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Re: [RC] Conditioning horses by Lunging - jorudoEvelyn Allen <totaleclipse2007@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: Does anyone use lunging as a means of keeping their horses conditioned when they can't ride as much as they'd like to (for whatever reason ie: weather, time factors, too many horses to ride at one time, etc.)? If so, what do you think about conditioning like this? Do you feel that this conditions the horse fairly well - and safely?Years ago (over 15), a horse chiropractor I used advocated lunging as followup therapy - but a specific routine. Once your horse was warmed up on the lunge line, and settled down, she wanted the horse lunged at a trot for 20 minutes non-stop one direction, then change directions and 20 minutes at a trot non-stop the other way. The trot speed was what was comfortable for the horse, as long as the horse wasn't dogging it. She felt that 20 minutes was what it took for the horses hips to loosen up, the muscles to warm up and get to work, and the hips to start "swinging." I will admit that if I did as she wanted, I could see the difference in the horse's movement - more "sashay" in the hips, more hip rise and fall to the sides (don't know if that explains it right, like waggling your hand in a "so so" gesture), looser and longer stride, and a bigger and more methodical swing to the tail. But Lordy, was it mind-numbing for me!
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