, when warming up, at only an arm’s length of rope. Then I may add slack as long as I still feel comfortable and in control of the horse.

I don’t want people to be afraid of lunging, but if you’re going to do it, I want you to do it correctly. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Don’t let the horse learn that you can be bossed around when applying pressure to their nose. They shouldn’t be allowed to put more pressure on that halter and lead rope than they would a bit. They should be willing to stay soft on the nose and do nice circles around us.

Also, matching your commands with your rhythm will help teach your horse how to match with your own rhythm. You don’t want to have to pull on a horse to get them to stop—having them be in sync with you and follow your own pace and lead is the way to go.